Basil, Rosemary & Chive Flowerpot
This recipe creates a flavorful and aromatic herb bread that is perfect for sharing with friends and family. The combination of basil, rosemary, and chives gives this bread a delightful taste. Follow the simple steps to create a delicious loaf that will impress everyone at the table.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 400g malted grain brown bread flour , or wholemeal or granary bread flour
- 100g strong white bread flour
- 7g sachet easy-bake dried yeast (or 2 tsp Quick dried yeast)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp soft butter
- 1 rounded tbsp each of chopped basil , rosemary and snipped chives
- 1 or 2 sprigs of rosemary
- salt flakes
Instructions
- Mix your choice of brown flour with the white, the yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and rub it into the flour. Stir in the herbs. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl and until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.
- Put the dough on to a very lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.
- Knock back the dough by lightly kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough’s lightness. Shape into a ball. Cover with the glass bowl and leave for 15 mins.
- Shape by oiling and lining the base and sides of a clean, unused earthenware flowerpot (about 14cm tall x 13cm diameter) with baking parchment. Cut off ¾ of the dough, shape it into a fat sausage that is slightly narrower at one end and push the narrow end down into the pot. Shape the rest into 3 round buns. Finish by brushing the loaf lightly with water and gently pressing a sprig or 2 of rosemary into the top (soak the rosemary in cold water first to help prevent it from burning in the oven). Sprinkle with salt flakes and a little flour, and sit it on a baking sheet with the buns, also decorated with rosemary and salt. Cover all with a clean tea towel and leave for 40-45 mins, or until the loaf has risen to about 5cm above the top of the pot.
- Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for about 20 mins for the rolls and 30 minutes for the flowerpot, or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the loaf if should be firm and sound hollow
Cook Time
30M
Prep Time
PT25M
Yield
Makes 1 loaf and 3 rolls
Nutrition
- Calories: 88 calories
- Fat Content: 1 grams fat
- Carbohydrate Content: 18 grams carbohydrates
- Sugar Content: 1 grams sugar
- Fiber Content: 1 grams fiber
- Protein Content: 3 grams protein
- Sodium Content: 0.51 milligram of sodium
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