Chinawife has a big pot of herbs growing - it’s either rosemary or thyme. Either way, I want to make some bread.
thanks in advance
Rosemary is usually a fairly erect, woody shrub with needle-like, waxy green leaves, about an inch long or more, with a whitish underside. The flowers, when present, are usually pale blue.
Thyme is usually a smallish, wiry plant with very small leaves and little globular clusters of tiny pink/purple flowers.
Rosemary is fantastic for flavouring flat breads; Thyme can be quite pungent and might be overpowering if used fresh in similar quantities.
I don’t have an exact recipe, but my rosemary and garlic focaccia usually goes something like this:
-About three quarters of a pound of plain flour (‘all-purpose’ flour in the USA, I believe)
-One small sachet of fast-action dried yeast
-Couple of teaspoons of sugar
-Warm water
-Fresh Rosemary leaves, chopped, with the woody parts removed
-Fresh garlic cloves, chopped finely
-Olive oil
-Salt (see below)
First, put the chopped rosemary and garlic into a cup with about four tablespoons of olive oil; stir it up and cover it with film. Set aside for later.
Put the flour, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt in a big bowl, mix it up
Add sufficient warm water in small amounts, mixing vigorously with a table knife as you go, until you have a ball of dough - don’t add so much water that it goes really sticky
Turn the dough out onto a floured clean work surface; put flour on your hands and knead the dough - stretch it away from you by pushing hard with the heel of your hand, then fold it over on itself, turn a bit and repeat - if it seems too sticky, sprinkle a little more dry flour on it.
After a while, the dough will take on an elastic, silky texture; rub a little oil around the inside of the mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave it in a warm place (I use the cupboard where the domestic hot water tank resides) until the dough doubles in size
Then turn it out on a floured board again and knead for a while with floured hands.
Form the dough into a ball and using either a rolling pin or your hands, flatten it until you have a disc about half an inch thick; place this on a cookie sheet that has been rubbed with a little oil.
Put this in a warm place, making sure to keep it absolutely level, or it will creep off the edge.
Preheat the oven to about 320F
When the dough has risen again, use your finger to poke holes all over the top surface of the dough; they should be about an inch apart or so, and should go nearly all the way down through it.
Spoon the oil/herb mixture over the top of the dough; use your hands to spread it out and push most of the garlic/chopped herbs down into the holes (if you leave the garlic on top, it will probably burn and turn bitter).
Bake in the oven for… oh, I dunno… check it after twelve minutes; if it looks pale, leave it in longer; when it is a light tan colour, take it out.
Leave to cool at least half an hour before serving, but it is best eaten the same day.
What Mangetout says. But why trust him? He eats anything.
The two plants look very different:
Rosemary looks a bit like pine branches. Kinda smells piney too, if you break off a leaf and crush it.
Thyme can be small bushes or even ground cover (I have both in my garden) but the telling characteristic is the teeeny tiny leaves that are a bitch to get off the woody stems.
Thanks - it is Rosemary.
I made an italian parmesan herb bread and used rosemary instead of dried italian herbs. Pretty tasty but I’ve got to experiment a little more to get it right.
Mangetrout - I’m a lazy baker and use the bread machine to mix up the dough and then usually bake in the oven. I’ve put your recipe in the box for “to try when I make the time”
Don’t forget the parsley and sage.
Thanks for the recipe, Mangetrout. Every once in a while I try to make bread, and usually fail miserably, but those are good directions. One day I will master the art.
A nice loaf baked with a brush of rosemary and olive oil is quite special, simple, and delicious.
Ah, in that case, you could still make the recipe, or something like it; just make a batch of white dough, flatten it, make the holes and add the garlic/herb/oil mix