Pan Marino (Rosemary Bread)

Ah Rosemary. I love rosemary.
Since moving to California, I've discovered I can have rosemary growing in a pot outside year round. This was a huge discovery, as I'd never been able to keep rosemary alive for the winter months in Wisconsin (perhaps my thumb wasn't green enough, perhaps I wasn't growing it properly, perhaps I should have let the rosemary winter inside...). Anyway, I also love bread. And when one combines rosemary and bread it's just heaven. Heaven on the nose, heaven in the mouth. It has a yum factor of 11 (I know, the yum factor only goes to 10, but it's just that good). So today I present to you Pan Marino! This is my go-to bread for many meals, but mostly I love this bread with soup. I'm making a corn and "sausage" chowder for dinner this evening, so naturally I'm making some rosemary bread to go with it.

I think I've babbled on enough! I'm guessing you understand that I love rosemary and bread and when combined it makes me so very happy! So without further ado, here is the recipe:

Rosemary Bread (Pan Marino), makes 2 Batards:

1 ounce yeast (active dry)
8 ounces (1 cup) H2O
8 ounces (1 cup) Milk
1/4 cup fresh Rosemary, chopped fine (if you like even more rosemary in your bread, by all means add more)
3/4 ounce Salt (I use kosher salt for this, but any salt will do)
2 pounds of Bread Flour
3 ounces Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to sprinkle over the loaves before they go into the oven
-------------------------------------------------
1. Place the active dry yeast, the water and the milk into a large bowl. Whisk to moisten the yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the salt for sprinkling, and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. Turn this out onto a lightly floured work surface (I use a wooden cutting board) and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This will take 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Form the dough into a ball and place it into an oiled bowl that is large enough to allow for the dough to double in size. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and allow it to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface:
Gently press the dough down and divide the dough in half:
Shape the loaves...I press each half into a rectangle shape, fold up the bottom third of the loaf and then begin tightly rolling the top of the rectangle towards me. When I am at the end, I press the ends together with the heel of my hand to seal the seams together. I then roll the loaf back and forth a bit to "taper" the ends with my hands. This is how I form a Batard:

5. Place the batards onto a sheet pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal (I use a baking stone, so I place them onto a cutting board that is sprinkled with corn meal, and then use that as a peel when I want to slide the bread onto the stone), spray them lightly with a bit of oil and cover with plastic wrap (or a damp cloth) and let them rest for about 40 minutes, or until you can press your finger lightly into the loaf and the indentation just stays. At this point, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

6. When the loaves are ready to go into the oven, uncover them, spray them lightly with water, sprinkle them lightly with the kosher salt, give them a good few slashes (I use a double edged razor blade attached to the end of a chopstick...a serrated knife will do, or a lame, if you have one):
Place them in the oven (or slide them if you are using a peel and baking stone), if you have a way to add steam to the oven, do so (I have a really old pan that I put in the bottom of the oven, and add hot water to after the bread is on the stone), set the timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, lower the oven temp to 400 degrees F, give the bread a turn, and then let it bake anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes longer, depending on how dark you like your crust. The bread should feel light when you take it out of the oven.


7. Allow the bread to cool, if you are able..really, it's best to let the crumb cool and set up! Although bread right out of the oven is lovely. Slice and serve!

As I mentioned above, this is great with soup..it's also wonderful sliced thin with a drizzle of olive oil, a smear of goat cheese and a little toast time in the oven. Mmmmmm.

Enjoy!