Since in the previous article we talked about herbs and spices, here is a herb-flavored dough, perfect for a bread or focaccia different from the usual.
Like many of my recipes, this herb-flavored dough was born from an experiment. As you know, I’m always looking for ways to flavor foods without using salt, and one evening when I ran out of bread, I tried sprinkling chopped garlic and mixed herbs on some quick focaccias I made for dinner.
The idea was liked by my ‘family jury’ and the taste was also appreciated (everyone here loves garlic), so I wanted to try to incorporate the herbs into the dough.
Before moving on to the recipe, here is some information about the herbs I used:
The herbs I used come from two different mixes of dried herbs:
– one is a mix I’ve been using for some time and really like, containing oregano, basil, rosemary, paprika, and chili (contrary to what it might 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 seasoning), based on parsley, basil, garlic, and sweet chili
– then I added a pinch of dried sage and dill, and hot chili.
Besides the herbs, this dough also contains kefir. By now, you all know kefir is always at my house, so I ‘slip’ it into many of my recipes. But you also surely know that you can 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 dough ball
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups durum wheat semolina flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 oz milk kefir
- Half cube fresh yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons herbs (mixed to taste)
- chili pepper (optional)
Tools
- Bowl
- Worktop
Steps
The process is the classic one for preparing bread dough.
Mix the two flours and pour them into a large bowl.
Dissolve the fresh yeast in lukewarm water and pour it into the flour.
Add the oil and kefir (yogurt).
Mix with a spoon, then transfer to the worktop and knead with your hands.
Work vigorously until forming an elastic ball that will need to rise until it doubles in size (about 3 hours).
Once risen, ‘break’ the rise, add the herbs and the chopped garlic clove, and knead again.
Let it rise again until it doubles in size.
For the second rise, I placed the bowl in the fridge. Rising in the fridge (or rather maturation) makes the dough more aerated. I left it in the fridge overnight.
👉 I added the herbs after the first rise and not immediately, because I remembered that when I used the bread machine (now defunct) the additions, for example, of olives or seeds, had to be made ‘halfway through’. I frankly don’t know if it’s a particularly important detail for my purpose, which is simply to flavor the dough.
👉 Update: In one of the later makings of this recipe, I added the herbs immediately, together with the kefir. I didn’t notice any particular differences in aroma and taste in the focaccias I made later.
Here it is, my herb-flavored dough with garlic and chili! Beautiful and rising. 😊
To know the properties of the herbs I used in this dough, take a look at my previous article! –> Herbs and Spices in the Kitchen.
Salt-Free Tips
Remember, as always, that herbs and spices are very useful for flavoring foods. If you’re trying to follow a low-sodium diet, I recommend adding them to your dishes, gradually reducing the salt.
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to it slowly and shouldn’t notice the gradual reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, 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 fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ 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 for a break from the rule. 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, salting according to your habits.
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