Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
1 pkg. (3/4 oz.) Active Dry Yeast 2 t. Honey ¼ C. Warm Water 1 T. Olive Oil 1 ½ C. Whole Wheat Flour 1 C. Bread Flour* 4 T. Fresh Rosemary or 1 1/3 T. Dried Rosemary 1 t. Salt ¾ C. Warm Water --- Balsamic Vinegar & EV Olive Oil (for serving) Supplies Measuring Cup Medium Mixing Bowl Mixing Spoon Large Mixing Bowl Large Baking Sheet (or Cooking Stone) Oven |
Directions
Stir honey into warm water. Combine with yeast in medium mixing bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.** While yeast is foaming, finely chop rosemary (if fresh). Stir in olive oil, flour, rosemary, salt, and ¾ cup warm water. Knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. You want your dough to be flexible yet enough flour to not stick to your hands. (If you have a mixer with dough hook then combine everything in the mixing bowl and mix on medium-high, 5-8 minutes.) Coat a large bowl with olive oil. You can use a pastry brush if you have one, or I find my fingers work well. (Plus olive oil is a great moisturizer.) Add your dough, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature to rise for about 2 hours. It should double in size.*** Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil, unless you’re using a cooking stone. Divide dough into 2 parts (or 4 if making smaller loaves). Taking one piece at a time, form dough into a ball. Tuck the sides under to make a “seamless” ball. I like to flatten my ball a little bit, but that’s personal preference. Leave dough to rise at room temperature, or until doubles in size. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Dough will be hard when first out of oven but softens as it cools. Serve with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixed in a dish. Notes: *Can substitute all-purpose flour with similar results. **It’s important the yeast mixture becomes foamy. This indicates the yeast is active. If your yeast is no longer active you’ll end up with rosemary-smelling rocks, which won’t look or taste good. ***I leave mine to rise on the counter-top, but if you keep your house really cold you might want to turn the oven on a minute, then turn it off and put your dough in the warm oven to rise. Servings: 2 Loaves (or 4 Small Loaves) Prep and Cooking Time: 30 min prep; 2 hr rise; 5 min prep; 2 hr rise; 20 min bake. |
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