Crusty Garlic Rosemary Bread

Don't ask me why, but this recipe made me SO excited.  Before COVID, Ryan and I got a loaf of rosemary sourdough bread from Whole Foods and it was so good we ate the entire thing in like 2 days.  So when I found this recipe on Life as a Strawberry I was so excited to try it.  Baking has always intimidated me because I'm not big on precision measurements.  This was my first time making bread, so I knew I had to keep very close to the original recipe.  And if you can't tell by the photo shoot I had with my loaf below, I was really happy with how it turned out.

In fact, we made the loaf yesterday and it's almost half gone already.  Baking breads is opening up a whole new realm of food to me that I'm excited to explore.  I also got a pound of yeast on Amazon, so as long as I can keep buying flour, I'm going to keep baking different kinds of breads.  I'm going to share the recipe with you below, but also know that my girl Jessie has some great videos of her shaping the dough on her blog.  I won't be offended if you check out her page since I stole (borrowed?) the recipe from her and watched her videos too.

Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 6-10 (not going to tell you how to enjoy your bread - cut a big slice or a small one.  Just enjoy your 1 loaf 😉)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs fresh chopped rosemary
1 head garlic (8-10 cloves)
3 cups all purpose flower
1 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Roast the garlic - preheat oven to 400°, cut off the top of the head and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and salt. Roast for 30-45 minutes until garlic is golden and tender.  Make sure garlic has cooled before you add to the bread mix
2. Add yeast, honey and warm water to a large bowl and let proof for about 5 minutes until foamy
3. Add salt, rosemary, and garlic and stir to combine
4. Add flour to the bowl slowly, until fully incorporated.  I started mixing with a wooden spoon, but then went in with my hands because I found it easier.
5. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the mix and ensure all sides are coated with oil
6. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size
7. Liberally flour your cutting board and gently pour your dough onto the board
8. Stretch the corners/outside of your dough outwards and then fold into the center.  This is how you're going to get that great shape on the top of your bread.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this video.  Repeat 4-5 times until your dough feels stiff. Flip your dough over and pull towards you while twisting until your dough is round(again, watch the video if I've lost you.  It was super helpful).
9. Liberally flour your bowl and place your dough ball in, seam side down.  Cover with clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
10. While your dough is rising, heat your oven to 450° and place your dutch oven inside*
11. Once your dough has risen, carefully remove your dutch oven from the oven and tip your dough into it, seam side up.  If it's easier for you, you can tip your dough onto a cutting board first.
12. Bake your bread with the lid on the dutch oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the top and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until bread is a nice golden brown.
13. I know you're going to be tempted to go straight in for the bread, but let it rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it.
14. Enjoy your bread on its own, or dip it in some olive oil and salt.
15. Optional: have a photo shoot with your loaf to show everyone how proud you are of it.  JK.  Don't be like me.  It was weird 😂

Here's what my mixed dough looked like before it rose.  I took a picture before so I could tell if it doubled in size and it did!  But I was so excited about it rising that I forgot to take a picture, so use your imagination.

And now the bread photo shoot begins!

I'm (clearly) so happy with how this bread turned out.  It has a really nice light airiness to the inside and a super crispy, crusty exterior.  The garlic and rosemary flavor is subtle, but helps give the bread a little extra flavor.  I HIGHLY recommend trying to make this bread, but again make sure you are careful to follow the instructions precisely.

P.S. if you're laughing at my apron, you can thank my grandma for that.  My husband has one that says Mr. Right, but I promised him I would never share the photo of us in our aprons together.  So again, you'll have to use your imagination there.  If it helps, it's a black apron with white writing and a mustache.