This light, fluffy, and beautiful braided bread recipe has the scent and flavor of rosemary. And you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make! Get your kids in the kitchen with you to bake this special bread.
Homemade bread is so magical. It tastes great, and making it can be a special activity you do with your kids. But a lot of people feel intimidated by making their own bread because it is kind of a process. The good thing is that most of this process is hands off! You just need to start a lot earlier than you want to eat the bread, because it needs time to rise.
In other words, this braided bread recipe is SUPER easy, it just requires patience.
And this rosemary bread is worth the wait! It’s very impressive in both taste and appearance. Gather up your ingredients and let’s get started.
How to Make Rosemary Braided Bread
To start, add your rosemary, yeast, salt, olive oil and warm water to a bowl or stand mixer. (Make sure your water is warm, but not hot, to help the yeast activate.) Stir it until the yeast is dissolved. The rosemary will stay floating on the top.
Note: we used dried rosemary for convenience, but you can also use fresh! If you’re using fresh rosemary, you can add an extra teaspoon or two to bump up the flavor.
Next, mix in 2 cups of flour and continue to mix. Add up to 1 cup more of flour to make the dough soft and not sticky.
Let the dough knead in your mixer with a dough hook for 8 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, then flour a surface and knead the dough by hand for 8 minutes. (You’ll build some good muscles this way!)
Place dough in greased medium bowl and flip dough over so that the top is also lightly greased.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place. Then punch down the dough. Turn it out on a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 equal parts and let sit for 10 minutes to relax the dough. Grease a baking sheet. Roll each dough part into an 18-inch rope. Braid ropes on greased sheet, pinch ends together. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in a warm, draft-free place.
In small bowl, use a fork to lightly beat an egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. With a pastry brush, brush the top of the bread. Bake at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Then comes the best part… eating it up! Slice and slather with butter or use it as a sandwich bread. Or if you are a REALLY nice human, bringing it to a friend or neighbor. I can speak from experience: they’ll love you for it!
How to Store Homemade Bread
Once the bread is completely cooled (and I mean completely) store it tightly wrapped in a plastic produce bag or large zip-top bag. Your bread will keep at room temperature for two to three days like this.
To get a couple more days of freshness, you can store the bread in the fridge. It won’t be as soft, but you can toast the slices and they refresh beautifully.
You can also slice and freeze this bread for a homemade treat anytime you’re in the mood for one.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
White Whole Wheat Bread
Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
Chocolate Orange Bread
Rosemary Braided Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon rosemary, dried
- 2 1/4 teaspoon yeast, active dry
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cup flour, all-purpose
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
- In large bowl, add rosemary, yeast, salt, water, and olive oil. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Add enough remaining flour until the dough is soft and not sticky. Knead dough in your mixer for 8 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. Place dough in greased medium bowl and flip dough over so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place.
- Punch down dough. Turn dough out and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal parts and let sit for 10 minutes to relax the dough. Grease a baking sheet. Roll each dough part into an 18-inch rope. Braid ropes on greased sheet, pinch ends together. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in a warm, draft-free place.
- In small bowl, use a fork to lightly beat the egg white and tablespoon of water. Brush mixture on braided loaf. Bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on rack.
Nutrition
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