Oregano Bread

Oregano Bread

Once you start making bread at home you will never buy them form the market. It is not only the process but also the immense satisfaction you get when you slice through the loaf. 

The smell of baking is irresistible. It flows through your home and invades your senses. It does take some time and practice to get it right but believe me it is worth all the effort. The best part is you can add and mix and tweak to create your own flavors.

Ingredients

1 cups flour

¼  cup milk

1 tbsp water

½  tbsp yeast

½  tbsp sugar

½  egg, beaten

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp oregano

Mix together warm water, 1 tbsp warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast and let it sit till it blooms. If it doesn’t bloom then throw it away and try with a fresh packet of yeast.

Mix together salt and flour. Mix together remaining milk and oil. Add ¼  cup flour and mix well. 

Add the beaten egg and make a smooth paste.

 Add the yeast mix. 

Now slowly add the flour mixing all the while. After adding the flour if you find that the dough is too sticky then add another 1-2 tablespoon of flour.

Now comes the important part. KNEADING. If you want your bread to be soft you have to knead to activate the gluten. Knead well for at least 10 minutes. 

To test if you have kneaded enough do the window pane test. Take a big chuck of dough and holding by both thumbs start stretching the dough. The more tenacious it is, the more time it takes to break the better it is. Ideally it should form a thin membrane without breaking.

Apply some oil on the dough, cover with a cling film and keep aside for about 2 hours till it doubles in size. 

Now pat the dough into a loaf tin. Leave covered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some oregano on top.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake the bread for about 15 to 20 minutes. When you knock on the top it should give out a hollow sound.

Slice the bread and use as you want. 

Make sandwiches or garlic bread. I personally like cheese garlic bread as it goes very well with omelets.