Herbed Skillet Bread

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Fresh baked bread and rosemary will fill your whole house when you make this.  This turned out so delicious.  Its the kind of bread you have at a restaurant that you have to restrain yourself from finishing the whole basket because it is so good.  The cast iron skillet acts like a wood-burning oven and makes a wonderful crisp crust.  It is such an easy bread that goes well with so many things.

Herbed Skillet Bread

• 1 Tbl. sugar
• 1 cup warm water, divided
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 2 tspns. sea salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl. olive oil, divided plus more for drizzling
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

-In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup of the warm water.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup water, the flour, 1/2 tspn. salt, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil.  Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended and the mixture forms a soft dough.  Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter and knead smooth, about 10 minutes.  Add additional flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.  Form the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl.  Turn to coat with the oil.  Seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45 minutes. Coat the bottom and sides of a 10 inch skillet with 1 Tbl. of olive oil.  Place the dough in the skillet and press it evenly into the bottom of the pan.  With a sharp knife, score the top lightly in a crisscross pattern.  Brush with the remaining 1 Tbl. olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and rosemary over the top.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tspns. sea salt.  Let rise for 20 minutes.

-While the bread is rising, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the skillet in the hot oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is a light golden color.  Remove from the pan right away and place on a wire rack to retain the crisp crust.  Drizzle with a little olive oil over the top, slice into wedges and serve warm.  Enjoy!