Easy Dutch Oven Rosemary Parmesan Cheese Bread Recipe
This mouth-watering rosemary parmesan bread recipe will keep you coming back for more! The bread is soft on the inside and has a crispy crust on the outside. This savory bread is perfect for eating as a sandwich or a side dish for dinner.
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Why You’ll Love This Divide Rosemary Parmesan Bread
- Downright delicious.
- Can bake and eat the same day. No overnight wait is needed!
- No mixer required
- Golden brown and crispy exterior. Soft and flavorful interior!
- Minimal prep time. 90% of the time is hands-off!
- Perfect with savory meals such as chicken or Italian food
- Easily fits into your schedule. The dough can rest in the fridge for up to three days to fit your schedule (perfect for making this recipe ahead of time)
FAQ
Rosemary parmesan bread is a savory bread that can be eaten alone. It pairs well with butter, soup, and in savory meat sandwiches.
There are 310 carbs in one loaf of rosemary parmesan bread.
Rosemary bread pairs well with chicken and beef. It is great dipped in extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic confit.
Tips For Making Amazing Rosemary Parmesan Cheese Bread
Let The Dough Double During The First Rise
Always watch the dough and NOT the clock. You’ll know when it’s time to move on to the next steps in this recipe when the dough has doubled. Make sure to place it in a warm spot in your kitchen.
Use Bread Flour
The use of bread flour will give this homemade bread the absolute best chewy texture. I recommend using bread flour for this recipe. However, I’ve used all-purpose flour and still had great results.
Splurge on Italian Parmesan
Is this cheese pricy? Oh, you bet it is. However, it’s not every day that you’re eating a special homemade bread like this one. Treat yourself and your family.
Here is a helpful YouTube Video by Ethan Chlebowski explaining the differences between American parmesan cheese and Italian parmigiano reggiano.
Measure The Ingredients By Weight
Using a kitchen scale will give you more accurate results. Check out my baking conversion chart guide. I’ve listed the weight and cup measurments of the ingredients I use at home.
Benefits of Using A Dutch Oven
Using a Dutch oven when baking bread at home offers many benefits! You’ll end up with a crusty and flavorful loaf. Here are a few advantages:
- Steam Retention: The enclosed environment traps the steam that is released by the bread during baking.
- Crust Development: Dutch oven bread always has great crust development since the steam is trapped inside the Dutch oven
- Even Heat Distribution: While the bread bakes, the heat is distributed evenly inside a Dutch oven.
- Consistent Results: Expect consistent and reliable results with Dutch oven bread.
I prefer using a Dutch oven when baking bread over a pizza stone.
Ingredients For Rosemary Parmesan Bread
This parmesan rosemary bread recipe requires a few simple ingredients.
- Bread Flour: Or All Purpose Flour
- Warm Water
- Salt: Flavor enhancer. Everything needs salt.
- Parmesan Cheese: I like to splurge on Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. However, you can use American parmesan cheese.
- Rosemary: Fresh rosemary or dried rosemary work (use what you have). Pairs well with the parmesan cheese.
- Yeast: Will give the bread rise. I use instant yeast in this recipe. Active dry yeast also works, just make sure to bloom it first. Check out my yeast guide if you’d like to learn more about yeast.
Step-by-Step Photos of Rosemary Parmesan Bread
Scroll down for the printable rosemary parmesan bread recipe card.
Mince the fresh rosemary and grate the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, grated parmesan cheese, rosemary, and yeast together.
Kneading The Dough
Pour the warm water into the dry ingredients. Using a silicon spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix until a shaggy dough forms. Keep mixing until all the flour is moistened.
Knead the dough with your hands for five minutes until it forms a smooth ball and passes the windowpane test. You can also knead the dough in your stand mixer.
First Rise
First Rise: Shape the bread dough into a ball. It will be slightly sticky. Place the dough ball into an oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Punch the dough down.
Set on the counter at room temperature to rise. The dough rise will take roughly three hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the container, and be full of air.
Shaping The Dough
Shaping The Dough Ball: Lightly dust a clean work surface with all-purpose flour. Then, turn the dough onto the lightly floured surface.
Tug the dough to shape it into a square/rectangle. Be careful not to degas the dough too much.
Bring the opposite corners together until the dough forms a ball.
Afterward, turn the dough over so that it is seam-side down.
