Rosemary Garlic and Butter Bread

Photo: Sara Bonetti

Ingredients

10 teaspoons gr (2) instant yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast)

113 tablespoons gr (1 stick or 8) butter (soft)

60 cups ml (¼ or 2 oz) warm wa ter

240 cups ml (1 or 8 oz) milk

28 tablespoons gr (2) sugar

1 large egg

5 teaspoons gr (1) salt

690 cups gr (3 or 24 oz) flour

1 rosemary sprig

garlic powder

coarse sea salt

Preparation

Mix 2/3 of the butter with the milk. Lightly beat a large room-temperature egg.

Put the milk and butter mix in the microwave for a minute at full power. It doesn’t have to be hot, just lukewarm.

In a big bowl, sift 1 cup of flour and the yeast. Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and the egg.

Mix until the flour is incorporated before adding another cup of flour. Repeat this process until all the flour is incorporated. As soon as the wet and dry ingredients are combined, start kneading straight away and only use extra flour if the dough starts sticking to your hands. Knead for about ten minutes, until you get a fluffy dough.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Lightly butter a baking tray. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured cutting board. It should be a really soft and slightly sticky dough. (Mine really looked like a sticky pillow!)

Flatten it with your hand and using a sharp knife divide the dough into 9 pieces. Instead of rolling the dough in your hand, you simply fold the sides to the bottom and shape them in the palm of your hand. (This is a great tip that you should remember also for when you make pizza dough) Transfer them to the baking tray but give them a little room to rise. Cover them with a towel and let them rise for an hour to an hour and a half. Until they doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, put a rosemary spring in a small bowl together with some garlic powder and the remaining 1/3 of the butter and lightly mix it. Leave it be for an hour or so, while the dough rises. Then put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at full power, or until the butter melts. Brush it all over the dough, spread some rosemary leaves and sprinkle some coarse sea salt all over the rolls.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until all puffy and golden brown.