recipe: rosemary bread

I've been making a lot of bread this winter because (a) it makes the house smell amazing; (b) the oven keeps the house warm; and (c) homemade bread is far tastier than the store-bought kind. I've been making a lot of white bread, but a couple of weeks ago, I switched things up and made rosemary bread. Rosemary grows well all year round here, so I have a ton of it in my garden. This bread is amazing.

Rosemary Bread

Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup water
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped rosemary, divided

Heat oven to 200 degrees and turn off when it comes to temperature.

Combine yeast and 1/4 cup warm water in mixer bowl. Let stand about 7 minutes.

Add 3/4 cup water, olive oil, sugar, salt, flour, and 2 tablespoons rosemary.

Attach the dough hook, and mix on speed 2 until dough is smooth.

Place dough ball into an oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in warm oven for 1 hour.

Punch down dough and let rest for 15 minutes, covered.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a large rectangle with smallest side about 9 inches wide. With your hands, roll up the dough into a 9-inch-long loaf. Fold the ends over, so the end spirals aren't showing.

Grease two loaf pans, and place dough in them, seam-side down.

Press remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary into the loaves.

Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Dust loaves with a small amount of flour.

Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

<3

By the way, I got this oven thermometer as a Christmas present from my parents. Holy guacamole, was this thing an eye opener. Turns out, "400" is more like 350, so I've had to make some adjustments when I'm preheating the oven.