Marjoram Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rendered bacon fat or 1 tablespoon lard
1 teaspoon marjoram

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the yeast, warm water, and sugar and leave sit 5 minutes until the mixture appears frothy.
Add in the flour, 1 cup water, salt and bacon fat or lard. Mix thoroughly with your hands until it all comes together.
Pour dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the marjoram evenly over the the dough and knead for another 10 minutes, until the dough is slightly sticky.
Pull the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to coat the dough. Cover and let rise for 2 hours or until the dough is doubled.
Punch the dough down and divide into two equal pieces. If it feels too sticky to work with, sprinkle lightly with flour.
Shape each piece of dough into a log about 10 inches in length. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 and a half hours. About 20 minutes before the rise time is done, put the bottom part of broiler tray in the oven on the bottom rack and preheat to 450 degrees.
When the logs have risen, quickly cut the tops of the bread with a sharp knife and immediately put in the oven. Now quickly pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly shut the oven door. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden.
After the bread is done, cool on a cooling rack and enjoy. Bon Appetit!