Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season! It has been some time since I posted so it's good to be back. Several months ago I tried a no-knead bread recipe I found on Pinterest. It was great - easy, fast, and delicious! It got me looking at and trying lots of other bread recipes I came across. In fact, I haven't purchased any bread at the store since!

Some recipes, I found, were easier, some were faster, and some had a much better flavor and texture. I'm still trying new recipes and this one, for Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, will definitely be added to my bread rotation. I found this recipe at A Hint of Honey and made a few changes when I made it. For one thing she baked hers on a pizza stone. A pizza stone is on my want list but I don't have one yet so decided to bake mine in a loaf pan. It worked great! Also, she used white wheat flour in her bread but I didn't have any in my pantry so I used all-purpose and bread flour, and again, it worked great. So basically this is a very easy and flexible recipe.

If  you have never made your own bread it is really worth a try. There are recipes out there for bread that can be mixed up in just minutes and that don't require any kneading. Recipes for other breads, like this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread require a little more time but especially if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, are really very easy. AND the smell of homemade bread baking in your kitchen is one that just can't be beat AND no chemicals (preservatives, flavor enhancers ect - who needs them???)

This is a delicious bread, light and with a great flavor and texture! Don't be intimated by the long list of ingredients, it's not as complicated as it looks and mixes up quickly and easily! I would love to hear your comments about it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees approx)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt, I just prefer it)
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water whisked, for the top egg wash
• dried rosemary for sprinkling on top

Directions:

In a large bowl combine warm water, sugar and yeast. I use the bowl of my stand mixer. Let sit for about 8 minutes until the mixture looks creamy. With the paddle attachment, stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. After it was mixed I changed to the dough hook and added the additional 1/2 cup bread flour. (If you don't have bread flour I'm sure all-purpose would work fine.) Mix on medium speed on mixer until dough forms a ball. Add additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary to get the dough to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl. (I had to add almost an additional 1/2 cup of flour.) Once the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a ball, then knead with the dough hook at medium speed (I used 4 on my Kenmore) for about 5 minutes.

Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled - about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and form it into a loaf shape. I line a glass loaf pan with parchment paper and place the loaf shaped dough into it. Cover and let rise again for about 45 minutes until it again doubles in size.

About 20 minutes before the 45 minutes is up preheat your oven and another glass loaf pan to 400 degrees. When you have the pan and oven heated lift the dough, using the parchment paper, out of the first loaf pan and place it in the preheated pan. You don't have to use the parchment paper but it makes it easier to move to the preheated pan if you do. Place in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After the bread has baked for 10 minutes brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle with the rosemary - this makes a wonderful golden crust on the top of your bread - then continue baking until golden brown. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped or when an instant read thermometer reads 190 degrees.

Allow (if you can stand to wait) bread to cool before cutting. Slicing while bread is still very hot tends to make it kind of gummy inside - but it will still taste good!

Enjoy!!!!