Healthified Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread

The Macaroni Grill is my favorite restaurant, though sadly it went out of business in Lexington awhile back. (sob! NOW where am I supposed to go on my birthday?!) Their Rosemary Bread is absolutely faboo, and a few months ago I went in search of a recipe so that I could duplicate it. Thanks to the internet, source for all info, I found it, and last week I healthified the recipe for our dinner with friends...and it came out goooood. :)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 cup warm water
2.5 cups whole wheat flour (freshly milled if possible)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh organic rosemary
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:
1. Place yeast, honey, and warm water in a large bowl or food processor and allow to become bubbly.

2. Mix in 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 cups of flour, and the salt.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary.

4. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in your food processor or with kneading mixer.

5. Only add as much dough as needed to make it not stick to the sides of your mixer. (or not be too stick in your hands, if kneading by hand) The key here is to add just enough flour to get the right consistency, and not a bit more past that.

6. Oil a bowl, put dough in it, cover with towel, and let rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled.

7. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Form round loaves and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with no-stick spray. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary over the leaves and kind of press it lightly into the surface. Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.

8. Uncover the loaves and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

9. When you remove the loaves from the oven, have melted butter ready. Brush the butter over the surface of the loaves, and sprinkle sea salt on it.

10. This is nicely served with saucers of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh pepper to dip it in. Just tear the loaf apart and eat with your hands. :)


I made eight loaves of this bread because of the amount of people we were having over. I arranged each loaf on a small plate, and positioned each one in between two seats at the table, so that those two people could share it. There was a saucer of the EVOO and pepper handy too. This picture gives you a look at how I had it set up:

Before I healthified it, this was a regular recipe that included sugar and white flour. Once you get the hang of healthy eating principles, you will easily see how to make substitutions that can make your food healthier (and yummier!) without any hassle at all. This wasn't one bit harder to make when made the healthy way, and it tasted great.