Rosemary garlic and herb bread

From Adventures in pasta-making: fresh spaghetti and meatballs

Ingredients

(for four mini loaves)

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 4 tbsp room temperature butter
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
• 1 tbsp chopped parsely

Preparation

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine the warm water and yeast. Allow to become frothy, about 7-8 minutes. Add olive oil, salt, rosemary and all of the flour at once and set mixer on lowest setting. Keep an eye on it and once it forms a dough ball, remove it from the mixer, adding more flour in little bits if necessary. On a floured surface, knead the doughball 2-3 times until it forms a smooth ball.

Place the doughball in a oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down and knead several times. Split into 4 equal pieces and shape into loaf shapes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise again until doubled in volume, 30-45 minutes.

Place a small oven-proof bowl of water in the oven and preheat to 400 F. Bake the loaves in the oven about 25 minutes. You can brush with a little milk to make them golden on top. You’ll know they’re done if you knock on the bottom of the loaf and they make a hollow sound.

Once baked, allow to cool to room temperature. Combine the butter, garlic and parsely into a smooth paste. To make the garlic bread, slice each loaf in half lengthwise and spread the garlic mixture over each half. Lay out on a baking sheet, cut side up, and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden and the butter is melted.

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