Description
This super fragrant, super savoury rosemary parmesan bread is truly the easiest bread recipe you’ll ever make. No kneading, no long or overnight rise here – just mix, let rise until doubled and bake. It’s golden, crispy, airy, and light deliciousness you’ll love.
You’ll need either a Dutch oven, a regular large stock pot or a pizza stone, pizza steel, a regular sheet pan or a baking tray to bake your bread on.
Ingredients
- 450g bread flour (or use plain flour) + more for shaping
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1 tablespoon to top
- 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
- 375g lukewarm water
Instructions
- Mix the dough. Add 450g bread flour, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 cup grated parmesan and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary to a large mixing bowl. Give it a mix to combine, then pour in 375g lukewarm water. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy dough forms, making sure there are no streaks of unmixed flour. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size, and looks super bubbly and wobbly. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes if you’re in a hot climate, to 2 hours. Take a photo of the dough as you cover it so you can easily check to see how it’s going – watch the dough, rather than the clock. PRO TIP: You can put the dough in the fridge at this point, for up to 2 days. Then just remove it about 45 minutes before you’re ready to bake and proceed with the recipe.
- Heat your oven. Once the dough has increased in size by about 50%, heat your oven to 250C/480F fan and place your dutch oven or pizza stone/steel inside. PRO TIP: If you’re using a regular aluminium pot or regular sheet pan/oven tray you don’t need to preheat them.
- Shape the dough. Lightly flour a clean, flat surface and turn the risen dough out onto it. Scatter another tablespoon of flour on top, then using a bench scraper or with floured hands, pick up each edge of the dough and fold it back onto itself to form a very rough ball. Set a piece of baking paper that fits inside your dutch oven, next to the dough, then turn the dough onto it, so the seam side is down. Use both hands to rotate the dough and form it into a rough ball. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect or looks a little flat – this is rustic bread! Make a crisis cross slash in the top of the dough, then sprinkle the extra tablespoon of grated parmesan on top.
- Bake the bread. Carefully remove your pre-heated Dutch oven from the oven, then transfer the dough, still on the baking paper, into the pot and put the lid on (or use a sheet pan/aluminium foil if your pot has no lid). Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread is smelling gorgeous. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes, then slice and devour. PRO TIP: If you’re using a pizza stone, steel or baking tray, place the dough on the baking paper onto it in the oven, then set a small oven-proof dish filled with 1 cup of water underneath it. Bake for 30 minutes, then take out the dish with the water in it for the last 15 minutes.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: It’s SUPER important you use instant yeast when following this recipe as written. If you only have active yeast, that’s fine, but you will need to sprinkle it on top of the lukewarm water and let it sit for 10 minutes first, before adding it to the flour mix. This is going to activate the yeast. If you try adding active yeast straight into the bowl, you’ll end up with strange grainy yeasty bits throughout your bread and it won’t rise as well. Using bread flour gives the bread a lovely, light, airy result, but you can use regular plain flour in this recipe too.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use dried rosemary here (or another herb like thyme, marjoram or oregano) if you don’t have any fresh rosemary.
NO DUTCH OVEN? No problem. You can use a regular, large stock pot (just make sure it’s oven-safe!) that has a lid. If it doesn’t have a lid, just use an oven tray/sheet pan or use aluminium foil. If you use a regular pot, you don’t need to preheat it. You can also use a pizza stone, steel or a regular baking tray/sheet pan and a small oven-proof dish with water in it to mimic the result you get from a pot. The key to the crackling, crispy crust of the bread is the steam that’s produced by a dutch oven, so this is a way you can get that result without a pot. Preheat the pizza stone or steel, then set the dish of water in the tray underneath in the oven when you put the dough in. Remove the water dish for the last 15 minutes of baking.
MAKE AHEAD: This is a very flexible recipe. You can mix the dough, then cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then continue with the recipe when you’re ready. Bring the dough out of the fridge as you’re pre-heating your oven, to allow some of the fridge chill to come off it. I love to mix the dough in the evening, pop into the fridge and then bake it the next morning!
- Prep Time: 5
- Rising time: 60
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: baking
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
Keywords: no knead bread, artisan bread