“This makes a loaf quite firm in texture, with a delicious herby, peppery flavor that lasts.”
-James Beard, Beard on Bread
Since I had some rosemary left over from making Pizza Caccia Nanza, I wanted to use it up to make Dark Herb Bread. The only problem was finding the rye meal the recipe required. I found some online, but with a hefty $8 shipping fee. Instead, I bought some rye flakes from the co-op and ground them in the food processor. Presto, rye meal in about 10 seconds, for only 71 cents.
Here are the ingredients (my improvised rye meal is in the bowl, which is unfortunately the same beige color as the meal):
After my experience kneading a stick of butter into my bread dough to make Currant Bread, it was a relief to make a more straightforward loaf. Due to the whole-wheat flour and rye meal, the dough was a bit stiffer than a typical white-flour dough; however, it still kneaded up well.
After an hour of rising time, I kneaded the dough again and shaped it into two loaves to fit into my 8 x 4 bread pans. I let those rise for about 45 minutes, and then poked holes into the top of the loaf to insert slivers of garlic, just like I did for Pizza Caccia Nanza (however, unlike in Pizza Caccia Nanza, for Dark Herb Bread I chopped up the rosemary and mixed it into the dough).
After 20 minutes at 400 degrees, followed by another 20 minutes at 350 degrees, my bread was done.
Dark Herb Bread is delicious–the hearty texture is nicely complemented by the flavors of garlic and rosemary. It should make some delicious sandwiches for a Sunday evening picnic.
Not logged in