Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

I am starting to experiment with breads.  Just like foods, I am looking to put different ingredients into traditional recipes.  I also look for ideas from my fellow bloggers.  I saw this recipe from A Hint of Honey. 

In a later post this week, you will find this bread as the base of a sandwich.  So I should mention that as I think about the bread I make, it is usually with a sandwich in mind.  Since there is a lot of flavor in this bread, the sandwich did not need to be overdone.  But that is for another post.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Package active dry yeast
1 Tsp salt
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
1/8 Tsp each ground garlic, dried oregano and dried basil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour + extra for kneading
1 egg whisked for egg wash
dried rosemary, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes to proof.

2. Stir in the salt, rosemary, seasonings, olive oil, and wheat flour into a mixer with a bread hook. Add the bread flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 3 minutes forming into a ball, adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or parchment paper; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 400 F. Once the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with dried rosemary and add a sprig to the top of the dough for appearance.

6. Bake on preheated stone for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Makes 1 round loaf.