If you didn’t already know, The Bread Maiden is now on Instagram at handle @thebreadmaiden.  It’s very exciting, I know.

Anyway, I’ve been searching for other IG accounts to follow, and @blondieandrye is one that caught my eye.  Particularly this image from yesterday:

I don’t have scallions or feta, but I did have gouda and fresh thyme from our garden.  So I went with those.

This is basically my 1-2-3 bread, using rye starter.

You will need:

750g all-purpose flour

500g water (I used hot water and soaked the thyme in it to give more flavor)

1 tablespoon salt

250g sourdough starter

1 cup shredded cheese

a few sprigs of thyme, chopped

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Cover and let rise, 4-6 hours.
2. Divide in half, then shape into boules and place in prepared bannetons or couches.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a dutch oven inside.
4. Bake each loaf thusly:  15 minutes in the dutch oven covered at 500 degrees F, then bump the temperature down to 375 degrees F and bake a second 15 minutes, then remove the dutch oven lid for the final 15 minutes.
5. Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool completely or at least an hour before slicing.

This bread came out of the oven smelling really great, but the first piece I sliced off did not have the cheese and thyme flavor I was hoping for.  The second piece was better.  It’s possible because the cheese and herbs are not really strong flavors (like, say, a sharp cheddar and rosemary) they aren’t obvious.  But they are there, and I like the way they came out.  You can still taste the bread without having the cheese and herbs bowl you over.  I’d like to experiment more with different cheese and herb combinations.