Olive Oil And Herbes De Provence Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 40 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 envelope)
• 1 cup water, lukewarm
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour, more if needed
• 1 tablespoon herbes de provence (i recommend mccormics)

Recipe

• 1 stir the sugar and yeast into the water, and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve.
• 2 put the olive oil and salt in a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast mixture.
• 3 beat in 1-1/2 cups/285 g of the flour, until smooth, along with the herbs.
• 4 work in the remaining cup/125 g flour, turning it onto the countertop to knead, until you have smooth, springy dough, 10 to 15 minutes. (i found 15 minutes yeilded a much better bread than 10 minutes).
• 5 cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise to double, about 45 minutes.
• 6 punch the dough down and shape into a loaf. (i shaped mine into a ball by pressing the dough slightly flat, folding in the corners, pinching them together and then flipping the ball over with the pinched corners on the bottom. i then made three long slices in the top for steam to escape. this is how laura did it on the show.).
• 7 let rise again 30 minutes (or not), and bake at 400ºf/200ºc for 25 minutes until done. i brush the loaf with an egg/milk wash before i bake it, but it's not necessary. the wash is 1 yolk beaten with a tablespoon or two of milk. you can also spray the loaf lightly with water, or put a pan of boiling water in the oven to give the bread a crispy crust.
• 8 let the bread cool a little before slicing to serve.