RUSTIC ROSEMARY BREAD — This simple yeast bread is infused with fresh rosemary and sprinkled with sea salt for a beautiful loaf that goes well with almost any meal.
I’ve always loved the aroma and flavor of fresh rosemary in a homemade loaf of bread, which is probably why this simple Rustic Rosemary Bread is one of my favorites.
It’s so simple to make (rustic means you don’t have to worry about ending up with a perfectly shaped loaf!), and it goes well with pretty much any meal.
I’ve been using your recipe as my base for rustic bread for the past few weeks. It’s just perfect! I experiment adding garlic, olives, etc. to the mix – always turns out great. ~ Cook
If you have a Macaroni Grill in your area and you’ve ever had the focaccia bread they serve with every meal, this tastes a lot like that. So basically, it’s amazing!
Our Macaroni Grill closed a few years ago, so I’m really glad I can still make this bread at home!
Of course, the danger with bread this good is always that you’ll eat too much and not have room for the main course. But this crusty, aromatic bread is just so hard to resist.
And the smell while it’s baking is just heavenly, thanks to the fresh rosemary! The only thing better than the smell of fresh baking bread is slathering a piece with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven.
This recipe does make two small loaves, which is perfect for my bread-loving family. The dog got a hold of an entire loaf–turns out she loves it too.
This is by far the easiest recipe for rosemary bread I have found. All the other sites were way too chatty about the bread. Making this tonight for company. ~ Elaine
And honestly, by teen and young adult boys could probably each finish off a loaf on their own and still have room for dinner.
If you’d like to serve this bread restaurant style, pour some olive oil on a plate then add some salt, pepper and fresh herbs. then tear apart the bread and dip it in the savory oil mixture. So good!
If you’re only cooking for one or two, you might want to half the recipe. But honestly, I’d just make both loaves of this Rustic Rosemary Bread and freeze one for later–if it lasts until later!
Be sure to save this recipe for Rustic Rosemary Bread to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Rustic Rosemary Bread
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Olive oil
- Flour
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt
Rustic Rosemary Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast or a .25 oz. packet
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Sea salt for sprinkling on loaves (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper and olive oil for serving
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together the water, yeast and sugar until yeast has dissolved. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, or until yeast is foamy.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 cups flour, the rosemary and the salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add in 1 cup more flour and mix on medium speed until smooth an elastic, adding additional flour as needed if dough is sticking to bowl. Cover bowl and allow to rest in a warm place until more than doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Grease a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into an oval by folding and tucking the edges into the center.
- Transfer the loaves to the prepared baking sheet, seem sides down. Allow to rest, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 degrees during last 10 minutes of rising.
- Bake loaves in the preheated oven 10 minutes, the remove from oven and brush loaves with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. If desired sprinkle tops with coarse salt. Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes longer until golden brown.
- Serve warm with a mixture of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper for dipping, if desired.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Cooking Classy
32 comments
Kathleen Monast
I made this bread twice and really couldn’t make it work. The first time I followed the recipe exactly as written. The dough was almost runny and despite a longer-than-expected duration of kneading, it stayed runny. I had to use a dough hook because I was in a cast, but I had to hand knead to be best of my ability in order to get it to the right consistency. The resulting rounds were small, and the flavor was very good.
The second time I used new yeast, about an extra cup of flour, and doubled the recipe to get larger rounds. I had the same runny dough and this time had to knead it on the board using a spatula (because of my cast). There was a small rise, poor consistency, and the flavor was still good.
I don’t know the secret here and won’t try again.
Sandra Ward
This is the best Rosemary bread ever, and so easy!!
Question- using a stand mixer, can I double the recipe ok?
This only makes 2 smaller loaves, and gets devoured instantly!! Baked yesterday thinking I would have 2nd loaf with dinner tonight… no, gone!!
Thank you for posting recipe!!
Cindy M
This is my “go-to” bread recipe for giving to friends, neighbors and family. When I made it over the holidays, I noted a big difference when I bought new flour. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose had better texture and flavor.
