Lavender Bread( was HERB - RECIPE: Lavender Cookies)
Ghislaine Fontanneau
ghia_f at hotmail.com
Sun Nov 8 14:01:11 PST 1998
My roomates are quite fond of "Pain Provencal," a French recipe that
uses lavender. When I was ten, my grandmother stood behind me and
directed me through the basic bread-making process. Other than that one
experience, I am a total beginner. This was my first solo attempt at
bread, and I can guarantee that anyone with a grain of more experience
should have no trouble turning this recipe into really fabulous bread.
__Pain Provencal__
You'll need:
3/4 c warm water
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/4 c fruity olive oil; plus an additional 2 T
between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups of bread flour
1/2 c imported black olives, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 T fresh or dried, untreated lavender blossoms
1 1/2 T fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/2 T sea salt
Parchment paper
Before I go any further, I should mention that I live at 5000feet, so my
cooking directions may need to be altered according to your altitude.
Let the yeast proof in the warm water for about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 c of
the olive oil and 1 c flour to make a sticky dough. Add the olives, and
two thirds each of the rosemary and lavender. Gradually work in the
rest of the flour until it looks and feels the way you think bread dough
ought. On a floured surface, knead the dough for approx. five or seven
minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and let it rise until it
has doubled in bulk, about 1 hr.
Line a "brownie pan" with parchment paper (its what I call the
rectangular pan with shallow sides....). Punch down the dough and, on a
floured surface, roll it into a 9 x 14 rectangle. Transfer it to the
prepped baking pan an d let it rise again until it is as fluffy as it
will ever get. That took another 30 minutes for me. It's now a good
time to preheat your oven to 425. After the dough is finished rising,
poke the top with your finger until it looks like a giant saltine.
Brush the rest of the olive oil (2 T) over the top and sprinkle it with
the salt (1/2 T). Now sprinkle the remaining herbs over the top.
Bake until puffed and golden brown, or about 20 min. Serve warm or room
temp, cut up any way you like.
8-10 servings, unless you're a starving college student and then it
serves 2.
Ghia
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