Italian Tomato-Herb Bread with Parmesan Cheese

We usually try eating the whole-wheat bread everyday at breakfast, but from the time we've tried the Orowheat inspired me to try an Italian Herb & Buttermilk bread, which has now become my favorite bread recipe! I'm a big fan of italian herbs like rosemary and thyme, and they taste great in a loaf of bread. So I couldn't have been luckier to have found a perfect recipe for Buttermilk-Herb bread. I modified it to add some whole-wheat flour, parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes! Yup, and I'm glad I used these additions for they added a beautiful flavor to the bread. It tasted so good you could eat it just like that!!

Ingredients
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups warm buttermilk
1 egg (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup rosemary leaves/flakes
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
5 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

Method
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy. Stir the buttermilk, parmesan cheese, egg, oil, rosemary, red pepper, tomatoes and salt into the yeast mixture. Stir in 2 cups of the flour using a wooden spoon. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough can be picked up out of the bowl.

Knead on a floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Try not to add much more flour. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Now divide the dough into two pieces. Form into tight loaves, and place each one into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan or a deep dish pan. Let it rise until a finger leaves a mark when lightly pressed into the dough. Remember, this is the part which is inducing softness to the bread, so don't try to rush it

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake loaves for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. When finished, the loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. The dough will easily leave the sides of the pan and form a hard crust on the top and bottom of the loaf. Also pass a knife through the loaf to ensure it's been cooked through and through.

Tip: You can add your choice of herbs to make this bread. I think that the Parmesan cheese and red-pepper flakes give it a unique aroma, and don't event think of skipping rosemary, unless you have a better-tasting fragrant herb for your bread!

Cut into thin slices and store in air-tight container. This italian buttermilk and herb bread tastes like heaven when you warm the bread for 6-8seconds in the microwave and put a dollop of butter or cheese on it!! of course, it serves as excellent bread for your sandwiches too, or with a plate of pasta!

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