Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread

If you’ve ever been to the Macaroni Grill, you know all about this bread. It’s served before the meal with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper to dip it in. It’s warm, fragrant and just delicious. I found this knockoff recipe and just had to try it. Since becoming kid poor, Zack and I don’t get the real stuff at the restaurant more than once a year (if that).

This recipe is pretty darn close – it’s really delicious. I shaped mine into a flat-ish loaf, but you could do a round or even rolls with this if you like. I knead my bread in my Kitchen Aid. If you don’t have one, do it by hand until the dough is smooth – about 10 minutes. If you have a bread machine, you can just throw everything in and turn it on.

Macaroni Grill Rosemary Bread6 — Rosemary Bread

1 cup warm (between 120 and 130°) water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Proof the yeast in the water for 10 minutes.
2. Add flour, salt, sugar, oil and herbs and knead until dough is smooth.
3. Let rise an hour in an oiled, covered bowl in a warm place.
4. Punch down, shape into desired loaf shape and let rise another hour.
5. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt then bake in 375° oven for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425° and cook another 10 minutes. Spritz with water every 10 minutes (which gives you a nice crusty outter crust).
6. Serve with olive oil and fresh cracked black pepper.