Rosemary Italian Loaf

Julie Ibarra • April 25, 2023

Rosemary Italian Loaf

From The Misty Mushroom homestead

This bread recipe is one of my staples for the family and can be altered and adapted to form various loaves depending on occasion. It makes decent rolls, sandwich, or a great baguette. I love the smell of rosemary as the final loaves are baking; it fills up the house with such warmth! This recipe makes 2 loaves, or one loaf and 9 rolls.

TIME: about 2 1/2 hours total

15 minutes to prepare, 1 hour for bulk rise, 10 minutes to divide, 30 minutes to rest, 25 minutes to bake.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1/2 cup applesauce (or oil)
  • 5-6 cups of flour
  • 1 tablespoon of salt
  • 1 egg for glazing
  • 1 bundle of rosemary chopped

 
INSTRUCTIONS

  • Combine the yeast with your warm water, add sugar and allow to activate for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the applesauce and mix on low.
  • Slowly add flour one cup at a time. After the fourth cup, add your salt and rosemary, and then the final cup of flour.
  • Remove from mixer and bring to a floured surface and kneed dough until consistency stays together, but do not overwork. Dough should be pliable and elastic, but still sticky.
  • Place dough into an oiled glass bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Sit in warm area (I use my stovetop while it is preheating with the bowl protected from any high heat because my kitchen is cold).
  • After 40 minutes to 1 hour, check on dough with imprint test (poke with finger lightly, if indent stays it is ready, springs back needs more time).
  • Punch down dough, remove from bowl, kneed, separate into two portions, roll each into a ball and place into greased loaf pans.
  • Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375.
  • Crack egg into bowl and whisk with a fork. Paint bread evenly, add any topping if desired and score the surface with a knife.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool on rack before slicing.

Enjoy and SHARE your recipes with us!

 

I absolutely love sharing my journey with you thru our NLHG Online Community and encourage all women to join us ! I am the Educational Coordinator of the Sandusky county Chapter in Northwest Ohio. I run a small homestead named The Misty Mushroom with a focus on native plant permaculture. I love to forage, garden, paint, cook, craft, brew, create, read, experiment, doddle, adventure, explore, and cause some shenanigans when bored…thankfully my children and lifestyle keeps me out of trouble for the most part.

 

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