ITALIAN HERB FRENCH BREADfeatured

The summer of 1995, after my Freshmen year in college, I convinced my parents it was critical that I stay in Utah for the summer. I actually had a semi-legit reason; I was a student body officer and we were all supposed to stay for the summer to plan the upcoming yearly activities, however that wasn’t my motivation. My real motivation was having ample time for pool lounging, hiking, road tripping, outdoor concert going and various other forms of tom foolery with my friends. And all I had to do was take one class to justify it to my Dad. Done. Tennis 101, check. Needless to say, I was unnaturally tan that summer.

That was also the summer we discovered that for 5 dollars we could get unlimited salad and bread sticks from the Olive Garden. Iceberg lettuce with Italian dressing and warm buttery breadsticks. It was the stuff of dreams that summer. And, in my 19 year old brain, it was also super healthy and classy. I mean, iceberg lettuce is practically water and bread is low-fat, plus we could get it all for 5 dollars at a sit down restaurant or better yet, we could order it for take out. We lived like kings that summer.

I’m still a sucker for all things bread. Of all my bread recipes, I probably make this one the most. I think it’s burned into my brain. It’s easy and it’s fast and it’s goooood. From start to finish, you can have hot bread slathered in butter in about 2 hours. That’s about as awesome as a summer spent getting tan and goofing off. And making sure I didn’t forget to show up for my tennis 101 class.

This also goes perfectly with Butternut Squash Soup. Match made in chilly weather heaven.

Recipe: Italian Herb French Bread |  Soundtrack: Kristin Andreassen

• 1 package yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups warm water (100º – 110º)
• 5 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp Italian herbs or oregano
• cornmeal
• cold water

Directions
In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Set it aside for 5 minutes.

In a mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment, add the the yeast mixture. Add in the flour, salt and herbs. Mix on medium speed until smooth. The bread will feel a little sticky.

On a lightly floured surface, turn out the bread and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Place dough into a large bowl coated with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. After dough is doubled, punch it down and let it rest for 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out on portion of the dough into an oval. Starting on the long side, roll up the dough and pinch the ends shut. On a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray and make two rows of sprinkled cornmeal for the bottom of the bread. Place the loaf seam side down on the row of cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.

Uncover dough. Brush the loaves with cold water. Using a sharp knife, make 5 diagonal slits across each loaf. Place the cooking sheet in a cold oven and set to 375º. Bake for 40 minutes until the loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on wire racks.

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