"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

Upon waking up on this fine San Diego morning, I decided to make a chocolate-mint torte. However, much to my mother's dismay, the recipe called for several impractical (and pricy) ingredients which were nowhere to be found in our household. My dear mother's proposal? That I make something a little more practical and healthy for our family - namely, bread.

As this was my first time making my own bread, I was a tad nervous, but eager to see the outcome. The process was simple - just water, yeast, salt, sugar, flour, and GOOD EXTRA-VIRGIN olive oil (preferably DeCecco, but the Trader Joe's stuff will also suffice, I suppose...). To add a little twist in the flavor, I added about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic, along with some finely chopped rosemary (from my mother's garden) and 1/2 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano (or as Mario Batali calls it, the "Undisputed King of Cheeses").
Then, in my favorite kitchen appliance - the KitchenAid mixer - I used the dough hook to knead it into ball and stuck in in the oven to rise. About an hour later, I divided the ball of dough in half, forming 2 separate balls and placed each on its own greased cookie sheet to rise for another 20 minutes, until they both looked like this:

I then cut a criss-cross in the middle, brushed on a little egg-wash, and grated a little more parmigiano on top before placing it in the oven for approximately 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
The outcome - a beautifully risen, golden-crusted loaf of bread, wafting scents of garlic, parmigiano, and rosemary my way. Yum.

Enjoy a warm slice with some DeCecco extra-virgin olive oil (or the Trader Joe's brand...), balsamic vinegar, and salt. 

*Recipe: (Lance Roll - "It's Not Just Camp Food Anymore")

French (Catalina) Bread:

2 & 1/2 c. warm water

2 & 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 & 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

5 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3/4 Tbsp. salt

5 3/4 c. bread flour or all-purpose flour

Additions: 2 Tbsp. garlic

                  2 Tbsp. rosemary

                  1/2 c. parmesan

*Mix water, sugar, and yeast - let stand for 10 minutes until yeast activates. Add oil, salt, and flour and additions (if using any). Stir until hard. 

*Knead with hands or dough hook of electric mixer until dough forms a ball. Cover with towel and place in warm place (preferably oven, which should be off) for 1 hour until dough has risen. *Meanwhile, 2 cookie sheets with olive oil. 

*After and hour, cut dough in half - press each ball flat into a circle. Pinch all sides together and turn dough over to form a ball. Place on greased cookie sheets for 20 more minutes. The dough should double in size. 

*Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.