Lavender Bread Recipe

Makes 1 loaf

1 teaspoon dry yeast
2 ½ cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

Grease your bread pan or as an alternative, coat the bottom of the pan with whole flax seeds.

Combine the yeast, warm water and sugar in a large bowl or you can put it into a bread machine. If you are using a bowl, stir well and then let the mixture stand about five minutes so the yeast can begin working.

Combine the dry milk, salt, lavender and butter in a large bowl and mix well. Begin adding the yeast mixture alternating it with flour until it becomes a soft dough.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is elastic and feels somewhat like a baby’s bottom. Place dough in greased bowl making sure to turn the dough to coat all sides with the grease. Cover with paper towel or a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

If you are using a bread machine, simply combine all of the ingredients and turn the machine on. You can bake the bread in the bread machine or remove it and bake it in a pan.

When the dough is ready, fill the greased pan about half way with the dough. Allow the dough to rise for about an hour. Bake the bread in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until it is done. If you are having problems getting your bread to rise, set the pan on a heating pad turned on low heat or you can turn off the oven, add a pan of water to the bottom rack of the oven and set your bread on the top rack.