Homemade Lavender Honey Bread

I made up this recipe yesterday, and until I tasted it, it convinced me I had to share this new recipe. Nice twist to your ordinary white loaf, I let my bread machine make the dough, then I let it rise twice...couldn't be easier. The smell in the kitchen and of the bread when baking is amazing and adding edible lavender makes a nice flower touch and look is extra pretty too! Makes a wonderful brunch bread or a twist to french toast!


Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups bread flour (though I used unbleached Heckers regular flower with great results)


• 2 teaspoons Rapid-Rise Yeast - its a super active dry yeast (its packaging is bright yellow and pink)


• 2-1/2 tablespoons honey


• 2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil.


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1-1/3 cup warm water (120 degrees)


• 1/2 cup lavender


• Cookie sheet and parchment paper


• Clean dish towel


• Olive oil greased deep bowl

Directions:

1. Prep time is just a guesstimate, since each bread machine takes it's own time to make just the dough - mine takes 1 hr, 20minutes.


2. My bread machine requires the yeast to be added last, if your requires the yeast to added first, then do it in that order then add the flour and lastly the 'wet' ingredients.


3. *********************************************


4. Select the dough cycle on your bread machine.


5. Add warm water, then add honey, olive oil, salt.


6. In separate bowl, measure out flower and add lavender, mix till combined.


7. Add flour with the lavender, then make small well, and add yeast.


8. Turn on bread machine.


9. Be ready once bread machine has finished its dough cycle, turn out dough onto floured surface.


10. Let sit for ten minutes, knead for five minutes then shape into ball and place into greased bowl. Gently grease top of dough ball with additional olive oil.


11. Cover with clean tea towel and let rise until doubled in size in a warm spot on your kitchen.


12. Depending upon temperature in your kitchen, this can take anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 hours.


13. I have gone shopping, do the laundry whatever, Multi-task my foodies, multi-task!


14. If you have a gas stove, you can 'cheat' and place the bowl with the dough in your oven and let it rise there, it will rise more quickly.


15. Once doubled, punch bread and knead two minutes. Stretch or roll out dough slightly to form a rectangle, then roll up into a log.


16. Please bread dough on the diagonal onto parchment paper on the cookie sheet, making sure to tuck ends under and that the bread rolled up has its seam underneath.


17. Put back into oven or in a warm spot in your kitchen to let double in size.


18. Preheat your oven 375 degrees.


19. Place bread into oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.


20. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when knocked on.


21. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy with jam, butter and/or with honey.

I had some this morning, toasted and served it up with butter and raspberry jam - delicious!

Leahs Homemade Lavender Honey Bread @ Group Recipes