Rustic No-Knead Rosemary Parmesan Bread Recipe

If you’ve been looking for a really flavorful, easy bread recipe, this no knead rosemary parmesan bread is going to fit the bill nicely. No kneading required. No stand mixer necessary. And very little hands on time in the kitchen too!

sliced loaf of bread on a platter

It just doesn’t get easier than that. And the bread it makes is cheesy, herby, and maybe just a little addictive. In other words, the loaf this recipe makes delivers a great flavor profile with very minimal effort on your part.

The crust is crispy. The interior is soft and full of artisanal style holes. And even though it can be on the table with only about 15 minutes of hands on time, and less than 3 hours time overall, it tastes like you spent the whole day in the kitchen baking.

With this recipe in your kitchen recipe arsenal, you’ll be serving fresh bread to your friends and family on the regular. And you’ll be able to swap out a few of the ingredients so that it pairs perfectly with other dishes too. But … we’ll talk more about that later.

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

This recipe uses very simple ingredients. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll already have everything you need to make it on hand. But, if you find you need to take a quick trip to the store to pick a few things up, do it! It’s well worth the effort!

ingredients to make rosemary parmesan bread recipe

Here’s a list of what you’ll need to put this delicious bread recipe together …

  • WATER – I have well water in my kitchen. It works perfectly. If you have treated water you may want to use bottled spring water to make your bread dough.
  • YEAST – Active dry yeast is used to raise the dough in this recipe.
  • FLOUR – Basic all-purpose white flour works great for this bread. Organic is best. You can also use bread flour if you prefer. 
  • PARMESAN CHEESE – Fresh shredded parmesan cheese is the best way to go when making this homemade bread. You can purchase shredded parmesan cheese if you don’t want to shred your own. I don’t recommend using grated cheese. It changes the texture of the bread considerably.
  • ROSEMARY – I used dried rosemary to make the bread for this post. It is more readily available for many people. If you have fresh rosemary available to you, it’s the very best way to go.
  • SALT – I like to use real salt or himalayan salt in my kitchen. I used regular table salt to make the loaf of bread for this post. I always have it on hand to make cleaning products, and I was out of other salt. You can use any salt, suitable for cooking, that you have on hand.
  • OLIVE OIL – Just a small amount of olive oil is needed to brush over the top of the dough before you bake it. I like to use extra virgin olive oil.

How To Make Rosemary Parmesan Bread

Are you ready to see just how easy it is to make this recipe?!?! If you’ve made a no knead bread recipe before, you already know that this is a very low-maintenance bread making technique.

If this is your first time working with this kind of recipe, you are going to be pretty impressed with just how quick and easy it is!

The first thing you’ll need to do is bloom the yeast. This is a simple process that prepares the yeast to raise the bread. To do it, place the yeast in the water and allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so.

It wil expand and take on the appearance of foam on top of the water when it is ready to use.

You will want to use warm water to do this. If it is too cold the yeast will not bloom. If it is too hot the yeast will die. About 100-110 degrees fahrenheit is just perfect. 

Next, place the flour, parmesan cheese, rosemary, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then mix them together well with a whisk.

ingredients for a bread recipe in a bowl

Pour the bloomed yeast mixture into the dry ingredients mixture and stir them together with a wooden spoon. Don’t overstir the ingredients here. You are just mixing them until all of the flour is hydrated and a shaggy dough forms.

bread dough mixed in a bowl

Cover the bowl with a clean towel, a flour sack towel works well for this, and place it in a warm place to allow the dough to rise. I turn my oven on and set the bowl next to it. 

It takes about an hour for it to rise to twice the size. And that’s exactly where you want it to be.

When the dough is risen, punch it down. Spread a little flour over a clean surface. And turn the dough out of the bowl onto the lightly floured surface.

Shape it into a square.

dough for rosemary parmesan bread recipe on a counter

Fold the top two corners down to form a triangle from the upper half of the square. And roll the dough, from the top point of the triangle, into a loaf shape. Tuck in the sides as you go.

folded dough on a counter with a towel

Set the loaf seam side down on a piece of parchment paper.

unbaked loaf of rosemary parmesan bread on parchment paper

Cover it with a lint free towel, that flour sack towel comes in handy here as well, and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, place a covered dutch oven pan in the oven to heat through.

Place the dough, along with the parchment paper, in the dutch oven. Brush the top of it with a little olive oil and score it with a sharp knife or a razor blade.

unbaked loaf of bread in a parchment lined pan

Bake the dough, with the lid on the dutch oven, for 45 minutes. Then remove the lid, and bake for 15 minutes more, to turn the crust a nice golden brown.

Remove the loaf from the dutch oven. Place it on a cooling rack. And let it sit, for at least an hour, before you cut into it. If you cut it too soon, the inside of the loaf will take on an unpleasant gummy texture.

It’s hard to wait. But you can do it! I know you can!

