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Garden Herb Loaf

"This bread draws raves whenever I make it! It is a family favorite!"

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Marjoram and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,225 recipes mention both. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

The recipe

1 large round loaf
Prep25 min
Cook35 min

Ingredients

Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

  1. Warm the milk, water and 1/4 cup butter together in a small pan just until the butter melts and the liquid feels warm, about 110°F (43°C). Do not let it get hot.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, dried marjoram, dried thyme and dried rosemary until evenly mixed.

  3. Beat the egg into the warm liquid, then pour it into the dry ingredients and stir until a shaggy dough forms.

  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour only if very sticky.

  5. Shape the dough into a tight round ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until doubled.

  6. Punch the dough down, reshape it into a round loaf and place it on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

  7. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Brush the top of the loaf with the melted tablespoon of butter.

  8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, or reaches about 190°F (88°C) inside.

  9. Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Marjoram + thymetop 1% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together2,225 recipes

    Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).

  2. Thyme + rosemarytop 1% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together1,340 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Marjoram + rosemarytop 1% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together178 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Milk + buttertop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together81,222 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Flour + buttertop 6% of all pairs
    Aroma overlaplow
    Mentioned together122,858 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter share little aroma chemistry, yet 122,858 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the rosemary

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, marjoram, thyme, milk, butter, egg):

  1. Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
  2. Nutmegbetter flavor fit
  3. Sageabout as good a flavor fit
  4. Rosemarythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, marjoram, thyme, milk, butter, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).