Italian Herb Bread

I was in the mood for some homemade bread, so I searched Allrecipes to find something good. I found this recipe. It baked up really well and the taste is subtle, not overpowering at all. I had it with homemade fettucini and tomato sauce. The recipe calls for kneading the dough by hand, but I let my bread maker do the hard work. I let it rise in an oiled bowl and did bake it in the oven as written. Enjoy!!

Italian Herb Bread I: (The recipe is for two loaves. I halved everything to only make one.)

1 (0.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. white sugar

1/4 cup olive oil (I used canola oil)

1 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I used parmesan)

6 cups bread flour

Mix yeast, warm water and sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.

Stir olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese and 3 cups flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next three cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.

Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and rubbery. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp linen dish towel. Allow to rise for one hour, or until the dough had doubled in size.

Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Removed loaves from pan(s) and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before slicing.