Build tension on the outside of the dough by pulling the outside of the dough underneath itself with your hands.
Once the dough is shaped into a nice, round, taught ball, transfer the dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.
Cover with an upside-down large bowl or damp teatowel to prevent it from drying out. Let sit on the counter at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, Preheat your oven to 450°F. Make sure to place your Dutch oven into the oven while your oven is preheating.
Adding Parmesan Topping
OPTIONAL parmesan topping: With wet hands, caress the top of the dough so that it is slightly wet. You can also use a spray bottle. Then, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top of the dough.
You can also top with fresh herbs if desired.
Baking
When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife, a bread lame, or kitchen shears, score the top of the dough in one line roughly ½ inch deep.
Place the dough into the Dutch oven. Cover.
Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the lid then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown.
Allow for the loaf to sit on a cooling rack for 10-20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
How To Store Your Homemade Bread
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to ten days.
If you need to store the bread for longer, you can cover the bread with plastic wrap and store it in your freezer. The bread will last in the freezer for up to three months.
To defrost the bread, simply leave it in your refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a couple of hours.
I don’t recommend storing this bread at room temperature since it has dairy.
Other Recipes You May Like
Delicious Italian Sandwich Bread with Olive Oil
Easy Sourdough Discard Bread Recipe
Helpful Baking Conversion Chart
Rosemary Parmesan Bread Recipe Card
Exquisite Rosemary Parmesan Cheese Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 Cups Bread Flour
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese (Plus extra for topping) grated. Roughly 80 grams
- 1 Tablespoon Rosemary Minced. Fresh or dried.
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Instant Yeast 1 Packet
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 1/3 Cups Water
Instructions
- Mince the fresh rosemary and grate the parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, grated parmesan cheese, rosemary, and yeast together.
- Pour the warm water into the dry ingredients. Using a silicon spatula or wooden spoon, gently mix until a shaggy dough forms. Keep mixing until all the flour is moistened.
- Knead the dough with your hands for five minutes until it forms a smooth ball and passes the windowpane test (see notes below). You can also knead the dough in your stand mixer.
- First Rise: Shape the bread dough into a ball. It will be slightly sticky. Place the dough ball into an oiled container and cover with plastic wrap. Set on the counter at room temperature to rise. The dough rise will take roughly three hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the container, and be full of air.
- Shaping The Dough Ball: Lightly dust a clean work surface with all-purpose flour. Then, turn the dough onto the lightly floured surface. Tug the dough to shape it into a square/rectangle. Be careful not to degas the dough too much. Bring the opposite corners together until the dough forms a ball. Afterward, turn the dough over so that it is seam-side down. Build tension on the outside of the dough by pulling the outside of the dough underneath itself with your hands. Make sure to check my post for detailed pictures of shaping the dough.
- Once the dough is shaped into a nice, round, taught ball, transfer the dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Cover with an upside-down large bowl or damp tea-towel to prevent it from drying out. Let sit on the counter at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450°F. Make sure to place your Dutch oven into the oven while your oven is preheating.
- OPTIONAL parmesan topping: With wet hands, caress the top of the dough so that it is slightly wet. You can also use a spray bottle. Then, sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top of the dough. You can also top with fresh herbs if desired.
- When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife, a bread lame, or kitchen shears, score the top of the dough in one line roughly ½ inch deep.
- Place the dough into the Dutch oven. Cover.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the lid then bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown.
- Allow for the loaf to sit on a cooling rack for 10-20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- My post has detailed step-by-step pictures. Make sure to go and check them out.
- Knead with your hands or use a stand mixer. If you use a stand mixer, make sure to knead with the dough hook attachment. Knead on medium-low speed.
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the dough ahead of time and bake it a couple of days later. The dough can sit in the fridge for up to three days. Simply cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge after the first rise.
- Flour: I prefer the use of bread flour for this recipe over all-purpose flour. The bread flour will give a better chew and texture to the loaf.
- Windowpane Test: You’ll know when to stop kneading once the dough has passed the windowpane test. To perform this, simply take a piece of the dough. If you can stretch it and see through it without the dough tearing, you are done kneading the dough.
- No Dutch oven? You can use a roasting pan instead. You can also bake the loaf on a pizza stone or a baking sheet.
- To Store: You can store this bread in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. For longer storage, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
