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Savory Fresh Herb Bread – A Happy Leaf Recipe

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We love to bake with what we grow indoors with our Happy Leaf LEDs.  Pizza? Of course! Savory scones? You betcha! Bread? Always!

How To Make Fresh Herb Bread

Today we’re baking this fresh herb bread recipe using some of the amazing herbs we’re growing under our Happy Leaf LEDs. We’re baking with rosemary, but you can just as easily use thyme, basil, sage, or just about anything you desire. 

This is an extremely versatile fresh herb bread recipe that you can use to make a wide variety of sweet or savory loaves with. If you’re not moved by a savory herb loaf, try incorporating nuts (pecans or walnuts) and/or spices such as cinnamon. If you choose to incorporate nuts, you can knead 1 ½ – 2 cups into your dough in step 10 below.

Savory Fresh Herb Bread - A Happy Leaf Recipe 1
Print Fresh Herb Bread Recipe

Fresh Herb Bread Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (340g) warm water

1 tablespoon (11g) active dry yeast

1/2 cup (170g) honey

1/4 cup (50g) olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt

6 cups (720g) Bread Flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, divided

3 tablespoons (or more!) herb of choice, finely chopped (Fresh herbs are preferred, but dry herbs will also work, you’ll just have to adjust the volume. 1 teaspoon of dry herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs is the standard swap.)

*Tip: roast the nuts for 8 minutes at 350°F and crush them into small pieces before kneading into dough.

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the yeast in the water. 
  2. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add 1/2 cup (60g) of all-purpose flour and let sit for 10 minutes.
  3.   Stir the honey, oil, and salt into yeast/water.
  4. Add herbs to the liquid.
  5. Add the remaining 5 1/2 cups (660g) flour, 1 cup (120g) at a time, until the dough has formed a shaggy mass.
  6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough, adding flour as necessary, to form a smooth and satiny ball (about 8 – 10 minutes). 
  7. Put the dough into a bowl and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil; turn the dough to coat it with the oil.
  8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let the dough rise until it is puffy (about 1 1/2 hours).
  9. Gently deflate the dough.
  10. If you are mixing in any nuts, knead them into the dough.
  11. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment or greased and sprinkled with cornmeal or semolina flour.
  12. Cover the loaves with damp towels and let rise until swollen. This will take 30-45 minutes.
  13. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  14. Sprinkle flour on top of the loaves and use a serrated knife to slash a cross in the top of each loaf about 1″ deep.
  15. Bake the loaves for 35-45 minutes, until they are well browned and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom; their internal temperature will measure 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.
  16. Put the loaves on a rack to cool.

Make sure to check out our YouTube channel for tons of indoor gardening inspiration!