Artisan French Bread

Yesterday, a Facebook friend posted info and pictures for a Farmers Market in West Virginia. One of the items was an artisan bread with Herbs de Provence. John LOVES Herbs de Provence, so I decided to try my hand using an easy /quick Artisan French bread recipe I had in my recipe files. I decided to add a wee bit of extra Lavendar harvested from my garden. I must confess, it turned out WOW - and I will be doing this again.

Artisan French Bread w/ Herbs de Provence

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (115 degrees)
1 tablespoon honey (I used Raw Organic Oregon honey)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
1 tablespoon Lavender
3 ½ cups flour (I used spelt but could easily substitute GF)

1. Combine the water, honey, salt and yeast in a glass bowl. Proof for 5-10 mins, until the mixture is bubbling/ foamy.
2. Add 2 + cups of flour, mix in and then add more - you want your dough to stick to together. You might want to add more flour if the dough seems sticky to the touch. I used my Kitchen Aid w/paddle. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
3. Form the dough into a loaf shape. Cover with a towel and let sit on the counter for 15 mins. This is the time to set the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Start baking, after 5 minutes using a sharp knife, make diagonal slices and if desired melt a wee bit of butter to glaze the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes total.
Note – today I used my Mama’s cast iron Dutch Oven,lined with parchment paper. Worked well for a nice round loaf.

Excellent sliced while warm, but also great cool.
As Julia would say ... Bon Apetit!