Makes 1 loaf or 8 or more buns
Using bread dough to make buns with fresh rosemary is a family favorite.
Pauline
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| Pauline's Crusty Bread |
Ingredients
Pinch of Sugar
¾ cup warm water
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
¾ cups milk
¼ cup olive oil
¼ - ½ cup chopped fresh rosemary(optional), omit for white bread
4 ½ - 4 ¾ cups all purpose flour, approximately
1 ½ tsp salt
Cornmeal
Instructions
In large bowl, add warm water and sugar, gently stir until sugar is dissolved. Gently sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Add milk, rosemary and oil and stir. In separate bowl, mix flour and salt. Add some flour and salt mixture to water and stir until mixture is lumpy yet well mixed. Dough will be moist and approximately 4 ½ cups flour used.
Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dusting with as much of the remaining flour as possible to prevent sticking. Form dough in a ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with damp tea towel. Let rise and in warm humid place until dough is doubled in bulk, allow 1 ½ to 2 hours to rise.
After dough is double in size, punch dough down and form into ball again. Dust baking sheet with cornmeal. add dough in center of baking sheet. Cover with a damp tea towel and let dough rise again in warm humid place until almost double in bulk, allow 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly spray loaf with water. Cut slashes across top of loaf using a sharp knife, cut three crisscrossed slashes, each slash ½ inch deep. Bake 450F for 10 minutes, lightly spray with water every 3 minutes during this time. Reduce heat to 400F and bake for additional 45 minutes or until loaf is golden brown. Cool on baking rack.
Dinner rolls
Make dough as directed, after first rise punch down dough. Instead of shaping in a ball again, divide into eight to sixteen pieces. Form each piece in a ball and place on greased baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with damp tea towel, let rise in warm place until almost double in bulk, about 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. In small bowl, beat one egg with one tablespoon of water and brush over rolls just before baking. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size of rolls. Bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool buns on baking rack.
Variations
Sun-dried Tomato Bread
Omit oil and rosemary. Finely chopped approximately ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Return to measure. Pour in enough oil, either oil from tomatoes or olive oil, to make 1/2 cup. Add at same time as milk.
Pesto Bread
Omit oil and rosemary. Add ½ cup pesto at same time as milk.
Herb Bread
Replace fresh rosemary with fresh basil or oregano, add at same time as milk.