Sunday Baking | Whole Wheat Rosemary Bread

I'm continuing my baking series with another recipe I've always wanted to try which is homemade bread. The only person in my life who made their own bread was my grandmother and it was always a staple in her house. Especially when we used her extra slices the next morning for french toast. Now that she’s passed, I want to carry the tradition forward and try it out for my family.

My first attempt was whole wheat rosemary bread inspired by this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 small packet (1 tbsp.) of whole wheat yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. salted butter
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary (divided)
2 tbsp. olive oil (divided)

In a small bowl, dissolve whole wheat yeast in warm water, stirring in sugar. Let rest until it bubbles (about 5 minutes). In a medium bowl mix flour, butter, sea salt, and 1 tbsp. of fresh rosemary. Mix in yeast mixture. Knead dough for 5-8 minutes until smooth. Pour 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium bowl and spread around the sides. Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour (an empty microwave works great if you're like me and have curious cats).

Divide dough into 2 (or 4 smaller) loaves. Sprinkle remaining rosemary on top, lightly pressing into the dough. Let rise for 30 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 then bake for 10-15 minutes (8-10 minutes for 4 smaller loaves). At the last 5 minutes pour remaining olive on top of loaves (last 2 minutes if 4 smaller loaves) and finish baking.

We served warm with a Butternut-Sage Rotini - delicious recipe found here.