Baking with Yeast...Herb Batter Bread

Baked and cooling

  Batter Breads are easy to make, and do not require kneading. However, you do need to beat them till they are forming some gluten strands. One of the tricks to baking batter breads is not to let it rise to much before putting it in the oven. If it looks too high, take it out of the pan, punch down and let rise in pan again. If it is more than double it will most of the time rise in the oven and than fall. The first 10 minutes of oven heat will let it rise to the right height. 

  This recipe for Fresh Herb Batter Bread from the Betty Crocker Old-Fashioned Cookbook is one of the better batter breads I have made. Often it never gets the chance to cool, as it is eaten warm with butter. Nothing makes your house smell better than fresh bread baking, and this is a easy way for the inexperienced baker to have a good loaf of bread that everyone will ooh and ah over. 

Ready for oven, right amount of rise

  If you do not have fresh herbs, (you can omit the parsley) the dried do just fine. Do however, crush the dried rosemary or buy it all ready cracked. I just go over to Sue’s who always has fresh herbs growing. Try toasting this bread and using it for Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

Fresh Herb Batter Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package active dry yeast

1 ¼ cups warm water (120° to 130°F)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons shortening

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ½  teaspoon dried rosemary

1 ½ teaspoons snipped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme

Butter for crust when it is baked.

  Mix 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, parsley. Shortening, rosemary, and thyme. Beat on low speed 1 minute scraping bowl often. Beat on medium speed till the batter starts to pull strands, Add the rest of the flour and stir in; beating till smooth.

  Scrape down sides of bowl, and leaving it in the same bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 35 to 40 minutes or until double. 

  Grease, 9x5x3 loaf pan. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Smooth and pat batter in loaf pan with floured hands. Cover lightly and let rise for about 30 minutes or until double. (do not allow to over rise.) Heat oven to 375° while bread is rising. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. 185° to 200° with an instant read thermometer. Brush top of loaf with soft butter and than remove from pan and cool on wire rack.