Macaroni Grill's Rosemary Bread

1 Tbs. yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2-3 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbs. rosemary (fresh, or 2 tsp. dried)
2 Tbs. butter

Preheat oven to 375° F.Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly.Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary (I usually need to add between 1/2 to 1 c more). Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. (I just spray a bowl with Pam.) Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled. (If you raise your dough on a warm oven it only takes about 45 minutes.) Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes (30 minutes if rising on a hot stove). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired).

Price Guesstimate: $2-3? I really don't know on this one.

Steph's Comments: I got this recipe from my sister Heather, and I think she got it off of recipezaar.com. It is one of those GREAT bread recipes that makes you look like an awesome cook - and it can make you look like your meal is restaurant-worthy, even if you just made a cheap main dish. I love that! It takes roughly 2 to 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, but most of that time is raising time, so you can do other things in between - it's just a matter of thinking ahead. This is my husband's FAVORITE bread - he said he could eat it every day. I like to play around with the toppings - sometimes I rub in Paremsan Cheese or other spices. I've also thought about shredding cheese and cooking it inside the dough. Yum. It's also really great dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but I don't usually do that. Oh, and I like to cook it on a pizza stone and put cornmeal on the bottom - it gives it that crusty feel. I could on and on about this bread, I just love it so! :)