The Humpherys Family

Rosemary Bread

Recipe Added:  3/12/2012
1 Tbsp instant or 1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 3/4 – 4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp dried rosemary
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Coarse salt for sprinkling
In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar and water. If using active dry yeast, let the mixture stand until foaming and bubbly, about 5 minutes. If using instant yeast, proceed with the recipe. Add two cups of the flour, salt and 1 Tbsp of the chopped rosemary. Mix. Continue adding flour, gradually, until a soft dough is formed. Judge the dough based on texture and feel versus how much actual flour you’ve had to add based on the recipe. The dough should be slightly tacky to the touch but should hold it’s shape while still being soft and smooth. Knead the dough by hand or with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, adding additional flour only if the dough is overly sticky and not clearing the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, approximately 1-2 hours. Once doubled, gently deflate the dough and divide in half. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, a Silpat liner or lightly grease with cooking spray. Shape dough into two smooth, oval shaped loaves and place them on the baking sheet, one on each half of the tray so they have room to rise and bake without touching. Use a brush to slather the butter, melted over the top of the loaves. Continue brushing on the butter until it is gone (the loaves will be well-saturated). Sprinkle the remaining chopped rosemary over the top of the loaves, patting down gently to set into the dough, if needed. Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise again until puffy and nearly doubled, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly sprinkle coarse salt over the top of the loaves. Bake the loaves for 18-20 minutes until browned and baked through. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

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