I’d like to shout it from the skies for all to hear…I MADE BREAD! ME, the NON-BAKER, made bread!!! I know, it’s so unbelievably cool! And it was delicious too!!!
I got together with a coworker for an official bread making day (during which I was served several preggo friendly cocktails!). I’m pretty sure that without Nicole’s determination and commitment, I would never have gotten around to doing this. And I’ve been wanting to make homemade bread for a really, really long time. Can you tell how proud and excited I am?! This bread took forever to make (read the recipe before you commit) but baking it with a friend made the time go fast and it was well worth the waiting! It came out exactly how I wanted it to and made all of my other baking disasters well worth it. Now I would never call myself the baker in my house (my husband rules that kingdom), but I definitely feel redeemed in that category. Next up, homemade ravioli!
This recipe comes directly from the phenomenal Jonathan Melendez on his site, TheCandidAppetite.com. It’s a fantastic site with amazing recipes and incredible photos. This guy is extremely talented and has his own baking and catering company called The Bake Monster. Talk about following your dreams and going for it… Something I’m sure that a lot of us wish we could (would) do…ah hem. 😉
Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia
Yield 8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups all-purpous flour
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling at the top
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar into the warm water. Lightly stir in the yeast and set the bowl in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the two flours, the tablespoon of salt, ½ cup of the extra-virgin olive oil, and the frothy yeast mixture. With your hands (or if you’re lucky, your fancy electric mixer), mix the ingredients together until the dough has formed a sticky ball. Continue to knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until it becomes smooth and soft. (If your dough gets dry, add a few drops of water. If the dough seems very sticky, add in a bit of flour.)
- Ball up your dough and put it back into your kneading bowl. Rub some of the remaining oil all over the dough ball. Lightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place (such as an oven that is turned off) and allow it to rest until it is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- After an hour, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle a bit of the remaining oil and spread it out evenly with your fingers. Spread the dough out with your hands covering the baking sheet, making it fit to the pan. Then use your fingers to poke holes all throughout the dough (don’t hold back here). Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place (the off oven again), and allow it to rest for another hour until it is doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Drizzle the top of the bread with the remaining oil and sprinkle it with the chopped rosemary and grated Parmesan. Season it all with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Bake the dough for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving. (Eat right away or freeze for later!)
My surprise preggo cocktail tasting!