Easy Chive Bread

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This simple chive bread is packed with fresh and dried chives, perfect with soups, stews, or just buttered and salted.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Rising time30

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American, German

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Stand mixer Note 1
Loaf pan about 12 inches/ 30 cm long

Ingredients

1 large bunch of fresh chives about 1.8 oz/ 50 g
3 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 16 oz, Note 2
2 cups whole wheat flour 9 oz
2 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 packets of instant yeast 4 ½ teaspoons, Note 3
2 cups lukewarm water
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried chives
½ cup sunflower seeds
a a small piece of butter for greasing the loaf pan

US - EU

Instructions

Chives: Chop the fresh chives finely and set them aside.
1 large bunch of fresh chives
Mix ingredients: Mix both types of flour, instant yeast, salt, and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer. Add lukewarm water and vinegar.
3 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour + 2 cups whole wheat flour + 2 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 2 packets of instant yeast + 2 cups lukewarm water + 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Knead the dough on medium speed for 5-6 minutes until it comes together and starts pulling away from the bowl. Add the sunflower seeds and chopped dried chives, then knead for another minute. The dough should remain slightly sticky.
2 teaspoons dried chives + ½ cup sunflower seeds
Let rise: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 15-20 minutes or until doubled in size. The rising time may vary depending on the type of yeast and the temperature of your kitchen. If it hasn’t doubled in size by then, allow an additional 5-10 minutes.
Preheat oven: In the meantime, grease the loaf pan with some butter and preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place an oven-safe bowl of water on the bottom of the oven (Note 4).
a a small piece of butter
Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured surface, using just enough flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Avoid adding too much flour; the dough should remain soft.
Let it rise again: Transfer the dough to the greased loaf pan. Let it rise until it doubles in size again; it should take about 10 minutes, but check.
Bake the chive bread in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Check after 30-40 minutes; if the bread is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. Remove it from the loaf pan, place it on its side on the oven rack, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the bottom.
Let the bread cool completely, or at least 30-60 minutes, before slicing.

Notes

Knead without a stand mixer: Combine the ingredients in a bowl and knead briefly until well mixed. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 6-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. However, using a stand mixer is easier since the dough is quite soft and sticky.
Measurements: I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) to measure the ingredients for the best results.
Yeast: If using active dry yeast, you will need 18 g (about 2 ½ teaspoons). Proof it by dissolving the yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the dough. If using fresh yeast, you will need 1.5 oz/ 42 g. Dissolve it in warm water before adding it to the dough. The dough will likely rise faster with fresh yeast, so check it earlier; it should double in size, but not more than that.
Bowl of water: The steam helps create a moist environment, which keeps the bread's crust soft and prevents it from becoming too hard.

Nutrition