Well folks…I have finally made homemade bread. The reason for my resistance for so many years is wholly due to my appreciation for clothes that fit. I am a bona-fide bread fanatic. It is not a far stretch to say that I am a full-blown carb freak, to which I can thank years of swimming and carb overload out of necessity. I will happily eat an entire loaf of bread in a sitting (of course I always regret this later). The thing is, when bread is involved, I have virtually no self control. The only way for me to avoid ingesting 1,200 calories of non-nutritious food is to avoid having in my house. Ergo, I would not dare go near a breadmaker or a bread recipe for homemade bread fearing that it was something of a pandora’s box situation. This all changed on Sunday. I had flour that was past its date and I wanted to use it all up so that I could justify buying new flour. What do you make when you have an entire bag of flour? Bread. Duh. For my first loaf ever, this bread tastes wonderful; however, the texture is very dense and off. This can be for several reasons: the flour being just pat due (not a health hazard, but chemical changes to due age could affect the baking process); using All-Purpose flour versus Bread Flour; pretty sure I added to much water; horrible, electric, apartment oven; faulty kneading;, etc. Denseness aside, this bread tastes darn good!!

Rosemary Garlic Bread

Adapted from The Salty Spoon

One head of garlic
Three tablespoons fresh rosemary
10 oz. flour – see note (a little over 4 cups)
Four oz. warm water
Two teaspoons table salt
Half-teaspoon active dry yeast, wet with a few drops of warm water about five minutes before using
Two tablespoons butter, melted
One tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Drizzle olive oil over garlic and roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool enough to handle.

At least an hour before you begin making the rest of the dough, preheat the oven to 400. Chop the top off the head of garlic and lay it cut-side up on a large square of foil.  Drizzle with the olive oil.  Fold the sides of the foil up and around the garlic to make a packet.  Roast for 40 minutes.  When it’s done, pull the packet out of the oven and open (carefully!) with kitchen tongs so that it can begin cooling.  When you can handle it, start snipping away at the skin and popping the roasted cloves free.  Seriously, be careful not to burn your fingers.  It sucks.

Collect the roasted garlic cloves and chop together with the rosemary until you have a coarse paste.  Mix the paste into the melted butter and set aside for a moment.

Sprinkle the yeast into the water and let it rest for 5 minutes – when it’s ready, it will begin to form a foamy cloud.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  If you have a stand mixer, fit it with the dough hook and let it go for 10 minutes.  If you are mixing by hand, stir with a spoon until everything is fully combined, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.  It’s ready when you can pass the windowpane test – tear off a small ball of dough and give it a little stretch in a few opposing directions.  If you can make it translucent without tearing it, it’s ready.

Return the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a clean dishtowel.  Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled, approximately 90 minutes.  Once doubled, preheat the oven to 450 and knead the dough gently a few times. Shape it into a ball and set aside.

Generously grease a 6-qt Dutch oven with olive oil and place the ball inside.  If you are using a pie plate or something similar, just spread a few tablespoons of oil around the bottom and place the ball in the center.  Score the top of the dough a few times – I have done it with an X as well as a six-pointed star.  As it bakes, it will open and bloom to make a wonderful design.

Drizzle another few tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the ball and sprinkle with kosher salt.  If you use the Dutch oven, bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then another 15-30 with the lid off until it is gently golden.  Once you’ve uncovered the pot, check in at 15 minutes – don’t let it get too brown.  If you use the pie plate, bake for 45 minutes or until it gets that golden glow. When finished, the internal temperature should read around 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Carefully remove the loaf from the pot (remember that the sides will be very hot – I usually get ‘er done with the help of kitchen tongs, a sturdy spatula, and prayer).  Cool for 10 minutes before diving in.