Italian Spiced Whole Wheat Bread

I threw this dough together at around 2 a.m. last night after realizing how caffeinated I was. Waking up this morning to a bowl of dough ready to be baked not only made my snow filled day warmer, but filled the house with the aroma of an Italian bakery.
To begin, this bread was a bit of an experiment. In my jazzed up head it only made sense to work with my hands at odd hours of the night, but following any logical set of directions was a foreign concept. Thankfully the bread came out smelling and tasting just how I had hoped! Oh the ways to waste unwanted energy...

Italian Spiced Whole Wheat Bread
1 c water water
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 garlic cloves
3-4 tbsp parmesan, chopped, shredded or grated... however you'd like
2-3 tbsp oil

- Pour the warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar on top, let sit for about 5 minutes, then stir a bit with a spoon
- Add the flours and stir until a dough forms, then knead until well combined and smooth
- Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl if necessary, then coat with a thin layer of oil and allow the bread to rise in the bowl for about 45 minutes to an hour
- In the meantime, mix the remaining spices, parmesan, and oil in a small bowl and allow the flavors to soak while waiting for the bread to rise
- Punch down the dough and knead in the spice/oil mixture until well incorporated and spread throughout the dough evenly
- Allow the dough to rise anywhere from 2 hours to overnight

Preheat the oven to 410º F

- Lightly grease a pan and form the dough into a ball or oval shape, then bake the bread for about 25-30 minutes or until browning

*If you are looking for a true italian bread taste, omit the whole wheat flour and replace it with all purpose flour, and you may have to add some extra flour if using only all purpose flour. The whole wheat flour adds a nutty and "healthy" taste, so choose your flours depending on what you like! Thanks for reading!