Midsummer Braided Rosemary Garlic Bread

Good day, lovelies!

Today, I want to share a simple and meaningful recipe for Litha: braided rosemary garlic bread, created by Samantha Ferraro from Honest Cooking.

This bread offers a delightful sensory experience and brings positive energies and protection into your life, good fortune, and health through its key ingredients, garlic, and rosemary.

Bread can be more than just food; it can be a powerful tool for positive changes in your life, manifestation, protection, and personal growth.

And the braids in the bread? They can symbolize truth, peace, and justice with three strands or love with 4-6 strands.

Try it out, and let me know what you think!

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Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp Kosher salt

• 1 tbsp roasted garlic powder

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves chopped finely 

•     more for garnish

• Coarse sea salt for garnish

• Two garlic cloves thinly sliced

• Fresh rosemary sprigs about 1 inch for garnish

• One packet of yeast 1/4 oz

• 1 cup warm water

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 2 tbsp honey

• Two whole eggs + 1 egg whisked for egg wash

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Directions:

1. Add 1 cup of warm water, yeast, and sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Mix lightly with a fork to get all the yeast in the water, and set aside for about 15 minutes. It should begin to foam up, and you should see little bubbles.
   

2. Whisk the oil, honey, and two eggs in another bowl and pour the mixture into the yeast mixture.
   

3. Using a dough attachment on your mixer on low-medium speed, gradually add the flour, salt, garlic powder, and chopped rosemary, about 1/2 cup of flour at a time, with the mixer on low. Continue to mix until everything is incorporated. The dough should begin to pull away from the bowl and come to 1 large ball of dough.
   

4. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. You can use your finger to see if it's ready. Press your finger in, and it's ready if the dough bounces back quickly.
   

5. Pour some oil into a large bowl and place your dough ball in the bowl. Turn it around so the entire dough is covered with a thin layer of oil. Cover with a clean towel and place the bowl in a warm spot. (for me, it was my oven). Allow to rest and rise for 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
   

6. When the dough is ready, it should have doubled. Punch the dough down and divide the dough into two balls; this will be your bread. Cover one ball of dough as you work with the other.
   

7. Divide dough into 3 or 4 pieces (depending on what kind of braid you'd like), which will be your strands. 8) Roll each strand into a long rope of equal sizes, about 8-10 inches long, and continue with the desired braid.
   

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place bread on baking sheet. Brush each with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped rosemary, and place sliced garlic in the "nooks" of the braid. 
   

9. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes.
   

10. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is lightly golden brown.