Tips And Tricks For This Recipe

There are a few tips and tricks you can follow to make this recipe the very best it can be. I’ll put a list of them below for you …

baked loaf of rosemary parmesan bread on a cooling rack with a towel and knife
  • If you are not a seasoned pro at blooming yeast, be sure that you actually measure the temperature of the water you bloom it in.
  • Use fresh herbs and freshly shredded cheese to take the flavor of your loaf to the next level.
  • A dutch oven is the best pan to use when making this bread recipe. The high heat it produces evaporates the water from the dough. That water is trapped by the lid of the pan. This creates a moist environment for the bread to bake in. A moist environment results in a loaf with a soft interior and a crispy crust.
  • It is important to heat the dutch oven thoroughly before you place the bread in it to bake. The heat from the dutch oven immediately starts to create a crusty layer on the loaf when it is put in the pan. This contributes to the overall crispiness of the final product.
  • Always allow the loaf to fully cool before you slice into it. If it is not cooled completely, the downward motion of the knife will pull the crumb of the loaf together, creating a dense, gummy texture.
  • After the dough has risen and been punched down, you can place it in the refrigerator to be baked later. It will last 1-3 days in the refrigerator.

Variations To Try With This Recipe

It is easy to add ingredients to this recipe to change up the flavor of the bread. Jalapenos, caramelized onion, sun dried tomatoes, olives, dried cranberries, and raisins are all great choices. But use your imagination. The sky is the limit here.

loaf of fresh bread sliced in half

It’s also nice to switch out the cheese every now and then. You can choose a cheese that pairs well with the dish you’re serving it with. Or just go full on with whatever cheese is calling your name that day.

You can use cheddar, gouda, provolone, swiss, blue cheese, or feta. Truth is you can use any cheese that you can successfully mix into the dough. Which really only eliminates cheese spreads. 

Again, the sky is the limit here! And that holds true for the seasonings as well. If you want a different herby flavor profile try some basil, oregano, or sage. 

You might even want to spice it up a bit with a little crushed red pepper. Or try some everything bagel blend to make a great morning loaf.

Ways To Serve Rosemary Parmesan Bread

This bread is great to serve with soup, salad, or as a side with just about anything that’s on the dinner table. Top it with a little garlic butter to amp up it’s flavor even more. Hard to believe the flavor can be amped up. But it can! 

slices of freshly baked bread

It makes a really good bruschetta and a pretty great stuffing too.

You can cube some of it and turn it into croutons. Everybody loves a flavorful crouton. And that’s definitely what you’ll get if you make them with this bread. 

It makes amazing sandwiches. And it takes your grilled cheese game to a whole new level. But one of my favorite ways to eat this tasty bread is with my morning meal.

Toast it up and serve it with eggs made your favorite way, over medium for me. It will compliment just about any omelette nicely. And you can put a few over hard eggs, a little cheese, and any breakfast meat you like between two slices and create a really stellar breakfast sandwich.

How To Store Rosemary Parmesan Bread

This bread stores well in an airtight container. It is not full of preservatives like the bread you pick up on the grocery store shelves. So, it will only last a few days if you leave it out on the counter.

overview of a sliced loaf of freshly baked bread

You can get a few more days out of it by putting it in the refrigerator. That will change the texture of it of course. But, if you’re like me, and you’re on your own with a whole loaf of bread, you can’t possible eat it in just 2-3 days. So, the fridge is your best bet.

I usually leave it on the counter and enjoy it while it’s nice and fresh for a day or two. Then I put it in the fridge and use it over the next few days for things like grilled cheese and toast. 

When I had more people in the house, and the bread was going to be eaten in just a few days, I used to store it in a cloth bread bag. I have a great tutorial on how to make a really nice reversible bento bread bag on the blog. 

Check it out and make your own if you want to go that route. It’s a really great tool to have in the kitchen!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this bread freezes very well too. So don’t be afraid to toss any extra in the freezer. I’ve done it many times when I found that life unexpectedly took a twist, and no one was home to eat the bread before it went bad.

pinnable image for rosemary parmesan bread recipe

If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

You can also show your support by tagging me on Facebook @sustainableslowliving and/or Instagram @slowlivingbydianegail when you post a pic of your finished dish.

sliced loaf of bread on a platter
Yield: 16 slices

Parmesan Rosemary Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Cheesy, herby rosemary parmesan bread that requires minimal hands on time in the kitchen. This is a richly flavored loaf with great texture!

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 c warm water
  • 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3 1/4 c all-purpose flour
  • 1 c shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 tbls dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbls olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place yeast in warm water (100-110 degrees) and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix flour, parmesan cheese, rosemary, and salt together with a whisk.
  3. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is hydrated. Do not overstir.
  4. Cover bowl with a lint free towel and place in a warm spot to allow the dough to rise to double the size. About 1 hour.
  5. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
  6. Shape the dough into a square.
  7. Fold the two upper corners of the dough in toward the center line of the square to form a triangle shape from the upper half of the square.
  8. Roll the dough into a loaf. Starting with the top of the triangle and folding in the sides as you go.
  9. Place the loaf, seam side down, on a piece of parchment paper.
  10. Cover with a lint free towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  11. While the loaf is resting, heat a dutch oven pan in a 400 degree oven.
  12. Place the loaf, along with the parchment paper in the dutch oven. Brush the top of the loaf with olive oil and score it with a knife.
  13. Put a lid on top of the dutch oven and return it to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
  14. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  15. Remove loaf from the dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack.
  16. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.
  17. Slice and ENJOY!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 5g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 7/16/2024. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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