Lapsang souchong is a black tea with a rich smoky flavor, that I completely adore, but it can be a tough sell for those who favor a more traditional and subtle tea palate.  I decided to experiment with using some of this freshly brewed tea in my bread to give it a small hint of smokiness.

This recipe makes one large or two small boules.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup brewed Lapsang souchong Tea (make sure that it is warm to touch, but not too hot)
• 3 tsp Yeast
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 cup Flour + more for dusting
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds

Directions:

1. Combine a 1/4 cup of the tea with the yeast, and allow it to rest until the yeast has liquified.
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes.
4. Begin your kneading.  The dough will be extremely sticky, and the easiest way to knead is with a dough hook, but you can do it by hand using a dough scraper.
5. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is elastic enough to hold together and is pulling away from the sides of the bowl or kneading surface.
6. Allow the dough to rest for another few minutes, before giving it one last quick 1 minute knead.  The dough should appear smooth, but will still be sticky to touch.
7. Place the dough in a greased container covered in plastic wrap to rise until tripled in size (~3-5 hours).
8.  Carefully invert the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently press it down into a large disk.
9. Lift each of the (4) edges of the disk, and draw them into the center of the disk forming a cushion of dough.
10. Place the dough back into the greased rising container, cover, and allow it to rise for a second time, until doubled. (~1.5 – 2 hours).
11. Invert the dough onto your floured work surface and cut the dough in half.
12. Fold each half over once, cover the halves, and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, grease and dust two medium sized glass bowls with flour.  Your bread will rise in the bowls before being transferred directly into the oven.
14. Gently press each half into a disk, and once again fold them into a cushion or boule.
15. Carefully dip the top side of the dough in the fennel seeds, before placing it fennel-side-down into one of the floured bowls.
16. Cover the boules, and allow them to rise until doubled.  You may want to grease or flour coat the cover to prevent sticking. (~1.5 – 2 hours)
17.  Preheat the oven to 450 F (~232 C) with a large dutch-oven in the central rack of the oven.
18. You will be baking each loaf one at a time.
19. Once the oven has preheated and the bread has risen, up-end one of the boules into the middle of the dutch oven, score it, and then cover it with a lid.
20. Bake for 30 minutes before removing the lid, and baking the bread for another 10 – 15 minutes.  If the bread gets too dark, cover it once again and reduce the heat slightly.