Incredibly easy to make, great tasting, a classic bread that's crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle and delectably flavoured with delicious Mediterranean ingredients such as olive oil and rosemary! When this bread is baking it exudes a fantastic aroma!!!
My olive oil and rosemary bread rises quickly and bakes in about 30 minutes. It's an enriched bread, a type of bread whose dough contains fat. In this case, the fat, in the form of 5 tablespoons of olive oil, is a good type of fat: 70% of olive oil is comprised of monounsaturated fats, and evidence shows that monounsaturated fats in the diet reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. In addition to its health benefits, olive oil makes the bread taste better, keep better, and stay softer longer.
Check out the recipe, and then bake some for yourself. Try it and you'll love it!
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| Two oval loaves of olive oil and rosemary bread. In this rendition, omitted the whole wheat flour and instead used three cups of bread flour. |
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons bread flour
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 3/4 cup water
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl and to oil the top of the loaves
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups bread flour plus a little extra for dusting the work surface and the loaf (or loaves).
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| The dough can be formed into two smaller loaves of one larger one. |
Directions:
- In a measuring cup stir together the honey and the warm water. Mix well.
- Add the yeast, mix, then add the two tablespoons of flour. Mix again and let stand for about 15 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble and rise.
- Meanwhile, into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook add the rest of the water (3/4 cup), the olive oil, the salt, the chopped rosemary, and the pepper.
- Add the yeast mixture, mix with a spatula and begin stirring on the low setting.
- Add the bread flour slowly and continue to mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Use a rubber spatula to move the dough closer to the dough hook.
- Raise the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly dust a surface with flour and place the dough on top. The dough should be soft and really pliable. Roll it in the flour and shape it into a ball.
- Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then cover it with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about one and a half-hour.
- Press down on the dough to release the gas created by the yeast. Let it rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Allowing it to rest will make the dough more pliable. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and if you'd like to make two loaves, divide it in half.
- Roll into a loaf (or loaves) and transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft-free spot and let rise for forty-five minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Score the dough, brush it with olive oil and dust with a little flour.
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| The scoring of bread can be an art form. Some bakers will use a particular scoring style as their personal signature. You can see by this picture that I made a "scoring error." Do use a sharp knife, or a sharp blade, or a sharp pair of kitchen scissors. Unfortunately, on this day, my kitchen shears were dull ... |
- You could decorate the top of the dough with rosemary, however, the rosemary will burn in the oven. You may choose to decorate the bread once it has finished baking.
- Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Adjust the baking time depending on whether you are baking one large loaf or two smaller ones.
- Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. No matter how incredibly wonderful its aroma, try to resist the urge of cutting into the bread right away. It will slice better after it has cooled.
