Romantic Rosemary or Lavender Bread
photo by jlm2874
- Ready In:
- 4hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Yields:
-
2 loaves
- Serves:
- 20
ingredients
- 3 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water (120F)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1⁄3 cup olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup fresh rosemary or 1/4 cup fresh lavender blossoms, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
- yellow cornmeal, as needed
- coarse salt, for sprinkling on loaves (optional)
- spray bottle filled with cold water, for spritzing loaves
directions
- Combine yeast and lukewarm water until well blended and let sit about 10 minutes- it should look foamy and thick (if your water was too hot or your yeast is bad, it will not get foamy and you'll need to start over).
- Combine buttermilk, oil, rosemary (or lavender), 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt in a mixer bowl, then add the yeast mixture and combine well.
- Add flour gradually, beating slowly until enough flour has been added to form a dough ball that leaves the sides of the bowl in one mass.
- Dump any remaining flour onto a flat surface, dump dough onto that surface, and with floured hands knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.
- Set dough into a large greased bowl, flip dough over to grease both sides, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk- about 1 1/2 hours.
- On dough has risen, place dough onto a floured surface and cut into equal halves and form each half into a round loaf shape.
- Set loaves onto a large greased baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.
- Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel and let rise 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using a serrated knife, slash the top of each loaf with an asterisk (*) pattern and sprinkle each with a little coarse salt (optional).
- Bake in center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, spritzing occasionally (at least 2-3 times).
- Continue baking another 45-55 minutes (no more spritzing) or until the loaves sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom and they appear golden brown.
- Let cool on racks completely.
Reviews
-
(09/03/2012) I am an avid baker of cookies and cakes but I have never baked my own homemade bread. While on a trip in Sonoma, I bought some loose lavender blooms at a winery. I searched high and low for a good bread recipe that didn't require a bread machine. I followed the directions exactly.... BY THE FAR THE BEST BREAD EVER! Crunchy, crispy crust, and a light, airy inside with a perfect amount of lavender! I ate it straight out of the oven with a dab of butter. I would recommend this recipe to any level baker. :)
-
I baked this wonderful bread this afternoon. I did not change the recipe, except, added 1 tsp sugar. I made only 1/2 the recipe and put the ingredients into my bread machine. Divided that dough in half and baked two smaller loaves with a bowl of water on the rack below. They came out looking just like Heather's photo. Crisp and dense. Perfect for dipping in Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil. Good thing I didn't make the full recipe ... we would have eaten the entire 2 loaves hot out of the oven. Thank you, Heather for sharing your recipe ... Delicious!!