I love making fresh homemade bread! I found this recipe and couldn’t wait to try it. It has great flavor and texture. If you have any leftovers, it’s fabulous in Ham & Cheese Strata.
Braided Garden Herb Bread
adapted from Allrecipes
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour {I used half whole wheat flour}
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages instant yeast {1 TBSP + 2 tsp}
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP butter, melted
- 1 egg
In small bowl, combine warm milk and sugar. Add yeast and let sit 5 minutes, until mixture bubbles up and is frothy.
In a large mixing bowl combine salt and seasonings seasonings with 1/4 cup melted butter and water. Add in milk-yeast mixture. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time. Add in egg and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead or mix in your mixer on medium speed for 7 additional minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover; let rest in a warm area for 10 minutes. {I like to cover my bowl with plastic wrap and set it out in the sun.
Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece to 30 inch rope. Braid ropes; pinch ends to seal. Tie knot in center of braid; wrap ends around knot, in opposite directions, and tuck under to make round loaf. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubles in size, about 20 to 40 minutes. {I have detailed pictures that show this process below- it’s much easier than you think and takes about 10 minutes total!}
Remove top rack from oven and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 to 35 minutes or until done, covering with foil during last 15 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Melt remaining butter; brush over loaf. Sprinkle with additional herbs, if desired. Remove from sheet; let cool on wire rack.
This is the milk-sugar-yeast mixture right after combining.
This is the milk-sugar-yeast mixture after about 8 minutes- it’s DONE. Ha! Try and let it sit only about 5 minutes so you don’t have to clean up a mess like I did, okay?
I like to spray my dough with a little cooking spray, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the sun to rest for 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 sections.
Use your hands to roll each section into a long rope, about 30″ in length.
Pinch the 3 ends together to seal and braid the remaining sections.
Once you have a long braid, pinch the other ends together.
Tie the braid in a knot at the center of the rope. I was a little nervous about this but it was super easy.
Arrange one side of the braided rope around one part of the knot and the other around the other part, so that the two braids are cradling the knot.
Tuck the ends of the braid under the knot and secure by pinching together.
Take the top rack of the oven out so that the bread will sit on a {sprayed with cooking spray} pan on the lower rack. This will help the bread to cook evenly without browning too quickly on the top. You’ll still have to cover it loosely with foil after about 15 minutes.