Feeling sick is terrible. And especially inconvenient over the weekend you were planning to try a pile of new recipes because you start work on Monday morning and might not have so much free time ever again. But instead you’re spending your last valuable hours comfortlessly rotating between the couch, the futon, the floor, the bed- everywhere but the kitchen. Up half the night watching episodes of The Kennedy’s (thank goodness for the DVR in your time of need). Because you’ve got the aches and chills and just the thought of food makes you feel queasy. Not cool.
Maybe I should be more concerned about recovering in time to make it to work tomorrow instead of what I’m not eating. It crossed my mind, but with my luck I’ll be perfectly recovered by 6 am in the morning and left frustrated that my weekend plans (cooking, baking, and ice cream-making) were thwarted. Actually, ice cream is the only thing that sounds appealing at all right now. That one might still happen.
On a much cheerier note, back when I was feeling more like myself (hearty appetite in-tact), I baked this wondrous loaf of rosemary bread. I was inspired by my sisters’ (yes, plural- they’re twins) roommate, Laura, who made something similar while I was a guest inhabiting their couch. (I’ve clocked a lot of nights on the couch lately it seems.) While I managed to get a peek at her recipe, I was foolish enough not to write it down. So when I arrived home with the urgency to bake my own version of the bread, I sought advice from a second recipe source. The main tinkering I did was to incorporate whole wheat flour and to use fresh rosemary instead of dried (either works fine). I was very happy with the result- a loaf so flavorful that it needs no accompaniment. The rosemary is prominent but not overwhelming. And while this bread is best enjoyed warm out of the oven, it can be frozen and reheated later.
Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour + extra for kneading
1 egg, whisked + 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash
dried rosemary, for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.
2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, and whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.
6. Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Makes 1 round loaf.
(Adapted from Laura A. and All Recipes)
I followed the directions to the “T” but the dough was VERY loose – I ended up adding almost a whole cup more of flour to get it to form a ball… what did I do wrong?
This dough is a bit looser than some but a lot of factors can affect how much flour you had to ad, such as temperature and humidity and the type of flour being used. How did it turn out after baking?
I’ve made this bread many times and love it!! However this time when I took it out of the oven, the loaf deflated. It will still taste just as delicious, but doesn’t look as pretty . Any thoughts as to why this happened once out of the oven? (I googled it but didn’t find anything…most people have issues with deflation with the second rising)
Was the loaf cooked through in the center? I’m not sure why it would deflate if it rose well and was cooked through. It probably had something to do with the yeast or rise though. Sorry I’m not more help!
Thanks for the recipe – I followed exactly and had to add 1/2 c extra flour but the dough was still very wet. I was afraid to add more and the loaf came out very flat. Any thoughts on what I could have done differently?
The amount of flour you need can vary greatly base on the flour used and the humidity etc. so adding extra isn’t unusual. More flour would have probably helped if the dough was still wet. Did you use any whole wheat flour? If you used only white flour you’d need more because it doesn’t absorb as much water as whole wheat does. I’m also wondering if the yeast didn’t rise well and might have contributed to the flat loaf? I’m sorry it didn’t work out well for you the first time.
Yes – I used about 1 cup wheat, 1/2 c AP and then added about a cup of bread flour. It was very humid yesterday so I’m sure that contributed. Being a new bread maker I didn’t know if it was OK to add a ton more flour without affecting the texture of the bread. I think my yeast was fine, it was more that it was too wet to really even handle so it just puddled. Ha. My family thought the flavor was great so I will definitely try it again!
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I live at 7500 feet. Has anyone made this bread who lives in high altitude?
I actually live in Colorado now myself and haven’t had any trouble with yeast breads at high altitude. If anything, they rise a little quicker, that’s it. You can shorten the rise time if needed or decrease the yeast a bit if you want. (Cookies, muffins, and cake I have to adjust though.) Enjoy!
The aroma in my home while it was baking was wonderful! Tasted wonderful & it will now become a staple. Thank you!
I thought this pin said, “make in your crockpot”. Did I miss something?
no someone mislabeled it on pinterest
I only have fresh rosemary. Will that burn in the oven if I put that on top of the bread instead of dried rosemary?
I think it should work! If it does start to brown too fast you can lightly tent the loaf with aluminum foil partway through cooking.
Making this in the bread machine (dough only). 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1 cup water made sloppy glue. i added approximately another cup of white whole wheat flour before it formed the proper dough consistency. Can you really make this beautiful loaf of bread with the proportions listed in the recipe???
This recipe isn’t made for a bread machine so the proportions work nicely if you knead by hand.
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Just finished making this for my fiancée’s bridal shower tomorrow (and I’ve never baked bread before!). Tasted a small slice and oh my, delightful! Thanks for the recipe. One to add to our rotation this winter!
This is a fantastic recipe. Might become a staple in our household!
I’m making this dough in the bread maker and then will transfer to a stoneware bread baking bowl for the final rise and bake. I had all the correct flours and followed the recipe, but the dough was so wet that I added more bread flour as it was kneading. I probably added 1/2-3/4 cup before the dough looked “right” to me. Most of my bread recipes require more flour for this amount of water, so I’ll see if my addition turns out right!
Planning to brush the top with a little oil and sprinkle with sea salt, since that is what my local bakery does, and it’s delicious that way.
Looking forward to serving this tonight with grilled pork chops and vegetables!
My first time bread making, and I think my bread should be fuller, bigger?
I used, I used who,e wheat stone ground flour and also all purpose u bleached white flour. I wanted to take it off corn meal parchment paper to put on stone but afraid it would not happen so I’m cooking it at 400, per instructions. Flour is fresh, yeast is fresh! So any suggestions? Thank you. Smells great!
Regular whole wheat flour is denser than white whole wheat flour so that may be why it didn’t rise quite as much.
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