Rosemary French Bread

This is a keeper. Makes great lunch sandwiches. (I had to add 1/2 cup of flour and used the medium setting to make it crusty.)

Tihs bread is a hit with my family. It had a wonderful aroma while baking, and turned out perfect. All golden and crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. However, this bread took 4 hours on the french bread setting in my machine instead of 2, so make sure to plan far enough ahead if using it for a meal!

I made this with machine on french bread setting, light crust, and subbed garlic powder(1tsp) and this came out exceptionally well. Chewy crust and super soft, but firm inside. Holds form well for cutting, an overall great recipe with a light herbal taste. Well done!

I was really disappointed in this bread! I tried it twice and both times it rose in the first 'rise' and then fell and came out flat and raw. It was a total flop.

Pretty bummed with this - the flavor wasn't bad, but the bread was flat, doughy, and just not...good, I guess.

Since I am the bread machine at my house, I adapted this recipe to the old-fashioned method. Using Tunisianswife's suggestions (see her Mediterranean Black Olive Bread review), I proofed the yeast in 1 cup of warm water mixed with the 1 tsp of sugar; added the flour (I used A.P.) and mixed in the remaining ingredients. I kneaded the mixture on a floured surface and probably added another 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour by the time all was kneaded in. Like Tunisianswife, I did 3 risings on this bread, kneading in between, and using her steam-baking idea, baked in a 450 oven (with a pan of water at the bottom to provide steam) for the first 15 minutes, then reduced to 400 & baked another 10-15 minutes. I agree with reviewer Tanaquil as to the texture and gourmet quality of this bread. I have baked breads for many, many years but this is one of the finest I've ever baked. I used 1 T fresh rosemary. The rosemary is a fragrant and subtle addition to the flavor. I was concerned about the amount of garlic, but it was perfect--it baked into mellow goodness. The texture was a soft but chewy interior and crusty exterior that sliced beautifully. My family has requested I make another loaf this week and let it be the meal!

Mmmmm...good! I happened to have fresh rosemary on hand and used that instead of dried. This bread has the most wonderful aroma and mild flavor. I used the left-over bread to make "Garlic Croutons" (found here at AllRecipes.com).

I just got a bread machine so Im not an experienced user but so far this is my favorite recipe to use for it.

I needed to add a lot more flour during the kneading cycle, but the end result was delicious!

Love it or leave it, I guess. Turns out I don't like Rosemary. :-) Bit "spongy", too.