Prep Information
Prep Time
2.5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Serves
6-8 people
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water, 110-115 degrees
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 Tablespoons Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
- 2-1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 head roasted garlic, chopped or sliced
- extra olive oil for brushing on top and for serving
- coarsely ground sea salt
- Lavender Dark Balsamic Condimento
- water in spray bottle
Instructions
- NOTE: This recipe is a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. It is absolutely delicious!
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roast the head of garlic by slicing off the top to expose the cloves inside. Place on piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap. Roast for about 30 minutes until cloves are tender and lightly browned. Cool until you can comfortably handle the bulb. Peel the outside layer off the bulb and then press the garlic cloves out of their skins. Chop or slice thinly.
- Lower oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water. Mix in the sugar and salt. Leave for about 10 minutes or until it starts foaming. Add the olive oil. Add flour and knead (by hand or with a stand mixer and dough hook) for about 10 minutes. Add rosemary, black pepper, and oregano. Knead another 5 minutes. Lastly, knead in roasted garlic pieces by hand for about 1 minute. Dough should be coming together by this point. It may be slightly sticky, which is OK. Put the dough into a well-oiled bowl, turning it a few times so that the dough surfaces are all covered by the oil. Cover bowl tighly with plastic wrap. Place in warm area to rise for about 1 hour. If room is cold, it might take as long as 2 hours.
- After dough is doubled, punch it down and shape into a rounded loaf shape. Take a sharp knife and make a criss-cross design or pattern of your choice on top. Place the loaf on a greased cookie sheet. Place a large bowl over the loaf and let it rise to double itself again (about 1 more hour).
- Bread is best served warm, right out of the oven, with your favorite blend of olive oil (we recommend the Milanese Gremolata or Tuscan Herb Olive Oil), freshly ground black pepper, and the Lavender Dark Balsamic Condimento.
- After dough has doubled in size again, gently brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and a bit more of the rosemary. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Spray loaf with water one time about 1/2 way through the baking. Bump oven up to 425 and spray loaf with water again. Bake until top is nicely brown. This last step should be monitored carefully so that the bread does not overbrown and overbake.