Thyme Infused Batard

Today’s baking attempt was technically not a success for two reasons. First, a Batard is like a fat Baguette. What I ended up with was a cross between a Boule and a Ciabatta. Secondly, I was expecting more of the herb flavor to permeate the crumb. Easy fixes perhaps: roll the dough instead of stretching, bake for 5 fewer minutes and steep even more herbs in the water like tea before adding to the flour. So while it was not a true Batard, this small loaf still made a nice sandwich. I’ll try an herb infused Batard again, I beat it would make a great base for a vegetable muffaletta! 

The Research
Economics ~ These small loaves where made of approximately .8 cups of all purpose flour, water and 1 Tbsp each of; yeast, salt and herb. Approximate cost: Flour 13 cents; yeast 50 cents; salt 2 cents; herb free from my herb bed = 65 cents / loaf.

I can buy an 18 oz Batard for $ 3.79 that is double the size of my pseudo Batard; so at the comparable cost of $ 1.90 I saved $ 1.25 by baking myself!

Nutrition ~ my one small loaf is approximately 357.5 calories, compared to the 630 calories of a comparable size for the store bought Batard.