Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

My 2 weeks at Starbucks has been put in!  Actually, it is kind of bitter sweet which I never thought would happen.  I am really excited to be done working there (it has never really been my dream job...go figure), but I am going to miss my coworkers.  But now, I am off to the next phase of life which happens to be grad school at CSU in Fort Collins to get my Master's in Management.  I know that the next year will be super busy and crazy, so I am trying to get all of my crazy cooking out of the way...maybe I am hinting at a future career.  I am also experimenting to try to find recipes that are going to be super quick and easy to prepare but still healthy for the upcoming year.

Makes 1 loaf

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

• 1 c. warm water (100 to 110F)
• 1 T. cane sugar
• 2 t. active dry yeast
• 1 t. salt
• 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
• 1/4 t. Italian seasoning (or pinch of each or garlic, dried oregano and dried basil)
• 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 11/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. bread flour + extra for kneading
• 1 egg whisked + 1 T water for egg wash
• dried rosemary for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar and yeast.  Let sit 10 minutes to proof
2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, pepper, olive oil, whole wheat flour, and the bread flour.  Stir until the dough forms a ball.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf.  Place it on a cornmeal dusted parchment paper. (critical step...I forgot to place cornmeal on it (meaning I used wax paper, so I had to remove the bread before cooking)...it stuck, and fell a bit) Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
5. Prepare the egg wash by combining the egg and water, whisking until evenly stirred. 
6. About 20 minutes before the 45 minutes are up, preheat oven (and pizza stone or baking sheet) to 400 F.  Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary.
7. Transfer to preheated pizza stone and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Inspiration courtesy of: http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/04/rosemary-olive-oil-bread.html

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