Rustic Bread

Remember that bread failure from last night?  Well, I decided to post the recipe (even though mine didn't turn out), in case it works for someone else.  So, if you try this recipe and it works for you, let me know how you did it!!  It looks delicious, so if I can't make this one work, I definitely want to find a similar recipe. Based on the picture, it looks a lot like the bread they serve at Macaroni Grill. Yum!

Rustic Bread
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS:

• 2/3 cups whole milk
• 1 Tablespoon superfine sugar
• 1 ounce fresh active yeast
• 5 cups bread flour, sifted; plus extra for dusting
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small pan over medium heat, heat 1 cup water, milk and sugar just until warm (90-95 degrees), or 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine flour and 1 1/2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt. Pour in yeast mixture and mix, using hands, until a soft dough forms. (If dough is dry, add more water. If dough is sticky, add more flour)  On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 5 mins. Place dough in a large, lightly floured bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 50-60 minutes.
2. On a clean surface, punch down dough and form into a 10x7-inch rectangle about 2 inches thick. Place loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with towel again, and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 50-60 minutes more.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using your fingertips, press indentations into top of loaf. Place a few rosemary leaves in some of the indentations. Drizzle surface with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt. Bake until loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 mins. Transfer loaf to a wire rack and let cool.

GOOD LUCK!