WHB #37: Basil Bread

A German friend gave me a great recipe for a very quick home made bread. His original recipe was full of wonderful seeds, but they were too much for someone not so used to it. So I did change a bit, adding more flour and some basil, but you can add any herb you like!

400 g of Manitoba (strong) flour
100 g flour
10 g fresh yeast
400 ml water
2 pinches of sugar
2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
A handfull of basil leaves (15 to 20 big leaves), freshly picked

Melt the yeast with the sugar and two spoonful of warm water. Let it rest for 10-20 minutes. Add the other ingredients (except those for the topping), and mix well to obtain a thick, but very sticky mixture. Grease a plum-cake mould with some olive oil, pour in the bread mixture and place it in the middle of a cold oven. Turn on the oven at 200° C (392 F), without ventilation, only upper and lower heat, and let it cook for 15 minutes. After that, cut the top of the loaf lengthwise, and let it cook for another 45 minutes.
Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool, wrapped in a clean tea towel.