Rosemary Dinner Rolls

In just 2 hours, you can have these super delicious rolls.  We've made them for serving with a cranberry brie, egg sandwiches, and for dinner.  They are always perfect!

Rosemary Rolls

makes 10-16

¾ cup (180g) milk, around 110°F

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons yeast

⅓ cup (75g) butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 cloves garlic , minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, room temperature

3 cups (375g) flour, or possibly a little less

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary

Warm your 180g milk to about 110°F.  Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast. Stir.  Let sit for 5 to 10.

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (a paddle would work ok too), add 75g butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and mix till fluffy.

Add egg and mix again.

Add yeast mixture, most of 375g flour, mixing and adding more flour until you have a smooth ball of dough that starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Mix for 2 minutes longer.

Oil a/the bowl and let it rise covered for 45 to 60 mins.

Preheat oven to 375.

Grease a cast iron skillet.

Cut the dough into 10 pieces (or try them in 16 pieces for smaller rolls). Shape into balls and place into skillet.

Brush the tops with butter, sprinkle with rosemary and salt.

Cover the skillet and let rise again for 30 minutes.

Bake for 22 minutes (more or less, depending on size) until the tops are golden.

Serve warm!

Bread, bread, and more bread (links)

 This page will serve the function of keeping track of the bread recipes that I have made and hope to make again.

Ful-Filled Basic Sourdough Bread with guide:

This makes amazing bread!  It is worth all the extra steps.  We love it for everything from egg sandwiches to grilled cheese to soup.  I like that it doesnt use more than a few tablespoons of starter.  I dont like that it takes 3 days to make.  It's not a lot of hands on time but it just requires planning ahead.

Recipe note: I pretty much follow the guide exactly.  I dont have a dutch oven so I preheat my oven to 500 (but my oven rarely gets that hot) and then I reduce the heat to 450-465 when I put the bread in.  I also add a few cups of water to a tray at the bottom of the oven for steam.  I would like to try this with less bread flour and see if I still love this bread.

Jeffrey's Sourdough Rye from KAB:

This makes a pretty dense rye in a good way.  We had hoped to use it for open faced turkey sandwiches but it's a bit too dense for that.  I will make it again to use for stuffing (along with an assortment of other breads).  

Recipes notes: I doubled the amount of starter just because it doesn't ever seem like much.  One time, I ran out of enough rye for the dough and it was a very different bread (lighter, more open crumb) and also delicious.

Naturally Leavened Sourdough from KAB:

This is my go to, our house bread.  It's perfect for everything from egg sandwiches to soup.  I like that it uses a ton of starter but sometimes I panic that I am low on starter and have to grow it before I can make this bread.

Recipes notes: I prefer to let it rest in the bread forms overnight in the fridge.  It enhances the sourdough flavor and it makes it easier to score it neatly.

Sourdough Baguettes from KAB:

I make a full recipe but make 4 baguettes with it. They are perfect size for garlic bread or meatball sandwiches but they are a bit big when you slice them for appetizers.  

Recipe notes: I line my baguette pans with parchment. I use the full amount of yeast if I am using discard or half the yeast if I am using a well fed starter. I dont slash the tops since it's too slack of a dough for it.

Fresh Milled Spelt Sourdough from KAB:

This was my first bread that required many steps (creating a levain, a soaker, and a dough).  It was definitely worth the effort.  Looking back, it required minimal hands on time but did require 3 days of planning my time (this includes making sure my starter was fed and ready to go).  It had a chewiness to it, almost nutty.  I would use this bread for everything.

Recipes notes: I had spelt flour in the freezer so I used that instead of milling fresh (I used a little less water in the soaker).  I had my best success to date with scoring on this bread and the rise was perfect.  Make sure to give the bread plenty of space to grow.  Mine merged together (gasp!).

PopPop bread and rolls (and pizza!)

This was one of my dad's recipes with handwritten modifications.  It took me a bit to figure out which one was his favorite (and therefore, our favorite).  We mostly use this recipe for onion rolls and occasionally for baguettes for appetizers.  It doesnt have the super light interior of an artisan bread but you can create a nice crust.  It's a wetter dough that doesnt allow for fancy scoring but that's just fine with us.  The best part?  It makes a lot of dough and it is happy to sit in the fridge for days until you want to bake again.  It scales down quite nicely if you're unsure about making so much dough.  

