Lauren’s Favorite Homemade Rosemary Bread
With our latest sermon series, “Practice Gathering”, we’ve been encouraged to gather together with others. This series has us center in Acts 2:43-47. Verse 46 reads in part,
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…”
Whether we take the breaking bread part of the verse literally or not, one thing is for sure: these early believers ate meals together. With that in mind, Lauren, Celebrate’s Director of Children’s Ministry, is sharing one of her favorite homemade bread recipes with you, in hopes that you might be inspired to have a few people over to your home for some fellowship of your own!
Of course, you don’t have to have homemade bread, you can serve whatever you wish. The key is to gather. But if you feel like being a little fancy, here is one of Lauren’s favorites! And it’s easy to make, too! She has made this recipe multiple times and likes to mix it up by sometimes omitting the rosemary and instead seasoning with jalapeño, cheese, or other delicious toppings.
Suggestion: It will take some time for the bread to rise. We suggest you use a little bit of that bread-rising/baking time as an intentional prayer time for your guests before they arrive!
ROSEMARY BREAD
This recipe is from Ambers Kitchen
Prep: 30 min + rising Cook: 20-25 min Total Time: 4 hrs
Servings: 4 loaves
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups very warm water (the same temp you would use to fill a baby bottle)
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 teaspoons sugar
3 Tablespoons dries rosemary (or 1/3 cup fresh)
2 teaspoons salt
8 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (2 T. in the dough, the rest to be used to brush the dough loaves twice, and to brush the baking pan)
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, or a stand mixer, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Mix briefly then cover and let the yeast dissolve, 10 minutes.
Add the rosemary, salt, 2 Tablespoons of the oil, and mix while you add the flour cup by cup.
When the dough starts to pull away from the bowl (and if using a mixer, watch for when the dough becomes lopsided in the bowl) is tacky, stretchy, yet doesn’t stick to your fingers, it has enough flour. But, DON’T ADD TOO MUCH FLOUR!
Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes in a stand mixer, or 15 minutes by hand.
Let the dough rise, covered until doubled, about 90-120 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, dump the dough out of the bowl and divide it into four equal portions. With each piece of dough, roll into a ball by stretching the dough down and tucking the seams into the bottom of the ball. Repeat with all 4 pieces of dough.
Take two baking sheets/jelly roll pans and brush each pan with 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil. Put two rounds of dough onto each baking sheet. Drizzle and brush 2 Tablespoons, divided onto the dough rounds (1/2 tablespoon each)
Let rise until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
Bake at 400° F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided onto the loaves (1/2 tablespoon each). Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Return to oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
