Making homemade bread sounds intimidating. How do you use yeast and how long does it take for dough to rise and what makes the bread soft on the inside? How do you knead it and what makes the crust crusty and how much flour do you need and should it be bread flour? I could go on and on with all the questions I’ve wondered about and googled. But after trying out several recipes and methods, and making adjustments to those recipes and methods, I now have several go-to bread recipes.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing one easy bread recipe each week, along with some tips and the methods I’ve learned that make the most delicious homemade bread. There really is nothing like a slice of warm, buttered homemade bread. Toast it up for breakfast, dip it in soup for lunch, or serve it with pasta for dinner. It’s perfect for any meal of the day.
The first recipe I’ll be sharing is for Rosemary Bread. This is the bread recipe I’ve made the most and it’s also the bread I’ve gotten the most compliments on when I serve it to others. It’s also my personal favorite! It’s great with butter, dipped in seasoned oil, or served toasted with eggs. It’s even amazing eaten completely plain, which is the true test for good bread! 
Rosemary Bread is soft and flavorful. It has a nice buttery topping that makes the top crust golden in color and extra delicious. I share the directions below for using a bread machine to make the dough, then transfer it to a loaf pan to bake. If you don’t have a bread machine, see the notes for how to make the dough with a mixer instead. You can also bake this bread in a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet instead of a loaf pan. A baking sheet will also work in a pinch.
Rosemary Bread
Servings: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon instant yeast or 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 Cups warm water
3 1/4-4 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
Directions:
1. In a bread machine, combine yeast, sugar, water, flour, salt and 3 tablespoons of rosemary. Select the dough cycle on the machine and let the cycle run through. If you don’t have a bread machine, see the note below.
2. When the machine beeps to signal the last knead, check the dough to see if more flour is needed. If the dough looks wet, add more. If the dough looks soft, smooth, and dough-like, holding its shape, no more flour is needed. Allow dough to rise in the bread machine until cycle is complete and dough has doubled in size.
3. Remove dough from bread machine and place on a floured surface. Divide dough in half and either shape into two long oval, loaf-like shapes and put in loaf pans, or shape into two round shapes to bake in a Dutch oven, cast iron skillet, or on a greased baking sheet. You can give the loaves a smooth appearance by pulling the dough from the top of the loaf down towards the bottom.
4. Melt butter in a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder to the butter and stir. Using a silicone brush, gently brush the top of each loaf with butter mixture. Be sure to use all of the butter, the dough should be well covered.
5. Cover loaves with clean towel or greased plastic wrap and allow loaves to rise again until almost doubled, about an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake loaves for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Allow loaves to cool before slicing. Bread is best eaten within the first 2-3 days, but can last up to 4-5 days if wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
Note: if you don’t have a bread machine, combine yeast, sugar, and water in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. If using active dry yeast, allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes until bubbling and foamy. If using instant yeast, you do not have to wait to move to the next step. Add 3 Cups of flour, salt, and 3 tablespoons of rosemary to the yeast mixture and mix. Add the rest of the flour gradually, until a soft dough forms. The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch, but still be soft, smooth and hold its shape. Knead by hand or with mixer for 5 minutes, adding more flour is dough is very sticky. Transfer kneaded dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 Hours. Once dough has risen, follow step three above.
From Scratch 