BAKING WEEK: HERB BATTER BREAD

There's nothing like the smell of fresh bread baking in your kitchen. This yeast bread is a little different from most in that it doesn't require kneading. It's our third and last recipe from a new cookbook, "Betty Crocker Baking Basics" (Wiley, $29.95).

Ingredients

Cooking spray to grease pan

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 pkg. regular or fast-acting dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)

1 ¼ cups water

2 tablespoons shortening (or room temperature butter or margarine)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

½ teaspoon chopped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Directions

Spray bottom and sides of an 8 x4-inch or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with the cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the water over medium heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add water, shortening, parsley, rosemary and thyme to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, stopping to scrape batter from bottom and side of bowl with a rubber spatula, until flour mixture is moistened. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape bowl. With a wooden bowl, stir in remaining 1 cup flour until smooth.

Spread batter evenly in pan. Round top by patting with floured hands. Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray; cover the pan loosely with the wrap, sprayed side down. Let rise in a warm place about 40 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until top of loaf is light brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a finger.

For a softer crust, brush top of loaf with 1 tablespoon melted butter.