Rosemary Bread

“There is no smell in the world of food to equal the perfume of baking bread and few greater pleasures in eating than sitting down with a slice of freshly baked bread, good butter, and a cup of tea or coffee.” — James Beard, Beard on Bread

While we're on a rosemary kick, you NEED to know about this recipe. If you have a breadmaker then I strongly encourage you to give this one a go. If you don't own one, now you have a pretty good reason to invest. Alternatively, you probably have a friend or relative with a breadmaker collecting dust in a lofty cupboard. Do them a favour and borrow their appliance with the promise of bringing them fresh herb bread! Being somewhat of a gypsy at the moment I don't have a breadmaker myself (it's a tricky thing to fit into a suitcase) but I am fortunate that my mother-in-law, with whom I am living, does. My eyes really have been opened to the wonder of this kitchen appliance. They are so easy to use, make the house smell divine while they are cooking, and produce gorgeous breads and doughs. I'm itching to see how it goes with making pizza dough.

My mother-in-law, Molly, found this recipe at allrecipes.com where it received 5 stars from over 900 reviews! That many people can't be wrong. If you don't have a breadmaker, read some of their reviews (link is below) as a few people give tips for making the bread in an oven.  If you are lucky enough to have fresh rosemary on hand, you can substitute a couple of teaspoons for the dried version.

The bread is fluffy and light and so full of flavour. It is amazing when made into simple open-faced melts (my husband's current favourite lunch), simply dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or smeared with buttery garlic and made into crusty garlic bread. Oh my, how my stomach aches for some right now...

Rosemary Bread
From allrecipes.com

1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select white bread cycle; press Start.

To make the open-faced melts pictured above, cut the bread into thick slices and toast on both sides. Spread the toast with basil pesto and top with sliced tomato, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt, and a slice of Swiss  cheese. Toast until the cheese melts. Top with baby rocket (arugula) and enjoy!