Rosemary-Thyme Bread

This weekend Court and I tried our first modification of the "Perfect Loaf" recipe that was posted here on September 9th. One of the nice things about the recipe is that you can make a lot of changes or additions to make specialty breads. We chose to add some fresh herbs from the garden. After mixing the ingredients we added 2 tablespoons of minced rosemary and about a teaspoon of minced thyme (prior to the first rise). We have heard that bigger more dense ingredients (e.g. nuts or olives) should be added right before the second rise to prevent them from settling to the bottom of the loaf. Adding the minced herbs before the first rise worked well, however. After the first rise we could see the small flecks of rosemary and thyme throughout the sponge. Already the smell of the fresh herbs was permeating the bread.

The second rise, third rise and baking went off normally and we were rewarded with a wonderful savory, herb bread. It is great on its own and it makes excellent toast. This morning I added a little grated asiago cheese at the end of the toasting... very good.