I usually make a half recipe as it makes plenty of rolls for us and we use another recipe for bread baking.  I also add in a little sourdough starter sometimes (mostly for flavor).

2025 update: we tried it as pizza dough tonight.  I made it a little thicker than a usual crust and it was a hit! 

PopPop bread and rolls (and pizza!)

(makes a lot, a half recipe makes 14 rolls with some bigger for burgers and others smaller)

2 Tablespoons yeast

2 Tablespoons salt

4 cups water

5 1/2 cups flour (we like King Arthur all-purpose)

1 1/2 cups bread flour (again KA)

2 cups whole wheat (again KA)

2 Tablespoons diastatic malt powder (optional, helps with browning)

In a large bowl or your stand mixer, mix yeast, salt, and water, then add the flours.  Mix by hand or with your dough hook until the flour is all incorporated.  It's a wet dough, so it will be sticky (not marshmallow smooth).  Cover loosely and let rise at room temp for 2-5 hours (I usually have to split it into 2 bowls since it will rise a lot).

You can choose to shape now or fridge it, tightly covered, for up to 2 weeks.  We usually bake some and fridge the rest.  If you are baking now, get a little bowl of water ready to keep your hands wet (update: I use floured hands and a floured work surface now).  Put a sheet of parchment on your cookie sheet/baking pan.  Rip off a chunk and shape it into your desired shape.  If you prefer to work on the counter, then get the counter a little wet.  Put your shaped dough on the prepared pan and let rest for 40 minutes covered (let rest for a full hour if you're using dough that has been in the fridge).  If you want to add a little dried onions to the top for onion rolls or some seeds or salt, wait until after the 40 min rest.  You can spritz them with a little water then top them.

20 minutes prior to baking, heat up your oven to 450 (with a baking stone if you have).  Slide the parchment onto your baking stone or just put your baking pans on the rack.

Bake until well browned, depending on size, 20-30 minutes or until about 190 degrees inside.  Let cool completely.

Variations: my dad has notes on making this recipe with different flours and most he declared "good" so if you're out of bread flour or dont like whole wheat, then try it your way.  We have made them with milk instead of water, with only all purpose flour, with a few spoonfuls of sourdough starter, and with a few pats of butter.  It's always delicious.

Best focaccia bread

We love this bread!  It's a simple bread so it's great for beginner bread bakers but the taste is awesome.  We even like it for egg sandwiches.

Best Focaccia Bread
makes 2 big loaves, so you might want to freeze half or just make a half recipe

2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup semolina flour
4 1/2 to 5 cups Flour
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons olive oil, for the pan
kosher salt
Add-ins: kalamatas, basil, parm, garlic, pesto

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, salt, and olive oil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and
yeast in a stand mixer with the dough hook.

Stir in the semolina, then the flour, and the herbs. Knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes, until it's smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It'll be quite soft. Add more flour a
tablespoon at a time, if needed.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough on all sides to coat with oil. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 90 minutes in a warm place, or until doubled in size.

Gently deflate the dough by pressing lightly.  Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter; it should feel like a big marshmallow.  Add in your add-ins now by kneading the dough lightly.

Lightly grease two 8" or 9" round cake pans (pie plates work out too), and drizzle 1 tablespoon
olive oil into each pan, brushing it across the bottom.

Divide the dough in half and gently shape it into rounds. Place into the prepared pans, cover the pans, and let the dough rise for 45 minutes in a warm place, until puffy.

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Use your fingertips to gently but firmly dimple the dough,  Sprinkle the top with a little kosher salt and additional herbs if you like. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake the focaccia in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and baked through. It should be brown and crispy on the bottom.

Let cool on a rack slightly before cutting.  We like to cut it in triangles and then slice in the middle for egg sandwiches.  It's a great bread for soup, but also just for snacking.

Banana Bread

I might say this a lot, but this really is the best banana bread ever!  It's from Cook's Illustrated, the best source for the best ever recipes.  You'll need 5 insanely ripe bananas, so plan ahead.

