An Onion Exposed: Rosemary Loaves

Like I mentioned in the post about the Creamy Berry Fluff, I also made Rosemary Loaves for my Pampered Chef party this week. It was inspired by Ciatti's Rosemary Focaccia (next time I want to try an actual focaccia recipe rather than a basic bread dough). Tony took me there on a date this past weekend and I was very impressed. We've been so busy lately that he really wanted to "get away" when we got our tax return back. We decided to splurge a little by going out before we used the rest to pay bills. Having fun, but still being responsible. Best of both worlds, right?? :)

When served warm with olive oil, a little Parmesan cheese (or Granapadana cheese, if you can find it), and freshly cracked pepper, or even just plain butter, this bread is amazing! Infused with the flavor of rosemary, it still has the density of fresh, homemade bread. It's best when served immediately after baking, once cooled enough to handle.

Ingredients

4-5 c. flour, divided

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

2 1/4 c. milk

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. butter or shortening

2 tsp. rosemary

extra flour

cooking oil

Directions

Take two cups of flour and combine it with yeast.

In a separate bowl, heat milk, sugar, salt, butter, and rosemary until butter is melted. (You can either do this in the microwave or in a small saucepan over the stove top.)

Add to dry mixture and beat for 2-3 minutes.

By hand, stir in enough flour to start forming a soft dough.

Dust a clean surface with some extra flour.

Dump dough onto surface and knead until it's a smooth round ball, adding additional flour if dough is too sticky.

Grease a med-large bowl with a tablespoon or two of oil.

Place dough in bowl. Spin to coat bottom of dough then flip dough over so that the top of ball is lightly coated in oil.

Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm area to rise until doubled, about one hour.

Once doubled, punch down and divide in half. Place on floured surface.

Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Roll each section into a rectangle and roll into a long loaf.

Pinch and tick ends under.

Place on large baking pan covered in parchment paper.

Make shallow slices diagonally across loaves.

Cover again and let rise 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30-45 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm.

Makes 2 large loaves.

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(Directions with Photos)

Take two cups of flour and combine it with yeast and sugar.

In a separate bowl, heat milk, salt, butter, and rosemary until butter is melted.

(You can either do this in the microwave or in a small saucepan over the stove top.)

Add to dry mixture and beat for 2-3 minutes.

By hand, stir in enough flour to start forming a soft dough.

Dust a clean surface with some extra flour and dump dough onto surface.

Sprinkle with flour while kneading if dough is too sticky.

Knead until it's a smooth round ball.

Grease a med-large bowl with a tablespoon or two of oil. Place dough in bowl. Spin to coat bottom of dough then flip dough over so that the top of ball is lightly coated in oil.