Honey Herb Bread

In a small bowl or cup combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Stir and then let sit until frothy on top, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl mix the flours and salt. Add the yeast water, honey, water, thyme, and rosemary. Stir with a fork to combine until the dough starts to form a ball. Then, use your hands to knead and stir the dough until all of the loose flour becomes part of the dough.

Flour your work surface and knead the dough, adding a teaspoon or so of water if the dough tears too much when kneaded. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough does not break or tear when pulled, but stretches.

Place the dough back in the large bowl and cover it with a slightly damp cloth. Let the dough rise for at least 1 hour in a warm place (if your oven has a “proof” setting, use it!).

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet or stone and grease it with some butter. Take the dough (after it has risen the requisite hour), form it into a domed round, and place it on the parchment covered baking sheet. Cover it with the damp cloth and allow it to rise at least 30 minutes in a warm place again.

Preheat the oven (unless you’re using it for proofing your dough) to 350 degrees F.

After the dough has risen the second time, take a sharp knife and draw it across the top of the loaf three times in one direction and twice in the opposite direction, making a crisscross pattern: like a tic-tac-toe board with too many lines. The lines you cut should open up into little troughs. Fill these troughs with a drizzling of additional honey. The top of your dough should look like it has little islands of dough surrounded by thin canals of honey.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy warm with a bit more honey or some butter or both!