Rosemary Bread

Yesterday I went out onto the back patio and did a spring assessment on my potted herb garden. I think it all finally died. My rosemary plant lasted all the way up until the snow week last month. I guess I should have brought it in and given it the special treatment it deserved. After all it is my most favorite herb. I love the way it smells and tastes when I cook with it. This rosemary bread is a delicious, flavorful bread to make. It tastes great served with soup or salad. I make the dough in my bread maker and then cook it in my oven and it turns out perfect every time. Of course, you can always make it by hand or in a mixer. Just thinking about it now makes me want to run down to the nursery and get some new little herb starts to plant right away.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 3/4 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 3/4 cup to 3 cups bread flour

1/3 cup dry milk powder

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

egg yolk

coarse sea salt

Directions:

Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread cycle; press Start. Stop machine and take dough out before the baking cycle begins. Or use your mixer or mix it by hand. Cover dough in bowl and let rise until double. Punch down dough and shape into a round loaf; set on a greased cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Cut three slits across the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Cover with a tea towel and let raise for 30 minutes. Carefully brush with egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water whisked together. Sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt and more rosemary. Bake in 360 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.