Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I am very excited to share this recipe with you! I am a huge fan of homemade bread and this is one of the faster bread recipes that I have found. Not the fastest, oh no. That honor goes to many of the breads in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. That, my friends, is a cookbook you should have in your collection if you are a lover of homemade bread.

This little recipe caught my attention on Pinterest because the description said it could be cooked in a slow cooker. Whoever wrote that is a lying liar (I’ve been using that phase LONG before Al Frankin came out with his book but I am happy to share it with him). I was over the moon excited to find a bread recipe that would cook in the slow cooker because that meant homemade bread in the summer. Oh well, the search continues.

I made this bread twice in a week. One loaf to share with my grandparents when they came over for lunch and another for Christmas dinner. Both times the bread was a hit. I used Herbs de Provence since I had a made a batch of it a while ago that needed to be used. I’m out of Italian Seasoning so I will need to make some soon. The original recipe calls for bread flour but I used all-purpose flour and the bread turned out just right. Next time I make a loaf I’ll try adding in a few tablespoons of wheat germ or ground flax seed for a little extra umph. I don’t have a pizza peal so I used the parchment paper method and it worked beautifully! I omitted the egg wash and sprinkling of rosemary (honestly, I forgot) and it was still scrumptious. A few slashes cut into the top before baking would give the bread a lovely rustic look.

Enjoy!

1 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½  cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup bread flour + extra for kneading

Cornmeal
1 egg

1 Tablespoon water
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.

Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, and whole wheat flour. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about five minutes, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking, until smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.

Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 400 F. Wisk together the egg and water to form the egg wash. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.

Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Adapted from www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/04/rosemary-olive-oil-bread.html