Breads for Lammas Day - Weekend Recipe

The Celts were great about celebrating seasonal and celestial time periods.  They marked many of these days with a celebration.  August first is the festival of Lughnasadh (Loo-na-sa) it was a celebration of the first loaves of bread from the new harvest.  To commemorate this festival I am sharing a couple of herb bread recipes.

Make them and enjoy your Loaf Mass!

RECIPES

Summer Herb Quick Bread

Adapted from "The Provence Cookbook" by Patricia Wells

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup plain yogurt

2 Tbls. imported French mustard

1/2 cup Swiss Gruyere cheese, grated

1/4 cup mint, minced

1/4 cup chives, minced

1/4 cup thyme, minced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F. In a food processor or blender, combine flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, yogurt and mustard; add cheese and herbs. Pour batter into bread pan and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes or until firm and golden. Remove pan from oven and invert onto a cooling rack.  Makes 1 loaf or about 12 slices.  It will keep if stored in a zipseal bag at room temp for about 3 days.

Oregano Herb Standard Bread

1 pkg. Active dry yeast

5 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 ¾ cup milk

3 T. salad oil

2 T sugar

2 T minced Oregano

1 t. salt

Stir together the yeast and 2 cups of flour. Heat together all the remaining ingredients except the flour, until lukewarm. Add to flour-yeast mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, followed by 3 minutes on high speed slowly stirring in flour as much as can with a spoon.

Now knead in the remaining flour to make a stiff dough for about 8-9 minutes. Shape into a ball and put in lightly greased pan/bowl, turning once to grease all sides of surface. Cover and let rise for approximately 1 hour or so until the dough mixture is approximately double in size. Punch down dough and divide in half, cover and let sit for 10 more minutes. Shape into 2 loaves and place into buttered 8 x 4" loaf pans. Cover and let rise another 45 minutes Bake in 350 F for 40- 45 minutes and cover with foil last few minutes to prevent over-browning.

Herb Sourdough Bread

If you have a sourdough starter this is a great herb bread you can craft with it.  Try it if you can get some.

1 cup sourdough culture
1 Tbls. butter
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp crushed dried basil
3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough Proof

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter and add the milk to warm. Stir in the salt, sugar, thyme, oregano, and basil and stir. Add the butter mixture to the culture and mix well. Add the flour a cup at a time until the dough becomes too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny.

Or mix and knead all of the ingredients for a maximum of 25 minutes in a bread machine or other mixer.

Proof the dough overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature, about 70°F, in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap (or leave in the machine pan, removed from the machine, securing the plastic wrap with a rubber band). During this time, the dough should double in size in the covered bowl, or rise to the top of the machine pan. After the proof, use a spatula to gently ease the dough out onto a floured board. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes. If marked flattening occurs during this time, knead in additional flour before shaping.

Loaf Proof

After the 30-minute rest, shape the dough. Flatten it slightly, then lift a portion from the periphery and pull it toward the center. Continue this around the dough mass to form a rough ball, then pat and pull into the loaf shape you desire. Place on a baking sheet or in a bread pan and proof for 2 to 4 hours, until it doubles in bulk or rises nearly to the top of the pan. Proof for the first hour at room temperature and then at 85° to 90°F in a proofing box.

Baking

Place the pan with its shaped, proofed loaf in a cool oven, then turn the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 70 minutes. Or transfer the loaf to a preheated baking stone in a 450°F oven and bake for 40 minutes. When the loaf is baked, remove it from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Weekend Recipe - Italian Herb Bread

Beer Bread with Italian Herbs & Cheese

I have always had trouble baking bread using yeast.  I buy too much and it gets stale and then my bread never rises like it should.  I found this recipe for an herb bread that eliminates the need for dry yeast by using beer instead.  And the flavor makes it a great bread to eat with tomatoes dishes, and winter bean soups.

Normally I do not post recipes that only use my seasonings, but I have made this bread and BYP Italian Seasoning makes it the best.  If you comment and want a substitute I will reply with one.

3 cups self-rising flour*
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of Backyard Patch Italian Seasoning

1 (12-ounce) can of beer

Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well.  Add beer and again, mix well.  Preheat oven to 375°F.  Lightly grease or spray a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.   Makes 1 loaf.

*If you don’t have self rising flour just use this mixture. 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. 

Program today - Herbal Holiday Baking

Today, as this posts actually, I am presenting a Program on Holiday Baking using herbs.(stop back next week for photos of us from the program!)

It has inspired me to make tea bread and savory bread for Holiday Gifts this year.  I always share recipes that could not fit into the handouts with students and others on the Program Recipes Page (see above) and today is no exception.  I have added three recipes to the page including a gluten-free recipes for those who love the idea of an herb bread but need to avoid the gluten.

Here I thought I would share a couple recipes that turned out to be my favorites from the program. If you are interested in my entire set of available programs, check this out!

Lavender Tea Bread

This recipe is kind of a sneak peak because we will be sharing it on Facebook as part of the Advent calender of daily herb recipes that starts on December 1st.  Check out this webpage for more details and previous calendars.

