Savory Herb French Bread Food

SAVORY HERB FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat Oven 350.
• Mix all ingredients (except bread and paprika)in a food processor until smooth.
• Split French bread length wise.
• Spread cheese mixture evenly onto both halves of the french bread and sprinkle with paprika.
• Bake uncovered on a cookie sheet 15-20 minutes until golen brown and bubbly.
• Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Slice into 2-3" sections and serve!

OLIVE OIL AND HERBES DE PROVENCE BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the sugar and yeast into the water, and set aside for 10 minutes to dissolve.
• Put the olive oil and salt in a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast mixture.
• Beat in 1-1/2 cups/285 g of the flour, until smooth, along with the herbs.
• 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).
• Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise to double, about 45 minutes.
• 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.).
• 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.
• Let the bread cool a little before slicing to serve.

PAIN DE PROVENCE (HERB FRENCH BREAD)

Steps:

• The night before baking, make the poolish by mixing together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast to make a batter.
• Cover the container with plastic wrap and set aside for 8 to 16 hours.
• Next Day:.
• In large bowl combine the remaining flour with the remaining yeast, salt, and herbs.
• Add the poolish, the liqueur, and 1/4 cup of the additional water.
• Mix the ingredients, and, if necessary, add more water or flour until the proper consistency is reached (tacky but not so sticky that the dough sticks to your hands).
• Knead by hand for 10 to 15 minutes or in a mixer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Set aside to rise until doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes. Remove it from the bowl and gently degas it, then return it to the bowl, cover it, and allow it to double in size again.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball or long loaf.
• Cover the loaf with a damp towel and allow it to rise again until doubled in size, which takes between 60 and 90 more minutes.
• While the loaf is in its final rise, preheat the oven and baking stone, if you are using one, to 450.
• I also preheat a broiler pan, or cast iron skillet, into which to pour a cup of hot water just after placing the loaf in the oven. This creates steam in the oven which increases the crunchiness of the crust.
• Just prior to placing the loaf in the oven, score the top of it with a sharp knife or razor blade.
• Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 450, then rotate it 180 degrees and reduce the oven temperature to 375 and baked it another 25 minutes.
• The internal temperature of the loaf should be approximately 200 degrees when you remove it from the oven.

SAVORY GRUYèRE BREAD WITH HAM

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the chopped ham, scallions if using, thyme, and 1¾ cups (7 ounces) of the Gruyère (reserving the rest for topping). In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup (1 ounce) cheese over the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Pour water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast into water, and let it stand undisturbed until dissolved. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon herbs, sea salt, and 2 tablespoons oil until well blended. Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time until a thick and somewhat sticky dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, and place into an oiled bowl. Flip the dough to coat the surface. Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Shape into an irregular ovals, about 1 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle cornmeal over 2 baking sheets; transfer dough to pans. Brush each loaf with olive oil, and sprinkle the remaining herbs on top. Make several slashes in the bread, cutting through the dough with a knife. Cover the loaves with clean dishtowels. Let rise again until the dough begins to rise again, about 20 minutes.
• Place baking sheets into a preheated 450 degree F (220 degree C) oven. Quickly splash a small amount of water onto the floor of your oven to create steam, and close the oven door. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

GARLIC-AND-HERB STAR BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the warm water and sugar together until dissolved, then stir in the yeast; set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and fine salt in a large bowl.
• Add the butter to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture and milk. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely moistened and the dough looks like a shaggy ball, switching to your hands and gently kneading to bring the dough together, if necessary. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• When the dough is almost ready, make the filling: Combine the cheese, chiles, parsley, thyme and lemon zest in a small bowl. Mash and stir together with a small rubber spatula until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead until smooth, three or four times. Pat until about 1 inch thick, then fold into thirds like a letter and pat until 1 inch thick again. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat folding and patting two more times. Divide into 2 equal pieces.
• Lightly butter an upside-down rimmed baking sheet (or a rimless baking sheet). Roll out 1 piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a floured surface and transfer to the pan. Spread with the filling, stopping about 3/4 inch from the edge. Roll out the second piece of dough into an 11-inch round and place on top of the first. Pinch and press the edges of the dough together to seal.
• Center the rim of a drinking glass (about 3 inches in diameter) in the middle of the dough; gently press to mark the center. At the 12 o'clock mark, cut through the dough with a very sharp knife from the glass to the edge, leaving the center circle uncut. Repeat at the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock points on the circle to make 4 quarters. Halve each quarter to make 8 equal wedges; halve those to make 16 wedges.
• Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends together to make a pointed tip. Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Remove the glass and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the filling is firm and the dough has puffed and risen slightly, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Uncover the dough and re-pinch any ends that came apart. Brush all over with the beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until golden brown all over, especially around the center circle, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide onto a rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

SAVORY HERB BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Lightly grease a 10-inch (25 cm) square baking dish.
• Preheat a 6-quart (5.7 L) pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil with a pinch of salt until onion is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the onion powder, sage, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and several dashes of pepper and turn off the heat.
• Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Pour in the vegetable broth, ½ cup (120 ml) at a time, mixing well after each addition. The bread should be moist but not soggy, so you may not need to add all the broth.
• Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit before serving.

HERB BUTTER FOR FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Cream ingredients (except bread). You can do this by hand.
• Cut 2" verticle slices into bread; not slicing through to the bottom.
• Spread butter mixture in slits.
• Wrap in foil; bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Can cook on grill.

FRENCH HERB BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine the yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour.
• In a sauce pan combine the milk, water and 1/4 cup of the butter or margarine until 110 degrees F. Add milk mixture and vinegar to the flour mixture and blend at low speed of the mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.
• Stir in 1 1/2 cups additional flour to form a sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead adding 1/2 to 1 cup more of flour until dough is smooth and pliable. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.
• Punch down dough and roll into a rectangle shape about 16x8 inches.
• In a saucepan heat the onion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, parsley and 2 tablespoons butter or margarine until butter or margarine is melted. Spread over the dough rectangle and starting from the 16 inch side roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll.
• Place the bread seam side down onto a greased cookie sheet and let rise until doubled in sized.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F).
• Bake bread until golden brown about 20 to 30 minutes. Brush hot bread with melted butter and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

HERB-SEASONED FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Slice french bread into 1 inch slices. Combine remaining ingredients, mixing well; spread butter mixture between bread slices.
• Wrap loaf in aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.