Garlic Herb Braided Bread

I love bread. Really, any kind of bread, but especially one that has just come out of the oven. Still warm. Yummy. In fact, you could probably call me a bread “addict”. John knows if we have bread from the bakery, or I make it, he better get it fast before it is gone. How sad. But the truth is I got it from my dad. Yes, much to my mom’s chagrin, Dad is also a bread addict.In fact, funny story, last week he was really craving bread from Panera. Mom made myLeftover Vegetable Soup (with her own vegetable mixture, mind you) and made a special trip to Panera to get him Asiago bread (how good does that sound?). Anyway, upon Mom’s return home from her meeting later that night, half the bread was gone! Haha, Dad had himself a nice little dinner of bread and soup.

When we were en route to San Diego, I had the pleasure of sitting between Mom and Dad. She was bookmarking recipes to make from the Taste of Home magazine. She skipped right past this bread until I made her go back. Dad leaned over from his seat to study the bread in further depth. That’s when she knew she was beat. So, it got put on the Thanksgiving menu. It was a huge hit, too! In fact, we liked it so much, it’s going to make an appearance at Christmas dinner. It’s the perfect holiday bread, and looks beautiful when it’s sitting out on the table.

Garlic-Herb Bread (adapted from Taste of Home Test Kitchen)
Serves: 16 (1 loaf)
4 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons of quick-rise yeast (2 packages)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 3/4 teaspoons dill weed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoons dried rosemary
3/4 cup skim milk (suggested: 2%)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flower, sugar, yeast, and seasonings. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water, and butter until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Add to dry ingredients and combine until the dough is just moistened. Add egg and beat until the mixture is smooth. Add in more flour as necessary to create a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and eliastic. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divice the dough into thirds. Shape each into a 15 inch rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid. Pinch the ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the bread with melted butter and bake the bread for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.

Do I even need to tell you that I cut off a hunk almost as soon as the pictures were snapped? Also, Taste of Home Kitchen suggests you brush the bread with butter after baking. I like to do it prior to baking which really helps get a nice golden brown.

Until the next time my oven is on…