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Need an easy but fabulous bread for Thanksgiving? Or heck, how about dinner tonight! This bread has tons of flavor from the fresh garlic and rosemary. Olive oil in a cast iron skillet gives it this unreal crust. You will love it!
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (not hot! not cold! Test it with your fingers. Like a nice warm bath.)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast (or 1 package)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt*
- 1/4 cup olive oil (goes in the dough)
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for bottom of skillet)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for top of bread)
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt*
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, add warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir together with a spoon, then set a timer for 5 minutes.
- If your mixture is bubbly and a bit foamy after 5 minutes, congratulations! You didn't kill your yeast. If it's not reacting, then start over.
- Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 2 and 1/4 cups flour. Stir together with a spoon until a soft dough forms. Then if you are using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes. If you're kneading by hand, turn onto a well-floured work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Add more flour as needed. I used an extra 1/4 cup. You want the dough to be workable but it is still pretty sticky. (See photos)
- Grease a large bowl. Scrape the dough into the bowl, form a ball, and turn to coat the top with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes. (Hang onto the plastic wrap for the second rise.)
- Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet** with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Punch down the dough and press it into the bottom of the pan. Use a sharp knife to score the bread on top in a crisscross pattern.
- Brush the top with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Then sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise another 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- When the bread has risen, bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when the top is light golden brown all over.
- Remove the bread from the skillet right away and let cool on a wire rack. If you leave it in the pan the crust will get soggy!
- Drizzle with more olive oil, slice into wedges, and serve hot!
Source thefoodcharlatan.com
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