rosemary bread

Thanks to a dear friend with an overabundance of rosemary from her CSA, I had occasion to do some baking.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T active dry yeast

1 cup water

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 t white sugar

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 t italian seasoning

1/4 t ground black pepper

1 T fresh rosemary

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1. Proof yeast in 1 cup of warm water for five minutes. Put proofed yeast, one cup of the bread flour, sugar, salt, and oil in stand mixer and mix on medium high speed until a thick, creamy batter develops (approximately 3-5 minutes).

2. Switch stand mixer attachment to the bread hook and begin adding the remaining flour gradually along with the herbs and black pepper. Knead just until all dough pulls away from the bowl, then knead for an additional five minutes by hand.

3. Put dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 3 hours; should triple in size. Then, punch down dough and let rise again for another 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paper towel, coat a cast iron dutch oven with olive oil. Shape dough in a rough mound, and use a sharp knife to make a 1/2 inch cut (approximate) down the middle (helps with bread growth when baking). Place dough in dutch oven and cover.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Take cover off of dutch oven and bake an additional 30 minutes.

6. Remove bread immediately after finished baking and allow it to cool. Enjoy!

I know that this recipe sounds like a lot of work, but if started toward the middle of the day, you can have this amazing bread ready in time for dinner. (Most of the time is spent waiting for it to rise, and not actively making the bread).