Since in the previous article we talked about herbs and spices, here is a dough with herbs, perfect for a different bread or focaccia than usual.
Like many of my recipes, this herb dough was born from an experiment. As you know, I am always looking for ideas to flavor foods without using salt, and one evening when I was out of bread, I tried to sprinkle chopped garlic and mixed herbs on some quick focaccias I prepared for dinner.
The idea was liked by my ‘family jury’ and the taste was also appreciated (everyone here really likes garlic), so I wanted to try doing this: incorporating herbs into the dough.
Before moving on to the recipe, here are some details about the herbs I used:
The herbs I used come from two different dried herb blends:
– One is a blend I’ve been using for a while and really like, containing oregano, basil, rosemary, paprika, and chili pepper (contrary to what it may seem, it’s not very spicy)
– The other is a mix of herbs I bought loose at a stall in Abruzzo during the holidays (officially sold to me as a dry pasta condiment), it’s based on parsley, basil, garlic, and sweet chili pepper
– Then I added a pinch of dried sage and dill, and spicy chili pepper.
Besides the herbs, this dough also contains kefir. By now you all know that kefir is never missing at my house, so I ‘sneak’ it into all my recipes. But you also know that you can certainly replace it with yogurt.
Well, are you ready for the recipe? 😊
👇 Here are the links to the two recipes I made with this dough + two other aromatic and spiced breads I recommend trying: 😉👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 1 loaf
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 3 oz milk kefir
- Half cube fresh yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsps herbs (mixed to taste)
- chili pepper (optional)
Tools
- Bowl
- Board
Steps
The process is the classic one for preparing bread dough.
Mix the two flours and pour them into a large bowl.
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and pour into the flour.
Add the oil and kefir (yogurt).
Mix with a spoon, then transfer to the board and knead with your hands.
Work vigorously until you form an elastic ball that should rise until doubled (about 3 hours).
Once risen, ‘break’ the rise, add the herbs and chopped garlic clove and knead again.
Let rise again until doubled.
For the second rising, I placed the bowl in the fridge. The fridge rising (or rather maturation) makes the dough more airy. I left it in the fridge overnight.
👉 I added the herbs after the first rising and not immediately because I remembered that when I used the bread machine (now defunct), additions like olives or seeds were made ‘halfway through’. I don’t know, frankly, if it’s a particularly important detail for my purpose, which is simply to flavor the dough.
👉 Update: In one of the subsequent creations of this recipe, I added the herbs immediately, along with the kefir. I didn’t notice any significant differences in aroma and taste in the focaccias I then made.
Here it is, my herb dough with garlic and chili pepper! Nicely rising. 😊
To learn about the properties of the herbs I used in this dough, check out my previous article! –> Herbs and Spices in the Kitchen.
Salt-free Tips
Remember, as always, that herbs and spices are very useful for flavoring food. If you are trying to follow a low-sodium diet, I recommend always adding them to your dishes, gradually reducing the salt.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▪ Gradually decrease salt, the palate must get used to it gradually and should not notice the progressive reduction.
▪ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▪ Use herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▪ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▪ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▪ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▪ Prefer fresh food.
▪ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▪ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▪ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rules. It’s good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
▪ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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