Sandwich Loaf with Fresh Herbs

If your herb garden is going crazy like mine is, put some into this bread. For this loaf, I used 50% bread  flour and 50% white-whole wheat. I think this will be perfect for tomato sandwiches.

Sandwich Loaf with Fresh Herbs

2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
1 tsp sugar

6 to 6 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbs salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1 3/4 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
3 Tbs chopped fresh chives
3 Tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 loaf pans 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2, greased on the sides and bottoms.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the yeast, warm water and sugar. Let ferment for 15 minutes.

Add to the yeast mixture 3 1/2 cups of very warm water, the salt, and olive oil. Combine well. Add the remainder of the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough comes together. Knead for 10 minutes.

Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 40 to 60 minutes, or until double.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Punch down the dough and divide it into two. Shape each piece into a rectangle that is as wide as the baking pan is long. Fold the dough like an envelope, pinch the seam together and tuck the ends under. Place it into the pan. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough. Brush the loaves with olive oil.

Cover the loaves and let rise until double, about 35 to 50 minutes.

When the dough is risen, bake the loaves for 25 to 30 minutes. The loaves are done when well browned with an internal temperature of about 190 - 200 degrees.

Remove the baked loaves from the pans and cool the bread on a wire rack.

NPR's Top 10 Cookbooks for 2009

Note: This post first appeared at Something Good to Read.

One thing I love about this time of year is the publication of various "10 best of 2009" lists. NPR recently published it's 10 best cookbooks of 2009. Some of these books look intriguing; some, not so much.

Included on the NPR list is Gourmet Today, from the folks at the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. The book is described as "a good go-to reference for basic matters of technique, like making fresh pasta or how to make a roux." Can the market absorb another giant-sized (1024 pages) cookbook such as this? I'm doubtful. And frankly, if there is room on your shelf for such a monster, consider instead picking up either Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, published in 2008, or his 2007 book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Both books are excellent.

Three books on NPR's list that did catch my eye are Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every, Savory Baking, and Clean Food. According to the book's description, Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You focuses on eating "seasonal, unprocessed, and locally-grown foods that are good for us and the environment." These are worthy goals and a new book on this topic might indeed deserve some of our precious shelf space.

Artisan Breads Every Day sounds appealing both because Peter Reinhart really knows bread and because I'm addicted to baking it. There is nothing like having everyone in the house crowd into the kitchen to wolf down warm, freshly baked bread with butter. If you are thinking about resolutions for 2010, consider adding 'bake more bread' to the list; it's not hard to do. Currently I'm working testing recipes from Jim Lahey's My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method. I'll add Peter Reinhart's book on my to-review list.

Finally, I will check out Savory Baking because while baking sugary treats is fine on occasion, it is more interesting to use herbs, nuts, mushrooms, and cheese. This book promises new recipes to do just that.

So much to read (and eat); so little time. Top 10 lists aren't perfect, but they do assist in separating the wheat from the chaff. As I find more top ten lists for 2009, I'll post about them here.