baking · cooking · Plant Based Diet

Garlic & Rosemary Bread

I woke up to a post from The Misfit Baker on Sunday, on a no-knead bread. I had to try it! Simplicity and a recipe to use fresh rosemary in, from my garden.

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Did I mention all the work I have done in the front yard? I didn’t?…let me bore you! With Ford out of school, I put him to work, helping me dig up more of our front yard. Two falls ago, We had put down mulch, being pregnant I wasn’t paying attention. In some areas it was a good 6-8″ deep. I had Ford scrape it all back, laid down new yard fabric and recovered it. Along with shaping the lawn again, which in the past few years I had mostly ignored.

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We have a cute front porch, but it isn’t used much, and frankly it doesn’t get much light (sun). I am in the process of decorating it (finally) to brighten it up. I’ll get there. I added new window boxes with (gasp) fake flowers/ivy. It doesn’t get enough sunlight to grow anything there, but it needed something! On the other hand, my dozen or so of lavender plants are in bloom for the year. They ring the side and front of the yard, the last two are visible. I planted rosemary plants in front of the porch, that will fill in and up over the coming years. A few weekends back, Kirk and I installed a storm door. It really makes our front look so much nicer, and we get breezes now off the lake. And more light. The boys love being able to look out as well!

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I had thought about planting more lavender, but realizing it would make it hard for Ford to get the lawn mower across (it is an electric), I instead built a pass-thru for him, flanked by two more bee baths and flowers that match the lavender. Earlier this month I trimmed the two big trees in the front of the yard, a massive evergreen and a very big Japanese maple, as they were not letting enough sun into my lavender. Now it is airier and the branches are higher. I like it.

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But I digress, let’s get back to bread making! Kirk had stuff he wanted to get done (ooh, he cut and finished me a new work board out of butcher block for the kitchen!) so I figured this lazy-method of bread making would fit right into my busy day. It did, and the bread was fantastic. Crisp on the outside, pillowy and fragrant on the inside. Totally delicious. You have to make some!

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Garlic & Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour + more for dusting
  • 2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
  • 1½ cups warm water
  • 1 Tbsp raw honey (or agave nectar for vegan)
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°, turn off.

In a large oven safe mixing bowl, whisk water and honey together, sprinkle yeast over. Set in warm oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk flour and vital wheat gluten together, set aside.

In a small bowl, stir oil, salt, garlic and rosemary together, add to yeast mixture, whisking in. Add flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring in thoroughly.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, return to warmed oven, let rise for 2 hours.

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet, flour your hands and divide dough into two halves (work gently to avoid deflating it too much. Drop dough on baking sheet, into two balls, sprinkle a little more flour on top. Cover gently with plastic wrap (draped across) and let rise for an hour.

Preheat oven to 450°, cut a shallow slit across the top of each loaf, bake on top rack  for 30 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Use a thin spatula to run under the leaves, transfer to a cooling rack.

The loaves, once cooled, can be wrapped in plastic wrap, and sealed in gallon freezer bags, and frozen for later use. Defrost wrapped, on the counter to enjoy.

Makes 2 loaves.

7 thoughts on “Garlic & Rosemary Bread

  1. Your loaves look great, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed them… I’m totally in love with (and jealous of) your yard! I hope to have a porch like yours, someday. It looks perfect for Christmas and Halloween decorating.

    1. Thank YOU for the recipe inspiration! And you know it – I love decorating it for fall 😀 My husband was embarrassed last Halloween over the number of pumpkins and leaves that were up there 😉

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