You might remember in a post just a few short weeks ago, I was talking about taking a mental vacation and stubbornly holding on to those last fleeting moments of summer as long as I could. Well, the calendar has officially turned, and I have finally given in. Fall is here, which means it is officially time to start making bread again without the oven turning the entire house into a sauna.
The inspiration struck because Lori made a delicious batch of homemade chicken soup. She made enough that we were guaranteed leftovers for the next night, and since I had a little extra time on my hands, I decided to whip up some fresh bread to go alongside it.
I always love the idea of adding herbs to bread, but I often feel like the flavor gets lost in the baking process and doesn’t really shine through. So, I decided to run an experiment. Using the standard, super-simple recipe that came with my KitchenAid ceramic bread bowl as my base, I swapped out the regular tap water for a steeped, rosemary-infused water to really work that flavor right into the dough.
One of the best things about this specific recipe is how incredibly easy it is. There is no complicated proofing process or fussy yeast checking. You just throw your dry ingredients into the mixer, add your liquid, and let the dough hook do the work. It’s the ultimate low-effort, high-reward recipe.
Once it was in the oven, the house smelled incredible. When Max walked through the door after returning home from school, he took one look at that crusty loaf and immediately asked for a slice. I had to ruthlessly fend him off and tell him he had to wait for dinner! It is always incredibly tempting to slice right into a hot loaf of bread, but you have to resist if you can. If you cut it while it’s still piping hot, the trapped steam escapes and leaves you with a gummy interior. You have to let it cool completely.
When we finally sat down for dinner, the whole family agreed: this one is a winner. It turned out great—perfectly soft on the inside and wonderfully crusty on the outside.
Interestingly enough, my infused water experiment only added a very subtle hint of rosemary flavor to the actual crumb of the bread. However, the parmesan and rosemary blend that I toasted onto the crust delivered a great cheesy flavor with a solid rosemary punch that completely made up for it!
A quick side note on leftovers: I love the way homemade bread toasts up the next day, so I was curious if the heat of the toaster would awaken the rosemary flavor inside the bread. It actually did, bringing it out just the tiniest touch more!
Maybe one day I will experiment with other ways to get the herb flavor buried even deeper into the bread itself, though you never know how that will turn out. Honestly, having too much flavor in the bread combined with that sharp punch of rosemary and parmesan on the crust might push it a little too far over the top. Finding that perfect balance is a kitchen project for another day. For now, I am more than happy with this result, and I’m excited to share the recipe with you!
The Recipe: Rosemary Parmesan Boule
The Ingredients & Prep
• Dry: 3 cups flour, 1 ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp yeast.
• The Infusion: 1 ¾ cups water + 1 tbsp dried rosemary.
• Prep Note: Bring to a rolling boil first, then drop to a simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it steep, and allow it to naturally cool down to 105°F. Straining it and accounting for evaporation should leave you with the 1 ¼ cups of liquid needed. If you come up a touch short after straining, just supplement it with a little extra plain water!
• The Topping: ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese mixed with the strained, steeped rosemary leaves (chill in the fridge to meld while you prep the bread).
The Method
1. Mix: Put the dry ingredients into your mixer with the dough hook on low for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the 105°F infused water. Increase the speed slightly to incorporate until you have a nice, wet, shaggy dough.
2. First Rise: Cover and let the dough rise directly in a ceramic bread bowl for 1 hour.
3. Shape & Fold: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Grab an edge, pull it up, and fold it into the center, dragging a little flour with it. Do a quarter-turn and repeat. Continue for about 3 full rotations until the dough is soft, but no longer sticky.
4. Second Rise: Place the dough back in the bowl for a final 30 minutes.
Into the Oven (450°F)
1. Covered Portion: Tip the dough onto parchment paper placed on the ceramic lid (or inside a Dutch oven). Cook covered for 30 minutes to trap the steam and help the dough puff up nicely.
2. The Topping Warning: Pull the bread completely out of the oven to add the parmesan-rosemary topping. Because the loaf is puffy and round, doing this inside the oven is a guaranteed way to drop cheese on the oven floor and cause a smoke show!
3. Uncovered Portion: Return the bread to the oven, uncovered, for the final 10 minutes to melt the cheese and brown the crust.
4. Cooling: Allow the loaf to cool thoroughly on a wire rack before slicing!