Herb Bread

A recipe that will show you how easy it is to make your own yeast-raised bread! Although the recipe calls for a loaf pan, you can divide the dough into rolls or even make bread sticks. The secret to getting your bread to rise is to not kill the yeast in the first place! Use water from the tap to dissolve your yeast. It takes a bit longer than warm but the taste develops more fully in a longer rise.

Herb Bread
1 tablespoon or one packet dry yeast
1 cup cool water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour (You can substitute one cup for whole wheat flour)
1 Tablespoon Itallian seasoning

Put the yeast into the watter and stir to dissolve. Add the sugar, salt, and oil. Let stand for about five minutes. Add half the flour and the herb seasoning and mix well. Add the rest of the flour gradually and knead in to form a smooth, pliable dough. Depending on the climate, you might not need all of the second half of the flour.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes. Add flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Form the dough into a loaf and place in a vegetable-oil sprayed bread loaf pan. Spray the top of the loaf with vegetable oil spray, cover with plastic wrap, and a clean dish towel. Let rise until almost doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree over for about 50-60 minutes. Goes great with a pasta dinner or toasted for sandwiches the next day.

Ideas . . .
Add a couple tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to the dough when mixing it.
A Tablespoon of poppy seeds adds some flavor.
Two tablespoons of finely chopped sun-dried tomato bring it up to gourmet level!