It makes three small loaves.
This is a yeast bread, but it doesn’t take as long to make as most of them and is wonderful to serve warm with dinner.
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 packages (2 Tbs.) dry yeast
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tbs. minced onion
• approximately 5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. dried basil, crushed
• ½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
• ¼ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 1 egg
1. Heat together the water and milk until lukewarm, then stir in the sugar and the yeast.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet and sauté the garlic and onions in it until they just begin to color.
3. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with about 1½ cups of the flour and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the salt, the herbs, the oil mixture, and the egg, and beat again. Gradually add approximately another 1½ cups of flour and beat for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth.
4. Stir in another cup of flour, then turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead it for 5 minutes, working in as much of the remaining flour as is necessary to keep it from sticking. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and still quite soft. Form it into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, turning it over once so that it is evenly coated with the oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough and form it into 3 small loaves. Place them in small, oiled loaf pans, cover them with a towel, and leave them to rise again for about ½ hour. Bake the loaves in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
