As November takes us into colder weather, there’s just something about frosty window panes and that winter chill in the air that makes us want to bake bread. Baking homemade bread may seem like an intimidating feat but we promise that this delicious and fragrant rosemary garlic bread recipe is easy to follow and so rewarding. The smell of freshly baked bread will cozy up your kitchen immediately. This recipe is perfect to make during the Holidays – here is what you need:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, 110-115F
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp fine salt
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 TB dried rosemary
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 head of roasted garlic
extra olive oil for brushing on top and serving
coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top
Preparation:
In a large bowl, Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water. Mix in the sugar and salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until it foams. Add in olive oil. Add flour and knead (by hand or stand mixer/hook) for about 10 minutes.
Add rosemary, black pepper, and oregano. Knead another 5 minutes. Finally, gently knead in roasted garlic by hand, about 1 minute. Dough should come together well at this point; slightly sticky is fine, but still should be manageable.
Place the dough ball in a well oiled bowl, turning dough a few times so that dough surfaces are protected by oil. Tightly cover bowl with cling wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until dough is doubled, approx. 1 hour, depending on room temp (if your room is cooler, it could take 2 hours.)
After the dough is doubled, gently punch it down and shape into a rounded loaf. Using a sharp knife, make a criss-cross design on top. Place rounded loaf on a greased baking sheet. Cover the loaf with a large mixing bowl inverted over it. Make sure the bowl is large enough that it gives your loaf room to rise. Let rise until doubled again, approximately 1 hour.
After the dough has doubled again, very gently brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a bit more rosemary. Try not to deflate the loaf at all.
Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, spraying loaf with water once during the middle of baking. Raise the temperature up to 425F and spray the loaf with water again. Watch carefully – bake just until the top is a nice golden brown.
Let bread rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. Serve bread fresh and warm, with your favorite oils.
Trust us, this bread is so incredibly delicious and fragrant, everyone who we shared it with couldn’t resist taking another piece. This is a great way to get into making bread and perfect to impress if you want to bring something to a Holiday party. f you make this recipe and want to share with us, tag us on Instagram @stokesstores and use the hashtag #StokesMoments.