This week’s bread recipe is a rosemary boule.  A boule, in the simplest of terms, is a rounded loaf of bread, and the fragrant rosemary melds beautifully with a basic white bread recipe.  I left the bread to proof overnight in the hopes of deepening the yeast and rosemary flavors.  Something to keep in mind when considering baking this recipe.  I also think that I added too much moisture to this recipe, so it might need to be slightly reworked.  The rise and proofing seemed to worked out, but the bread was a bit softer then I was expecting and not as open in texture.  It still turned out a good loaf of bread, just not as I had envisioned it.  It’s a work in progress. This also seems like the type of bread that may have benefited from a sourdough starter instead of the basic sponge.  I’ll get back to it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Water
• 4 tsp dry active Yeast
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 1/2 cups Bread Flour
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh Rosemary
• 1 tbsp Salt
• Egg Wash (1 egg + 1 tsp Water)

Directions:

1. Whisk together the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil, and then allow it to rest for about 10 minutes until the yeast has foamed up.
2. In a stand mixture with a dough hook attachment, gradually add the flour to the yeast mixture, followed by the rosemary and salt.
3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
4. Allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
5. Punch the dough down, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
6. The next day, form the dough into a round or boule by pinching the dough into the bottom of the round, and then allow it to rise for about 40 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 F (~204 C).  If you are using a baking stone, place it into the oven and preheat to 475 F (~246 C) remembering to reduce the heat back to 400 F when you place the bread into the oven.
8. Prepare a spray bottle with cold water for misting the crust during the baking process.
9. Brush the top of your dough with the egg wash and score the top with a sharp knife.
10. Bake your bread for about 40 minutes, misting your bread occasionally as it bakes.