Rosemary Bread

As much as I love to cook (and sometimes bake), I have a pretty firm rule that I won't try to make things myself that are just delightful when purchased elsewhere and probably require a lot of effort.  In this category goes fresh pasta, ice cream, and, until recently, yeast bread.  I LOVE me some bread, and I truly believe that I would be a happy woman if God took away all other food and drink except for bread, cheese, and wine.  I love going to the Farmers Markets in DC and picking up a big, crusty loaf of bread (and eat the whole thing on the walk back home):

(Actually, this is my friend Tom's photo, so I can't take credit.  He's a great photographer, and this is from a market in Laos.  He gave me permission to steal.)

Given that I can buy an awesome loaf of bread from a local baker for under $3, and the fact that yeast confuses the @#$% out of me, I haven't attempted to make very many breads.  I did have my Aunt Jane try to teach me how to make her famous Grandma Coffee Cake, but when I insisted on putting triple the raisins in the dough and kneaded it more than desirable, the result was a hockey puck-esque loaf that was definitely sub-par.  I'll leave the Grandma Coffee cake-making to my Aunt Jane, or my mom, who has better luck.  Maybe it's a Waldkirch thing.

I decided to yet again tackle yeast bread when I had potato water leftover from the mashed potatoes I made for New Years Eve.  Now, I definitely can't let something as precious as potato water go to waste, so I did a google search on uses for it.  The most common answer: make bread!  So, I came across a recipe for "Delicious Rosemary Bread" (that was probably my google search) and went for it.

This was SO EASY!!  You basically just mix water (oh, yeah, the potato water ended up down the drain--opps!), sugar, butter, salt and yeast, then add the flour.  I kneaded the whole thing in the mixing bowl, so there was no floury mess on the counter to clean.  Then, I followed my mom's advice for rising part:

1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Once it's preheated, turn off the oven and make the bread dough.
2) Place the prepared dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and put the bowl in the oven.  Let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.  The warmth of the oven speeds up the rising process, so there isn't as much waiting.
3) Take the dough out of the oven and turn the oven back on to 200 degrees.  Punch down the dough and form a loaf on a well-oiled sheet pan.  Cover.  Place the pan in the oven and turn off the oven.  Let rise for another hour, or until doubled in size.
4) Bake according to instructions.

The results were AMAZING.  The inside was light and airy and the outside formed a nice crust.  I used dried rosemary and lots more salt than the original recipe called for, and the flavor was wonderful.  I also threw the rosemary directly into the dough, in addition to sprinkling it on top of the loaf.  The texture definitely deteriorated the next day (but made great toast!), so make this the day you'll serve it.  It's definitely worth the time and effort and you'll impress your friends or family!

Easy Rosemary Bread
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water (should be lukewarm--if it's too hot, it will kill the yeast)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons rosemary, plus more for sprinkling (I used dried, and it was great, but I'm sure fresh rosemary would be even better.  Keep in mind you need more fresh to achieve the same flavor.)
3 cups flour (the original recipe called for bread flour, but I used all-purpose and it was fine)
olive oil

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  When preheated, turn the oven off.
2.  Dissolve the sugar in the warm water in a small bowl and mix in the yeast.  When yeast is bubbly, mix in the salt, butter, and rosemary.  Pour into a medium-to-large bowl and mix in 2 cups flour.  Gradually add the remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead for 10-12 minutes.  When finished kneading, form a ball.  I had to add more dough as I was kneading to prevent the dough from sticking to my fingers.
3.  Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil (I use a paper towel to do this).  Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and place in the oven to rise for 1 hour.
4.  After 1 hour, take the dough out of the oven and turn the oven on to 200 degrees.  Punch down the dough and transfer to a well-oiled sheet pan.  Form a loaf.  Brush olive oil on the top and sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt.  Cover and place it in the oven (turn off the oven at this point).  Let rise for 1 hour.
5.  Remove loaf from the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Once preheated, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.