3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers, finely chopped, or 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped flowers
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat milk with lavender almost to a boil, then steep until cool. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in bowl. In another bowl cream butter and gradually add sugar, then eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with lavender milk, in three parts. Mix until batter is just blended, do not overbeat. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, drizzle with a simple sugar glaze or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with sprigs of fresh lavender.

This second recipe is a savory rather than a sweet bread.  You can serve it with soups or with butter as a rich hearty evening snack and it is the perfect side to a green salad.  I am thinking a great Thanksgiving appetizer too!  We love this recipe so much that every loaf I pre-made for the program got eaten and I finally had to make one in the morning before the program so I would have one to take with me.  The participants in the program made a mix of this recipe so they could all try it at home.

Savory Herb & Spice Quick Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg

1 cup fat-free milk

1/3 cup canola oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Transfer to a 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (14 slices).

Zucchini Spice Bread - Weekend recipe

What do you do with all the Zucchini you start having this time of year?  Well I have a few recipes you can try.  We will start with a traditional Zucchini Bread with a spicy twist.

Zucchini Spice Bread

Makes 1 loaf

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for the pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Oil an 8V2-by-4V2-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the

flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, light brown and granulated sugars, eggs, and vanilla; mix

in the zucchini. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).

3. Spread the batter In the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes

out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gifting or Tea let's make Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

I am all about cakes you can serve with tea and this one is a perfect companion.  So if you are thinking about having a tea party for your holiday or winter celebrations or if you like to give tea-related gifts then this recipe is for you!

Lemon isa flavor that works well with any black or herbal tea so I love to make Lemon Tea Breads.  In fact I make a Lemon Tea Bread Mix at the Backyard Patch that comes in a holiday festive bread pan, because I like them so much.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbls. poppy seeds
grated zest of 2 lemons (about 2 Tbls.)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
confectioner's sugar

Directions:
Preheat the overn to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 9 by 4 inch loaf pan.

Place the butter in a bowl and using a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed utnil creaming.  About 2 to 3 minutes.  gransdually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat untilt he mixture is pale and has doubled in volume, maybe 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well inbetween additions.

Sift together the flour and salt in a bowl, the sift again into another bowl.  Add the poppy seeds.  granually add the sifted mixture tot eh butter mixture, beating until smooth.  Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.  Spoon the batter into the perpared pan,.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  About 1 hour 15 minutes for one pan.  I like to divide this into two smaller loaves.  If you do that you need to bake them less time, check them at 45 minutes and continue accordingly.  remove fromt eh over and let cool for 10 minutes,  Then invert onto a wire rack, lift off the pan and allow to cool completely.  Sift confection'ers sugar on top or craft a lemon glaze with lemon juice and confectioner's sugar.

Holiday Gift Making Series - Food Gifts

This year I’m trying to put a more personal spin on the gifts we give.  I have always given herb blends and many years I have given cookies, truffles and the like, but this year, I decided to use the garden bounty in a different way.  I have come up with several ideas, a couple of which I have shared already.

Food items are always a hit and rather than giving a mix or two this year, I am actually going to make up a few items and put them in a basket.  Instead of a theme, like breakfast or dinner which I have done in the past, I am going for an herb sampler of items.  Making the time to create a gift from scratch is well worth it, most people you give a homemade gift will recognise the love and effort that went into the gift making it more special than anything you can buy in a shop. 


Here are a few recipes for herb infused items you can bake up and give to your friends too:

Savory Herb Crackers
Here is the recipe, for detailed instructions for making these, check out the how to I did back in July.

Rosemary Crackers How to!


Herb Scones
Baking up a pan of scones is probably the easiest gift to create.  They have a good shelf life and you can make them as a mix or as the baked finished product.  They also do not require special tools and the variations are endless. and most versatile recipe you can create.  For other scone recipes, check out this past post.

Tea Party Currant Scones
4 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons, divided

¼  cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon zest
3 sticks (1 and one-half cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (see testing note)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried currants
Egg wash made from 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water or additional cream
Crystallized sugar for topping, optional

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, zest and pieces of cold butter. Beat on low speed just until butter is the size of peas. (Alternately, whisk together dry ingredients and work butter in by hand.)

In a small bowl, whisk together schnapps, eggs and cream. Turn mixer on low and add liquid in a slow, steady stream and mix just until mixture is blended, about 1 minute.

In a small bowl, toss currants with 2 tablespoons flour. Add to bowl and mix for a few seconds just until distributed. Turn dough out onto a clean counter and make it into 2 balls. (Note: due to the large amount of butter and eggs, this is a very sticky dough. Add flour as needed to form into balls. It will firm up when chilled.)

Flatten into disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Press or roll chilled dough out to one-inch thickness and use a cookie cutter or glass to cut scones of desired size. You can re-roll scraps but they may need to be re-chilled first. Place scones on a greased cookie sheet and brush with egg wash or cream. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.  Bake 13 to 20 minutes depending on size until golden brown.  Yields about 60 mini (2-inch) scones.

 Herbal Jelly
Scones can be topped with jelly or with Devon cream or even lemon curd, so try this!

