Italian Herb Bread

I have made this recipe several times and there has always been a delicious outcome.You can make this bread by hand, using the bread machine, or a combination of both.

The recipe calls for you to saute the herbs in olive oil, but I did not do that this time and it turned out great! This bread is good for lunch and dinner. it tastes great toasted or dipped in olive oil and cheese.

For this recipe I used fresh herbs from our garden although the recipe called for dried. When using fresh herbs I use more than the recipe calls for. In the recipe below I have the 2 options listed fresh or dried. You could even use a combination of both. Here is the recipe:

Small 1.0 pound loaf:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic pressed (i used minced)
preferred amount of fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme OR
1 tsp dried basil; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp dried rosemary; 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups bread flour
2 tsp yeast

If you are going to saute herbs:

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Put in garlic and herbs and saute for about 2 minutes.

French Baguettes

I got this awesome french bread pan for Christmas this year. I've already used it several times! This is very easy to make. To make the crust extra crunch leave the yoke in the egg wash and put a pan of shallow water in the oven under the baking bread. Enjoy!

Recipe:

Focaccia

This is a great bread. When ever I am not sure what to bake I bake this bread. It's great dipped in olive oil. I love to add my own toppings such as sliced grape tomatoes (we grow them in our garden in the summer) or onions. This is one of my best fococcia breads---It came out so perfect. This bread goes good with pasta or almost anything.

I cut my bread in wedges like a pie--it looks great. One thing I have found is never pool the olive oil to heavily on the bread (unless you want to)because if too much is on the bread it will come out of the oven with soggy olive oil patches on top. I think that is partly why my bread came out so well this time is because i put on less olive oil than i normally do and spread it more evenly.

Focaccia is delicious. It's just the right mix of salt with the spice of rosemary. The cheese adds another flavor not quite as salty and counters with the spicy onions (if you use them). If you add tomatoes (which I always do when they are in season) it adds a fruity flavor. Yum!

If you have any tips feel free to comment!

Portugeuse Sweet Bread

I've made this delicious bread before. The texture is great and it was very good warm.I though it was absolutely savory when toasted with cinnamon and butter. This bread tasted very sweet. although I couldn't taste the nutmeg in it I could smell it. The crust is very crunch on this bread when it is fresh out of the oven.

One thing I would recommend is only let this bread raise 30 minutes instead of 45. I found that it puffs up in the oven alot---Unless this is how you like your bread of course! I found it very hard to cut when it was so big on top compared to the bottom and ended up sort of squishing the bread--Oooops! Also this bread gets very brown crust; you might want to watch it as it gets closer to getting done.

If you watch the video I made below you will be able to get the recipe. An easy bread to make for all levels of bakers! Enjoy!

Koulouri-Cypriot Bread

Koulouri-Cypriot Bread is a Greek bread. Here is the recipe:

Pinch of fennel Pinch of anise

3 ½ cups white flour 1 ½ teaspoons of salt

1 tablespoon yeast ¼ cup olive oil

1 ¼ cups of water ¼ cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

STEPS:

1) Grind the fennel and anise into a powder and set aside. 2) In a bread machine (or by hand) mix the flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast and fennel-anise powder together. 3) Set bread machines for dough stage. 4) After the dough raises punch it down and form it into a circular shape. 5) In a bowl moisten the sesame seeds and caraway seeds. 6) After this, totally cover the dough with the seeds. (See video on how to do this) 7) Place the dough in a warm place to rise for about 45-90 minutes. 8) Make two slits on the top of the dough and one around the circumference. 9) Heat the oven to 425⁰ F and bake on a baking sheet for 20 minutes until done.

View the video for more detail and the step by step process!

I have never made Greek type bread before. I thought this bread was very uncomplicated to make. So whether you’re a beginner or an expert you can make this bread. The bread smelled so good when it came out of the oven. I think it would be great for any meal. I tasted the bread with cream cheese on it and it was delicious (sort of like a bagel). I recommend trying the bread like that. Yummmmmmmmmmm!!!

When I was done baking the loaf of bread the seeds on top had gotten very brown. Next time I will lower the temperature to 400⁰F and bake only for 20 minutes. Do you think this will help? Another difficulty I have come across with my bread experiences is that I end up ruining the raising of the bread when I try to cut into the bread dough to make slits like in French bread or this type of bread. This is why I did not slice the bread dough for this recipe like you are supposed to. I didn’t want to ruin it. Any tips?

Introduction

Welcome! I am a bread making novice and have only been making bread for two years. I’ve created a blog to share with you my experiences of making breads from around the world. My goal is to make as many breads as I can from different countries. I would like to eventually share with you my experiences of making, foccacia (and many other Italian breads), French breads, various Greek breads, veterkake, and other breads. Enjoy!