Spring Herbal Bread - in a Pot - Very Aromatic and Healthty

This delicious and aromatic Herb Bread is made using a wonderful combination of herbs, dried or fresh, and some additional ingredients that make it a very tasty bread. I love to eat it at breakfast with some white cheese, a cup of coffee and scrambled eggs... Yum!

Step 1: Ingredients

I must admit it, normally I don't use measurements when I'm cooking, I like to do everything by "eye and taste", but with bread it's almost necessary to have some measurements to ensure that it will be a soft bread instead of a hard and non-tasty piece of flour... So, here are some useful measurements:

• 4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Like 1kg)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 15g of active yeast. A good choice could be: Fleischmann's ActiveDry Yest
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• Fresh or dried aromatic herbs, about 4g of each. I use Marjoram, Thyme and Oregano.
• About 40g of mushrooms and raisins.
• 4 garlic cloves.
• 3/4 cup milk.
• 1/2 cup water. (For the yeast, some yeasts not need to be dissolved)
  
• 250g of butter.
• 2 eggs.

Optional: A clay pot or bowl.

Garlic, herbs, mushrooms and raisins not must have those exact measurements, you can add more or less of each one or replace it with something else like almonds instead of raisins. Always try to give your personal touch!!

Step 2: Mixing the Dough

- Chop the mushrooms, raisins, garlic cloves and your chosen aromatic herbs. Save some of the herbs an garlic to make a glaze.

- Mix the chopped ingredients with half of the flour (2 cups).

- Prepare the active yeast. If you are using the common active dry yeast, you need to dissolve it in warm water with a pinch of sugar, so just heat up the 1/2 cup of water and dissolve the yeast. Be sure to read the package instructions if you are not sure of how to use the yeast.

- Heat the milk and butter until very warm, save about 1/4 cup for the glaze. Stir the rest into flour mixture, add 1 egg, the activated yeast and the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Cover it and let rest on floured surface for about 10 minutes.

- If you will use the clay pots, divide the dough in small pieces that fill the half of the pots. If not, divide it into 3 equal pieces, roll each piece like a rope. Braid ropes and pinch ends to seal. (Or just make a big round shape like common breads. Cover it and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 50 minutes.

- For the glaze: Just mix the chopped herbs, garlic and the mixture of milk and butter that you saved before and add the white of remaining egg.

Step 3: Baking and Finishing!

When the dough has doubled his size, brush it with the glaze mixture, heat the oven to medium temperature (Or 375°F) and bake the dough. To ensure that it will not dry too fast, you can put a metal pot with water or spray the inside with water periodically. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until it's done.

It's a great idea to prepare a tasty sandwich or breakfast.

This delicious bread will be an excellent decorative and aromatic dish in your dinning room!!

I hope you enjoy doing this recipe and don't forget to add your personal touch and show it in your comments! =)