Rosemary and Sage Bread

This week I attended a sweetened dough bread-making class with Blackbird Bread in Twickenham. We made croissants, St. Lucia buns and cardamom and cinnamon rolls. It was three hours of mixing, kneading, shaping and baking, which was great fun and I will be writing a post about it soon.

In the meantime, going to the class reminded me how much I enjoy making bread, so the idea for this rosemary and sage bread was born.

Last weekend, I was given a big bunch of rosemary clippings by some ladies who were clipping back a large rosemary hedge by the river, and I still have some left.

I decided to use both rosemary and sage in the bread, as I thought this would be tasty in a loaf to be served on the side with our evening meal, as it will go with many savoury foods and it will be wonderful with cheese or cold meat in a sandwich.

There’s nothing better than baking your own bread, you get a real sense of satisfaction at having made your own creation. I enjoy the kneading and shaping as well.

For this loaf I made a plait and then coiled it into a circle. You can also keep it simple and make a round loaf if you prefer!

This rosemary and sage bread works well whether served with soup and salads for lunch, as sandwiches, or on the side of a main meal.

For more bread ideas, take a look at these from some fellow food bloggers:

• Zaatar and olive foccacia from Fab Food 4 All
• Muesli bread from Recipes From A Pantry
• Wild garlic pesto pinwheels from Foodie Quine
• Danish bread from Tinned Tomatoes
• Rosemary asiago cheese bread in the crockpot from Goodie Godmother

I’m looking this recipe up with the Bready Steady Go challenge from Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food For Families and Jen from Jen’s Food. The theme this month is bread with bits, and I used sage and rosemary in my bread.

Pin this rosemary and sage bread for later!

Rosemary and Sage Bread

Delicious and simple rosemary and sage bread covered with coarse salt, can be served with soups and salads or on the side of main dishes like casseroles or chilli or just as sandwiches

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Course: Baking, Side Dish

Cuisine: British

Keyword: rosemary, rosemary, sage

Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

Ingredients

• 225 g strong bread flour
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp easy-bake yeast
• 27 g unsalted butter
• 60 ml boiling water
• 60 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tsp dried sage
• 2-3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary

Instructions

• Place the flour in a large bowl and add the salt on one side of the bowl and the yeast on the other.
• Rub in the butter roughly then add half the egg. Keep the rest for egg wash before baking.
• Add the milk and water and mix until the dough forms a ball.
• Knead the dough for ten minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Add the sage and most of the rosemary during kneading,
• Place the dough in a bowl covered in clingfilm to prove for 45 minutes to an hour.
• When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and press it all over with your fingers to knock it back.
• Split the dough into three using a dough scraper and form each piece into a long sausage shape.
• Press one end together, plait the three pieces together, then coil the plait into a circle shape. Press the ends in.
• Place the coiled plait on an oiled baking tray to rise for another 45 minutes.
  
• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and place a deep baking tray at the bottom of the oven. Boil your kettle.
• Brush the bread with the egg wash, sprinkle with the rest of the rosemary leaves, a little dried sage and some coarse sea salt.
  
• Put the tray in the oven and pour freshly boiled water from the kettle into the baking tray at the bottom of the oven to create steam. Shut the door quickly.
• Bake for ten minutes, then turn the baking tray around and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes until the bread is golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

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