After several weeks of what I like to call “human be’in weather” we’re back to the more “seasonal” temperatures.  Translation: human being weather is when you can walk outside in the middle of the day and not sizzle and then puddle with sweat and Texas “September seasonal” means you have to turn the air conditioning on if you’re going to feel like a human being and have any chance of moving around in the house.

Is it the end of summer?  From the looks of our back yard, I’d have to say yes.  The basil plants have become oversized Texas shrubs, the thyme is big and bushy and people the rosemary has gone over to the gigi-normous beautiful!  Yes, goodness knows I’ve done the pesto thing but I now have a serious glut of herbs.  Even the fennel Gorn trimmed back has sprouted again and is making lovely garnish.  I’ve maybe told you I enjoy the rich feeling of by-passing the $4 containers of herbs in the grocery and dashing out into the back to get mine, it’s a wonderful feeling.  But, this is now total excess.  Excess to the point that Gorn decided to pull several rosemary from the front that we were using as hedge.

I went in search of an herb bread.  I wasn’t looking for a timid, mild herb flavor but something bold.

I got these loaves baked before the air conditioning had to go back on again.  This is another excellent bread from Daniel Leader’s great book Local Breads.  For other breads I’ve baked from this book and my take on this book, check here.

Fresh Herb Twist

Pane alle erbi

Adapted from Local Breads: Daniel Leader

generous amounts of basil, rosemary, thyme

at least a tablespoon each chopped, I used more

350g (1  1/2 cup) water

1  1/2 (10g)  teaspoon instant yeast

75g King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour

325g unbleached bread flour

100g (3/4 cup) rye flour

50g (1/4) cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon toasted coriander seeds fresh ground

1  1/2  teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground flax seed meal

Whisk flours, yeast, flax seed meal, fresh ground coriander and salt together.  Pour in water and oil and mix just to combine.  Cover and let sit while you prepare the herbs: it took me just about 30 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter forming into something of a flat rectangle.  It’s very sticky.  I used two hands full of my chopped herbs.

The leftovers went into the salad dressing.

Adding the herbs added more liquid and resulted in a very very very sticky dough.  I floured the dough lightly by dusting flour on the dough with this

and I kept my hands dusted by just putting them in the flour and shaking them off.  The idea is to just barely keep the dough manageable without adding huge amounts of flour.  I got the dough from very very very sticky back to about just very sticky, smooth and elastic with the herbs evenly distributed in about 10 minutes of steady kneading.

Having cut back from the recipe amount of yeast, I was still expecting a fast rise from my dough.  After 15 minutes in the rising bucket, I was seeing activity.  I gave the dough a gentle half turn by letting it fall from the bucket into my hand, folded it in half and returned it to the bucket.  The dough then went into the refrigerator for several hours.  I brought it out and left it on the counter about 30 minutes before shaping it.

Preheat the oven with baking stone to 425°.

Divide the dough into four roughly equal pieces.  Roll the four pieces into fourteen inch ropes.  Lay two ropes side by side.  Pinch end together, lift the two pieces and twist them round and round each other.  Pinch the opposite ends together and tuck the ends under.

One loaf twist went into my rectangle banneton the other I let rise on a heavily flour dusted couche (heavy untreated linen cloth).

Cover, let rise between 30 minutes to an hour.  They should look pillowy.  The dough should spring slowly back from a fingerprint.

Mist the oven when placing the loaves in the oven.  I baked mine directly on the stone.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes.  The house becomes a heavenly herb garden and you have gorgeous bread.  Enjoy.