Olive Oil Herb Bread

Combine yeast, the warm water and the pinch of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes until it is nice and foamy.

Add olive oil, the tap water, sugar, rosemary, thyme, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt to the bowl. Attach the dough hook to the machine and mix on low until the dough comes together, about one minute. Increase the speed to medium high and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a bowl and form the dough into a ball. Place ball of dough top side down into the oiled bowl to moisten the top of the dough. Flip it over oil the other side. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until it doubles in bulk. This will take about one hour.

Punch down dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal portions.

Shape one portion of the dough by flattening it into a 7-inch long rectangle (long ways going left to right). Roll the side nearest you up toward the farthest end. Place it dough, seam side down, and roll it to elongate to 11 inches and seal the seam to make a free form loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with other portion of dough.

Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Dust loaves with flour and bake until golden, around 30 minutes. Then remove pan from the oven. Let bread cool on wire rack.

Recipe source Martha Stewart Living: Fit to Eat (August).