Krista Marcy
Hi! Could you use bread flour instead of all purpose?
Thank you:)
Shawntae Smith
Could this recipe be used for rolls?
Frances Spires
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! Do you think instead of making two loaves I could just make one and put it in a loaf pan? For sandwiches.
Danelle
I’ve never thought of trying that. I’d love to know how it goes if you do!!
Tina
Came out beautifully! Followed the recipe to a tee and they are gorgeous! Thank you for the recipe!
Aika R.
Made this just now and it is delicious!! What do you think is the best way to store it (short-term and long-term)? I don’t think I should eat both loaves even though my pregnant body wants to lol!
Danelle
Long term you could probably freeze it. Short term, maybe a big zip-top bag. Watch that the crust isn’t getting too soft though.
Bridget
Can I swap out the active yeast for instant yeast? How would it change the amount/process? New at bread baking. Thanks!
Danelle
I use them interchangeably.
Julie
Absolutely beautiful bread.
So easy and so tasty.
I just love it.
Kathleen Lesly
Using dried rosemary for an order I had unexpectedly. I live in Ecuador and bake for gringos mostly. Expanding as I go. KateBakes uncalled.
Brittany
Perfection! Kneaded by hand and the dough was pretty sticky, but it got there eventually! I wasn’t sure how the fresh herbs would affect the bake, but it’s excellent. Cracked some coarse sea salt over the top—when it came out of the oven it was devoured in seconds. Definitely a keeper!
Whitney
Absolutely love this bread! I’ve made it a few times so far. It’s a big hit with family and friends. Only hard part is trying not to eat them both myself in one sitting!
Emily
I made this for Easter Dinner yesterday. I added a bit of roasted garlic (because why not). It was phenomenal and a huge hit. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Will definitely be making again, probably doubling the batch to freeze for later! Thank you!
Taylor Skye
I want to make this but I have an electric hand mixer without a baking paddle. Could that work or should I just kned it?
Danelle
So glad you loved it!
Cheyenne
This was my first time making homemade bread and it was amazing! I’ve gotten very picky about breads after working in bakeries for years, and this one is perfect, fully exceeded my expectations for my first try at making bread. Also love just how easy this recipe is! I realized after I started making the bread that I didn’t have rosemary, so I used a few tbsps of dried thyme instead and it turned out lovely. Can’t wait to grab some fresh rosemary from the store and make this again!
Abigail Contreras
Wow this bread is amazing! My whole house smells like rosemary and I devoured a big piece when it was hot out of the oven. Thank you!
Danelle
Thank you!
Cari
Yum yum yum! I had bought a rosemary plant just so I could try this bread. I was not disappointed! Enjoying it hot out of the oven now. It was my first time making a rustic bread, it is so easy. Thank you!
Danelle
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
Elaine Williams
This is by far the easiest recipe for rosemary bread I have found. All the other sites were way too chatty about the bread. Making this tonight for company.
Cook1
Hi!
I’ve been using your recipe as my base for rustic bread for the past few weeks. It’s just perfect! I experiment adding garlic, olives, etc. to the mix – always turns out great.
I do want to note that I use King Arthur’s all purpose flour, which has a higher percentage of gluten than most AP flours (closer to bread flour) – I haven’t tested this with other AP flours. I’m sure it’s delicious, still!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Danelle
You’re welcome! And thanks for sharing your tips!
ZazaCook
I love bread! Yours is so fantastic and sounds so good!
Kim - Liv Life
Positively tempting!! I haven’t made bread in a while, but my daughter adores toasted rosemary versions. I think I see a loaf of this in my future this weekend!
Lauren
This looks amazing! I’ve only recently been introduced to the amazingness that is rosemary and I can’t wait to try this as soon as I get more! 🙂
Teresa
I love rosemary in bread and this sure looks scrumptious.
Danelle
Thanks so much Teresa!