My mother was the best bread and roll maker around when she was alive. She tried many times to teach me this talent, but I just never quite got it. My bread was either hard as a rock or so light and airy, there was no bread! After my mom passed away, I decided to take a class on bread making, because I felt like I really needed to learn this talent and felt bad that I had not learned it from my mom. One thing that I did learn was that it is important to have bread flour! My mom used to always get her flour from Canada (because that is where she was from!) but you can get it anywhere. My bread is still not as good as my mom’s, but my family loves it and I at least have the confidence to try new bread recipes! This is one that I experimented with and I liked the way that it turned out. So did my husband!
If you have any fresh rosemary you really need to try this recipe sometime. It is so yummy! My rosemary plant was getting big enough for me to trim, so I cut off several of the stems and made this bread. I love this rosemary bread, because it has some of the rosemary mixed right inside the bread and not just on the top! This would be a great bread for your Easter brunch!
This bread is fun to just break pieces off and dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar! And it tastes the best right out of the oven, but then what homemade bread doesn’t? :)
Rosemary Bread
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 – 2 3/4 cups sifted bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to sprinkle on top
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped- divided
1 tablespoons olive oil, plus some to brush on top
In a large mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Combine 2 cups of the flour, salt, and 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture along with olive oil. Mix well. ( I use my mixer with a bread hook) Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft, sticky dough. Cover bowl and allow to rise 45 minutes or until doubled. Spray your surface with cooking spray and put dough onto this surface. Divide in two. Shape each half into a rounded loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the tops of the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining rosemary and kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.
