Delicious Recipe for Rosemary Bread

If you’ve visited RYGblog over the past couple of months you’ve gotten to know my friend and fellow home gardener, Tracy Prather.  Her Creamy Asparagus & Roasted Artichoke Soup recipe made us all think twice about two veggies that are often avoided (at least I once did)…and her last recipe for Parmesan Pork with Fresh Oregano definitely got us wanting more of the “other white meat”. For those of us who admittedly love and can eat bread , Tracy will help us indulge a bit more with her delicious recipe for Rosemary Bread…and for those of you who simply try to avoid bread, I’m going to apologize up front, you’re going to be tempted to try a slice…or two…or three!  Thanks again Tracy!

So, here’s the thing…I love bread, LOVE it! I will work out for hours in order to eat all the bread I want. It seems that these days, it is shameful to consume bread. You get the stink eye at a restaurant if you merely accept the free delicious bread offered, much less EAT it. Whatever!

With all the “carb” fighters and bread-haters (that secretly love bread and eat it when no one is looking) out there, you can find an overwhelming amount of information that can panic you into omitting it from your life. I just cannot stand the thought that bread is an enemy, no way!

But seriously, this brings me to my new process of thinking about my beloved bread: After doing some research, I discovered that a lot of nutrients are lost when making products with common all-purpose flour. Not to mention all the additives, making a decent case for the haters.  With some encouragement from friends, I started milling my own wheat and baking my own bread. Now, I know exactly what is in the food I give my family and I have the added bonus of the amazing smell. It’s cool if you are not into it, but I mention it because I used freshly milled wheat flour for this recipe. If you are not into it, I at least urge you to use Organic Wheat Flour. You can find it most anywhere. It will change the consistency, but it is worth it! Enough about that for now, perhaps we will get into it more in a later post.

Making my own bread also allows me to play around a little and try different flavors. One of my all-time favorite breads is Rosemary. It goes so well with savory dishes, soups and all by itself with a little olive oil. It’s great for picnic style dinners at outdoor concerts, parks and quiet at home dinners on the porch.  Add wine and cheese, perfect!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar or honey granules
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 envelope)
• 1 cup of warm water for proofing
• 1 tsp. salt plus a pinch or two for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried) plus a little more for sprinkling
• 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
• 2-3 cups white whole wheat flour…plus a little extra for kneading
• 1 egg white for egg wash

Instructions

This is how you do it:

• In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add your sugar to the warm water and stir to dilute it a little.
• Add yeast and let proof for approximately 10 minutes (if it isn’t bubbly after this time your yeast is bad).
• With the dough hook attached (if using mixer) add salt, rosemary, Italian seasoning, pepper, oil and a cup of flour.
• Mix on low setting, adding more flour slowly until dough no longer sticks to the hook. If you are mixing by hand add flour until a ball is formed.
• Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if needed for 5 minutes.
• Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; let rise until doubled in size (about an hour). Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm spot. I usually let my oven warm just to 150°F and then turn it off and place the bowl in there.
• Punch down the dough and form a round loaf, place on a pizza stone (ideal for baking this) or on parchment, cover and let it double up again.
• Punch down a second time and form a round loaf.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Let cool just a few minutes and then wash with egg white and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.

If your house doesn’t smell AMAZING, then you obviously didn’t make this bread! If you did, good luck saving any for later. Now…EAT the bread! Do it!

Thanks Tracy…for sharing your culinary skills and your sense of humor with us.  I know that both are appreciated around the table over a great meal.  I look forward to enjoying this Rosemary Bread recipe a la Britt – who mills her own wheat as well…and we love it!

Are you a bread lover too? Do you have a recipe that includes an ingredient that you’ve grown in the garden?  If so, please share it with the rest of us.

Take care,