Herb and Spice Bread in the Thermomix

One of the things I use the Thermomix for is kneading bread. Eating bread you've made yourself is a luxury. This time, taking advantage of a lunch today with my brothers and their partners — all great cooking enthusiasts — I made a spice bread.

Ingredients

• 600 g flour
• 350 g water
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 42 g fresh (compressed) yeast
• Spices to taste

Method

I followed the recipe in the Thermomix book (the one they "give" you when you buy it), but since I wanted a spice bread, at the last moment I also added a little cumin, herbes de Provence, extra thyme (the Provençal herbs already contain some) and a touch of curry. Also, as part of the salt I added two good spoonfuls of Maldon salt, as I'd read it turns out better.

One of the advantages of using the Thermomix is that it helps you weigh things with its built-in scale, and in these recipes it's best to follow the quantities closely — except for the spices, which go by eye.

Put the water and sugar in the Thermomix and program 2 minutes, 37 °C, speed 2. Add the yeast, mix for a few seconds, add the flour and salt and program 15 to 30 seconds at speed 6. This is when you add the spices.

Then knead on dough mode for 6 minutes (the book says 3), but I like to give it longer.

Remove the dough and put it in the tin or dish that will go in the oven, covered so it can rise — it should double in volume. The oven should be at 225 °C, and it's a good idea to put a glass of water in a corner of the oven. I made a loaf in a tin and some rolls using a silicone mould I have. The photo below, which looks like a big loaf, is actually a small roll.

Once the dough has risen, put it in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes without opening the oven at any point. If it's browning too much, lower the oven to 200 °C.

The smell in the kitchen while baking spice bread is wonderful — I'd never had such a lovely smell. In fact the whole house smells of herbs and bread while we wait for our guests.

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