Baking Rosemary Herb Bloomer Bread Loaf

Tried and Tested Strong White or Wholemeal Bread With Herby Crust

Jan 2, 2009 Susan Morris

Aromatic Rosemary leaves are a final touch to a recipe for a bloomer bread loaf. Using strong white or wholemeal flour, this rosemary bread recipe is tried and tested.

Winter holidays can bring welcome and unexpected house guests. With fresh herb garden rosemary, flour and yeast to hand, cooks could prep and bake this good-sized bloomer bread in the early morning ready for lunchtime or get their guests involved in a baking bread afternoon.

Rosemary Herb Bloomer Bread Loaf Recipe

Ingredients:

• 725g Allinson's Strong White Flour or Allinson's Wholemeal Plain Flour or equivalent
• Active yeast
• Up to 400 ml of lukewarm water
• Three young shoots of rosemary leaves, 8cm in length, cut into 2 cm sprigs
• Salt and/or pepper (optional)
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Add the flour of choice, strong white or wholemeal, to a large glass bowl.
2. Prepare the active yeast according to the food producer’s instructions. In this tried and tested recipe, four tablespoons of lukewarm water are added to four teaspoons of dried yeast and the yeast allowed to activate for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the active yeast to the flour. Make a well in the middle of the flour if prepared as a liquid. Mix yeast and flour.
4. Add salt and/or pepper if desired. This recipe can be made successfully without the addition of salt.
5. Add the lukewarm water to the flour and yeast in 50 ml amounts and mix in with a metal spoon until a sticky dough is formed. If the water is boiling or added when warm, this is likely to spoil the consistency of the bread.
6. When the bread dough is formed, set the dough in the bowl to one side in a warm place for 10 minutes.
7. Dust a surface with the strong white plain flour or wholemeal flour and empty the bread dough onto the surface. Stretch and aerate the dough by kneading for 10 minutes.
8. Coat the inside of the glass mixing bowl with olive oil and return the bread dough to the bowl.
9. Place the bloomer bread dough in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size and appears to have a frothy bubbly top. This bowl can be covered with a Pyrex clear plate or cling film to avoid the dough escaped over the sides as it rises up.
10. Re-dust the surface with the strong white plain flour or wholemeal flour ready for kneading the dough.
11. Remove the cover over the mixing bowl and punch the top of the dough once.
12. Turn out the dough onto the floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Shape into a bloomer and rest for several minutes.
13. Preheat the oven to a baking temperature of 220 degrees Celsius or equivalent.
14. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper or lightly dust the tray with flour.
15. Transfer the uncooked bloomer bread to the baking tray.
16. Using a knife make holes of 1cm depth and insert a length of rosemary, a sprig. Breadmaking cooks can cover the top of the bloomer bread or as desired.
17. Bake the bread in the hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The bread will be cooked when the base of the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
18. Turn out the bread onto a wire rack, wrap in a clean tea towel and allow to cool down.

Rosemary infused bloomer bread, baked as a wholemeal or a white loaf shown below, can be teared or sliced when cooled down.

The copyright of the article Baking Rosemary Herb Bloomer Bread Loaf in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Susan Morris. Permission to republish Baking Rosemary Herb Bloomer Bread Loaf in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Rosemary Herb Bloomer Bread

Bloomer Shape Before Adding Rosemary