The Estate Bakery
Herby Buttermilk Bread
The Strategy:
A tender, golden sandwich loaf perfumed with fresh thyme and rosemary — the kind of homemade bread that fills the whole house with its smell and makes an ordinary afternoon feel like an occasion. Buttermilk keeps the crumb soft and faintly tangy, an egg wash lacquers the top to a deep shine, and the herbs run all the way through. It asks for a little patience while it rises, and rewards you with a loaf people won’t believe you baked yourself.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup buttermilk, warmed
- 1 (.25-ounce) package active dry yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 3 to 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup butter, melted, ½ stick
- 2 large eggs (reserve 1 egg white)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
Instructions
- Pour the buttermilk into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir in the yeast. Let sit until the liquid is foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add 3 cups flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl.
- Add the melted butter, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and the herbs.
- Mix everything together with a spatula to form a shaggy dough.
- Using the dough hook attachment, start the mixer on low speed and mix until the dough becomes smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. This will take several minutes. You can increase the speed as the flour works itself into the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour a little bit at a time.
- Once the dough begins to wrap around the hook, increase the speed to high and knead for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to your lightly floured surface. Knead the dough with your hands for 2 minutes more.
- Form the dough into a ball and set it in a bowl that has been coated with vegetable oil spray. Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat all sides.
- Cover with a clean dish towel and move to a warm place to double in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 375°.
- Coat a (9 x 5 x 3-inch) loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Punch down the dough in the bowl. Form into a loaf and place it in the pan.
- Whisk together the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash.
- Bake until the bread is golden on the top, about 35 to 40 minutes. The bread is done when you tap the top with a spoon and the sound is hollow.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then completely on a rack before slicing.
The full recipe lives in the Vault
Ingredients, method and every chef-tested detail are in the Vault. Join the Estate Registry for $79 a year: six printed dinner-party editions mailed to you, and the Vault opens as our gift.
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The Heart of the Table
There is no scent in the world quite like bread baking with fresh herbs folded into it — it turns a kitchen into a home and a Tuesday into something worth remembering. This was the loaf that taught me not to fear yeast: it is forgiving, it is generous, and it asks little more of you than a warm corner and a little time. Slice it thick and still slightly warm, with good butter, and watch it become the thing everyone remembers about the meal.
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Present the loaf whole on a wooden board with a serrated knife alongside, so the first slice happens at the table and everyone catches the herb-flecked steam. A crock of softened salted butter and a small dish of flaky salt turn a few slices into a course all their own.
- THE POUR: Warm herbed bread is easy company. Pour a glass of buttery Chardonnay or a light, food-friendly red for the grown-ups; for the table at large, a sparkling pear cider over ice plays beautifully against the rosemary and thyme.
- THE VIBE: Homey, warm, and unhurried — the slow-Sunday kind of gathering where the bread comes out of the oven just as everyone arrives and the whole house smells like it.