Ultimate Banana Bread

makes one loaf

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

a few shakes of salt

6 large VERY ripe bananas, peeled (5 frozen and one fresh is ok)

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

one glug of molasses

1 t vanilla extract

Raw sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease loaf pan.

Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cut steam vents.  Microwave about 5 minutes until bananas have released liquid.  Strain bananas for about 15 minutes or more, reserving liquid (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup).

Reduce banana juice in saucepan on medium-heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced to 1/4 cup.  In a large mixing bowl, mash cooked bananas until fairly smooth, then whisk in butter, eggs, sugar, molasses, vanilla, and slightly cooled reduced banana juice.

Add in flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until just combined.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Slice remaining banana (the fresh one), diagonally into 1/4 inch slices.  Shingle the slices on top of either side of the the loaf, leaving a space down the center for the bread to rise.  Sprinkle a little raw sugar over the top.

Bake 55-75 minutes.  Cool bread on wire rack for 15 minutes then remove from pan and continue to cool.

Plain wraps

This is a quick easy wrap recipe, perfect for quesadillas.  The original recipe is from King Arthur, here.  My version uses some whole wheat flour and some yogurt for the powdered dairy.  It took us about an hour from start to finish.

Plain wraps
makes a dozen small-medium sized

3 cups of flour (we like 2 cups white, 1 cup whole wheat)
2 T oil
1 tsp baking powder
a few shakes of salt
1/2 tsp yeast (instant or active dry)
2 T yogurt PLUS enough warm water to equal 1 cup total

Use the dough blade or dough hook, mix all ingredients together then let it continue to process for 5-8 minutes of total kneading time.  You can do this by hand too.

Oil a medium bowl.  Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover.  Let rest for 30 minutes.

Heat up your frying pan on med-low.  Lightly spray with oil.

Divide dough into 10-12 golf ball sized pieces.  Oil your counter top and your rolling pin.  Roll out the dough one ball at a time as thin as you can.  Fry in the pan till just barely browned on each side.  Remove from the pan to a plate, cover with a dish towel to keep warm.  Repeat with remaining dough, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. 

Best garlic bread ever

Yup, seriously, the best garlic bread ever.  The secret?  Butter!  There is so much butter... so good!  This is perfect with spaghetti and meatballs with a big salad.  Check out the original recipe here.

Best garlic bread ever
serves 6-8

1 loaf of a good crusty bread
1-2 HEADS of garlic, pressed
1-2 STICKS of butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt the butter.  Add the garlic.

Cover a rimmed baking with foil (for easy cleanup).

Slice the bread up the middle.  Put cut side up on the baking sheet.  Pour the garlic butter evenly over it.

Bake in oven for a solid 10 minutes, then brown under the broiler for just a minute to get the edges crispy.

Cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Soft Wrap Bread

We inhaled these wraps with hummus, cukes, and kalamatas!  I made them with all white flour but I want to try using some whole wheat flour next.  I used a baked and mashed potato instead of potato flour, buds, or flakes.  Original recipe here.

Soft Wrap Bread
makes 8 wraps

3 to 3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup  potato buds or flakes OR a small potato, baking and mashed
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast

Use the plastic bread blade for food processor.  Place 2 cups of the flour into food processor. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and process till smooth. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed potato and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes to form a soft dough. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary.  Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour.

Shaping: Divide the dough into 8 pieces, cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots.  Keep warm in the oven if desired or serve immediately.

Naan (aka pizza crust)

We are just in love with Naan.  It makes for super quick pesto pizzas (if you keep a supply of Naan in the freezer) and is so delicious fresh with hummus and kalamatas.  LOVE it.

Naan
(makes 5-6, doubles easy)

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (this is the flour ratio that works for us)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cumin (leave it out if you have picky eaters)
pinch salt

3 tablespoons plain yogurt (greek is fine)
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil
More oil for counter

Butter, for frying

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Make a well in center and add wet ingredients.  Mix.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Add olive oil and knead a few times.  Divide into 5 or 6 pieces, about 2 oz each.  Flatten a bit, then roll thin.  I prefer to roll right on the counter using oil NOT flour.  Cook in cast iron skillet with a little butter.  Flipping halfway.