Savory Jelly

1 Tbls. fresh or dried summer or winter savory

½ cup boiling water

1 ½ cup unsweetened cranberry juice

3 cups honey

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 box powdered pectin

Make an infusion (tea) of savory and water.  Let steep 5 minutes or more.  Strain.  In large sauce pan combine juice, honey, and infusion liquid and bring to boil.  Add pectin, stirring at all times.  Heat until mixture reaches a hard boil.  Boil hard for 30 seconds and give a sheet test.  Once it passes the sheet test remove instantly from heat. Pour into sterilized jars with a sprig of fresh savory in each, seal.

Sheet test –

Dip a metal spoon into the boiling syrup.  As the boiling mixture nears the jellying point, it will drop from the side of the spoon in two (2) drops, (not a stream).  The jelly is finished and should be removed from the burner.

Bouquet Garni
Bouquet Garni is traditionally bay, thyme, rosemary & parsley, but I believe you can mix your own bouquets to work with your favorite ingredients.  You can combine the herbs and place them in cute squares of fabric or muslin bags.  And put them in a bale jar or basket with a few recipes.  You can add an herbal vinegar and a bottle of quality olive oil to make a perfect seasoning package.

Here are some suggestions for a selection of Bouquet Garni bags that will compliment different types of food.

For Meat – 1 teaspoon each Nutmeg, Thyme, Chervil and Tarragon.
For Fish – 1 teaspoon each of Tarragon, Dill, Mint and Lemon peel.
For Vegetables – 4 Bay Leaves, 2 teaspoons Parsley and 1 teaspoon Thyme.

Herbal Vinegar

1 cup fresh herbs (of your choice)

2 cups wine or rice vinegar

Place the washed herbs in a jar with a plastic lid and bruise them with the handle of a spoon.  Cover them with vinegar of your choice that you have warmed in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. 

Seal the jar with a non-reactive (plastic) lid and let sit for at least two weeks shaking daily. Strain using cheese cloth or a coffee filter and rebottle. 

For detailed instructions, check out the How-to-sday on Making Vinegar.

Herb Quick Bread
Quick breads do not have yeast ahdn have no rise time,so they make a quick and easy gift.  You can use your imagination here too, but I have given two recipes to try.

Herb Quick Bread

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         3 tablespoons sugar

·         1 tablespoon baking powder

·         1 tablespoon caraway seeds

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

·         1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         1 egg

·         1 cup fat-free milk

·         1/3 cup canola oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Transfer to a 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Herb & Cheese Quick Bread

Ingredients:

·         2 cups flour

·         1 tablespoon sugar

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon dried basil

·         1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

·         1/4 teaspoon dried sage

·         1/4 cup margarine or butter

·         1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or 1 cup Monterey jack cheese

·         1 egg, , beaten

·         1/2 cup yogurt

·         1/2 cup milk

·         1/8 cup poppy seeds

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in margarine or butter. Combine cheese, egg, yogurt and milk, and add to other ingredients. Dump into a round or square 9-inch pan, sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make up a basket of culinary herbs & spices to give as a gift.  You can include your own home made herb tea blends, give them pretty labels, add a herb mug and pack them all in a basket for a herb tea fan. Or pack a selection of dried herbs and spices into some little amber glass jars which you’ve labelled with the name of the contents, add a few loose herbs such as bay leaves, cinnamon sticks or even dried orange slices, cover in cellophane and finish with raffia to make your own personal herb and spice gift baskets. If you’ve grown and dried your own herbs not often available in supermarkets such as lemon thyme, chocolate peppermint and rose geranium, you can add them to your basket. Or make Rose Geranium, Vanilla and Lavender sugars and put together a gift basket for someone who likes to bake, slip in a few recipes, biscuit cutters and whatever else takes your fancy.  You can make themed gifts too, like an Italian herb gift basket for a friend who loves pizza and pasta.

If you are too busy to craft these items, check out the Backyard Patch.  We have herbal vinegars, scone mixes, cracker mixes and even soup mixes, that are entirely hand-blended with herbs we grow ourselves.  An entire selection of Backyard Patch items can be seen on Etsy and if you use this code: PASSPORT10, you will get 10% off.

New Seasonal Recipes for Bread & Butter

I am a bit behind, but have finally updated the Seasonal Recipes Page.  For this season I decided to share Herb Bread recipes and Herbal Butter recipes. 

One of the favorite items I prepare for holiday meals is home made breads.  Sometimes I do not have the time to make bread from scratch and buy frozen bread loafs from the store and augment them with herbs,othertimes I take the time to make bread or beer bread.  And when I am very busy, I make herbal butter ot spread on French and Italian bread I get from the bakery.  Please enjoy the recipes with your family and freinds.

I also like Quick Breads.  Those are the ones which do not have yeast so you merely blend, pour and bake.  I thought I would share a seasonally appropriate one.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons BYP Cinnful Dessert Blend (my version of Pumpkin Pie Spice)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can Pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

2.      Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

3.      Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Herby Cheese Bread

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Backyard Patch Italian Seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1.      Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

2.      Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and Cheddar cheese together in a large bowl. Whisk in half-and-half cream, milk, and vegetable just until blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3.      Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.