Pita Bread with White Bean and Rosemary Dip

I love cooking and baking with rosemary because the herb is so versatile. I have used it in cakes, breads, and now a dip, but it can also be used in lemonade, which I have yet to try but plan on making soon, chicken, fish, potatoes, cocktails, and much much more. Adding fresh rosemary to many dishes can really add a lot of depth and flavor. I have a little rosemary plant that has been flourishing lately so I wanted to use a few of its sprigs to make a dip that would go nicely with pita bread. I was quite happy with the results of the dip however, I did go a bit overboard with the salt so when making this dip be sure to taste it before adding too much salt and adjust according to taste.

Pita Bread
2 1/2 cup Bread Flour
2 teaspoons Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Warm Water (about 110 degrees F)

Whisk together 1 cup bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the water and the oil, then mix briskly for a few minutes, mixture will be thin. Once mixed stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes adding a little more flour as dough becomes sticky. Form dough into a ball and divide into 8 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Then cover dough balls with a clean and slightly damp dish towel. Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes. While dough is resting preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and prepare the dip, if making. Once dough has rested roll each ball out into a flat circle. Line baking sheet with foil and place 2-3 of the flattened dough rounds onto the lined pan. Bake for 6-7 minutes or until slightly browned.

Makes 8 Pitas

Recipe from Farmgirl Fare where it was adapted from Bernard Clayton

White Bean and Rosemary Dip
1 15 ounce can Cannellini Bean
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (you may want to add a bit more depending on taste, but I'd start with this amount then build up from there)

Heat beans a in medium sized saucepan until warmed through, then drain. Pour beans into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add the rosemary and salt. Blend bean mixture and pour olive oil through the top while blending. Taste and add a little more salt if needed. Enjoy with pita bread.

Vanilla Frosted Honey Cake

This recipe comes from the cookbook Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. This cookbook is one of my absolute favorites because I never tire of looking through the pages. The pictures gorgeous and her recipes are exactly what I picture when I think of homemade. Every recipe in this book has a story or a memory attached to it. The other day when I was looking through the cookbook I came across this recipe for honey cake. I have made this dessert before but it's been while. This cake reminds me of spring.  From the dense moist cake made with honey and rosemary to the delicate vanilla frosting it is the perfect springtime dessert. The original recipe calls for lemon frosting, but I made this cake with vanilla instead. The frosting for this cake is delicious, it is lighter and a bit more runny than your typical buttercream but it compliments the heartiness of the cake perfectly.

Honey Cake 
11 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
1 1/2 tablespoons Water
1 2/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Rosemary Leaves
2 Eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8 inch round cake pan and set aside. In a medium sized sauce pan set over medium heat melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, honey and water and cook until the sugar completely dissolves, then set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Attach the paddle attachment to the mixer then add the cooled butter mixture to the flour mixture and beat to combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 20 minutes then using a butter knife, or plastic if your pan is non-stick, go around the edge of the cake loosening it from the sides then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Frosting
7 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 2/3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3-4 tablespoons Milk

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated then add the milk and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes until frosting is light and airy.

Sea Salt and Rosemary Flatbread

Yesterday I bought a rosemary plant. He is just a little guy, pretty much just a sprig in a pot. I didn't use any of my new plant for this flat bread. I would have had to pull off all of his little leaves in order to have enough for the bread and then I'd just be left with a sad looking twig in a pot of dirt. However, you certainly could use fresh rosemary in this recipe, I am sure it would be quite delicious. This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen . For her flatbread, she used one tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary in the dough and two sprigs for sprinkling.

I really like this bread because it comes together quickly, tastes delicious and smells absolutely wonderful. This bread goes perfectly with a warm bowl of soup especially on a chilly spring afternoon.

Sea Salt and Rosemary Flatbread
1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary, plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoons Salt (I used regular iodized salt)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Water
1/3 cup Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
Sea Salt for Sprinkling
Semolina Flour for rolling out the dough

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, rosemary, baking powder and salt. Pour in the water and olive oil and stir until dough takes shape. Turn out onto a work surface sprinkled with semolina flour. Gently knead dough 3 -4 times. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Rolls out two pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil then spread oil around with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with a little more rosemary and  some sea salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough.

Makes 4 pieces of flatbread

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen where it was adapted from Gourmet, July 2008