Rosemary & Olive Oil Bread
Bread making always makes me feel like I’m doing something old-school. There’s something meditative about it, just like making pasta, or any dough really. It may have something to do with the way the steps are broken down. — Moments of work, moments of rest. — It’s a practice that we follow in order to create a delicious end result. Seems like we would benefit from applying a thing or two from bread making to our own lives.
Ingredients
1 tbs Yeast
1 tbs Agave
1 cup Warm Water
2 cups Flour (+7-8 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbs chopped Fresh Rosemary (+ 1tsp torn )
1 tbs Olive Oil (+ more for drizzle)
Combine Yeast, Agave & and Warm Water in a large bowl. Give it a gentle mix and let sit in a semi-warm place for about 15-20 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy (it will also increase in size).
With a rubber spatula, gently mix in Olive Oil, Salt, Flour & chopped Fresh Rosemary.
Once combined enough to handle, place dough on a floured board or surface and knead well for about 10 minutes adding flour along the way as needed. I usually add flour 1 tsp at a time so I don’t add too much. For this particular recipe I incorporated about 7-8 tsp of flour to get the dough to the right consistency. After you finish kneading, shape the dough into a dome-like shape. (You don’t need to be too precious with this part).
Pro Tip: If you’re kneading on a cutting board on top of a smooth surface you can wet a paper towel and place it underneath so the board doesn’t slide. (You can also use that damp paper towel to clean up any stray flour after).
Drizzle Olive Oil at the bottom of your large bowl and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp warm kitchen towel and let stand in a semi-warm place for about an hour until it has doubled in size.
Once your hour is done, give the dough a gentle punch to release the air.
Cut the dough in half.
You want this punched and split dough to rest for another few minutes so after you cut the dough take the next few moments to drizzle oil on your baking sheet/dishes. (You can put them in the same dish, but know they will once again double in size and will not be moved again after being placed in this dish).
Once your dishes are prepped, shape both portions into a dome-like form and place each in your dish/es.
Gently brush Olive Oil on the top of the loaf, sprinkle remaining torn rosemary and cover again with a warm damp towel.
Let rest for 45 minutes – this is your final rest.
When you approach the end of your proofing time preheat your oven to 375°F (I baked using a convection oven). So my baking time was about 15 minutes until the domes became round.
Let stand before serving. Best eaten still warm with butter or dipped in your favorite soup.