This is such a yummy and great bread to make and it's so easy and fun to make. I like to cut it up like a pizza, top it with cheese and pepperoni and bake it in my small toaster oven, until the cheese it nice and melty. Or if you want you carefully cut it in half with a bread knife, toast the top and bottom and use it to make a really yummy sandwich. Or just eat it plain.
You will need a med size cookie tray or if you do not have one you can use a large glass dish.
INGREDIENTS
3 3/4 Bread Flour of Unbleached Flour.
A hand full of fresh rosemary.
1 1/2 Teaspoon dry yeast. Don't worry about leveling the yeast off.
1 Cup and 8 Tablespoons of warmed water
8 Tablespoons of Olive oil.
1 Tablespoon of Corn meal.
NOTE: This method of making bread can seem a little bit crazy, you'll find your self with both hands in a bowl with what looks like total chaos, don't worry. I will help you through this.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:
FIRST: MIXING. Use a nice big bowl. This will get messy and sloppy.
Pour one cup of warm water into flour and yeast. Next add 8 Table spoons of olive oil. Mix well.
Next add another 8 Table spoons of warm water. Mix well until the dough is wet and soppy kind of like very thick porridge. If you think it is too wet add four tablespoons of bread flour to it.
SECOND: KNEADING. NOTE: Your cutting board or place of work needs to be very clean.
If this is your first time using this method you can take your time, once you get use to the method then you can repeat it for a good 20 times.
Pour out the wet dough the cutting board. What we are going to do is aerate the dough.
1. Pick the dough up and slap it back down. Okay I know this is going to sound weird and it's kind of hard to explain with out a visual. But the point is to create an air pocket to trap more air inside the dough. Think of it like folding a piece of paper in half, but your doing it with the dough and fast. With each grab of the dough you slap it against the work surface. As you do this you can add a little bit of flour if you want.
Note: When this methods is done properly the dough will come together very nicely and form an elastic and very nice dough. It takes some practice.
2. If you are still like HUH?! Add about two Table spoons of flour to the dough and work the flour in, until the dough has a firmer consistency. Then knead it for about 3 to 5 minutes. This is okay to do.
3. When you are done with either method above. Pat down the dough gently with flour and use a knife to scrap the dough up off the cutting board if it sticks. The dough should be nice and elastic. Put into a clean bowl that has been wiped with olive oil. Cover and rest dough an hour in a warm area.
THIRD: SHAPING THE DOUGH.
After the hour is up and the dough is nice and risen dump it out on a square cookie tray, preferably a good size one. Now use the tips of your fingers to poke holes in the dough and as you do push the dough out, it should make a very nice circle shape. Do not shape it to the cookie tray. Once you have it formed cover the dough again and rest it another hour. After the hour is up remove the cover sprinkle the Rosemary and very gently push more holes into the dough and pushing the rosemary into the dough. Take care not to hit the bottom.
FOURTH: COOKING
Put the bread into the oven on 425 for 25 minutes. Check the bread after 15 minutes. When done the bread should have a nice light golden color.
FIFTH: ENJOY
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