Somehow I have made it to the end of July and not harvested and used a fraction of the bounty from my herb gardens.
When I saw this recipe in an old German cooking magazine I was reminded of that fact. Also I was reminded how much Germans love and use yogurt in their baked goods.
This bread is delightful. It has enough heft and a lovely crunch crust to pass as heartier fare. However, the taste is tangy and laced with the lovely flavors of mixed fresh herbs. The rise time on this beauty is relatively shot, only one hour total. However, If you do not want to deal with waiting for bread to rise, try adding herbs to this No Rise Oatmeal Yogurt Whole Wheat Bread.
I made up my own mix of herbs based on the abundance in my garden. Use whatever you have on hand, whatever you can get your hands on or what you can beg from a neighbor.
The bonus is the bread is purdy and looks lovely on any summer table.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh marjoram
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh lemon balm
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 package of active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt
Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix all the chopped herbs together and set aside.
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Make an indent in the middle. Heat the milk until lukewarm and pour it into the well in the flour. Add the dry yeast to the milk and let it bubble.
- Using the dough hook of your stand mixer or a wooden spoon, mix everything together.
- Add the sugar, salt eggs and yogurt and knead together for 5 minutes into a smooth dough.
- Knead in the mixed fresh chopped herbs.
- Cover the bowl with a dish cloth and let stand in a warm place for 40 minutes.
- Grease and flour a 10 inch loaf pan.
- Retrieve the dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Knead it for a few more turns and shape it into a 10 inch log.
- Place the dough in the prepared loaf pan, cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.
- Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the bread from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice and serve.
