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This Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread takes 5 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to shape and it looks like it comes from an artisan bakery! Oh, and it's ridiculously delicious too!
When my husband (who has an award-winning sweet tooth) says that he would prefer an extra slice of bread instead of dessert, you know it's a huge hit. And when that bread happens to be this Easy Rosemary Bread that takes 5 minutes to prep, 10 minutes to shape and looks like it comes from an artisan bakery, it kind of makes you feel like you've won the lottery!
I was going to call this recipe Easy Rosemary Sea Salt Bread instead of Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread, as it has a delightful topping of flaky sea salt along with the rosemary. But it's so easy to make that I knew it had to be added to our Ridiculously Easy Series.
Ridiculously Easy
Here at The Café, a recipe has to have certain characteristics to earn that prestigious Ridiculously Easy moniker. Here are the game rules:
- The recipe has to take minimal effort and time to put together. (Resting or chilling time is not necessarily taken into consideration.)
- It also has to produce fabulous results, ie, results that "appear" to have taken lots of time, talent, prowess and/or hard work.
- Ridiculously Easy recipes have to work well on those busy days when time is short and expectations are high.
- And lastly, ridiculously easy recipes are the ones that are perfect for entertaining, mostly because of the first two characteristics. They take the stress out of dinner parties and gatherings of families and/or friends and allow you more time to enjoy your guests (but really, are super simple, something anyone can do) and make you look like a kitchen rock star. 🙌🙌🙌
This Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread ticks all the boxes. It takes less than 5 minutes to stir up the dough; just combine flour, salt, yeast and water - no special temperature for the water, no yeast worries. Stir the mixture well, cover and go to bed. In the morning it will have risen nicely and will be all set to shape.
To shape the dough, turn it out on a floured surface and knead it for a minute or two, just until it's no longer sticky. Then shape into 2 or 3 round balls and place them on a sheet pan. Brush the loaves with butter and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh rosemary. Pop the pan in a hot oven and wait for the heavenly aroma. Wipe the drool off your mouth as you pull the loaves from the oven. That's it! See what I mean? Easy. Ridiculously easy.
Are you a doubting Thomas? I probably would be skeptical too, if this wasn't my recipe that I've made a zillion easy times. So we created a video to show you the easy technique:
This recipe was adapted from my Unbelievably Easy Artisan Rolls recipe. I've had so many comments and emails from readers who love those rolls that I decided another recipe needed to evolve. I've always loved the little rosemary loaves they serve at Macaroni Grill, so I opted to adapt the recipe in that direction.
This Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread differs from the Macaroni Grill bread, however, in that it's more rustic and artisan. But it does have the same delicious flavor profile with a fabulous rosemary and sea salt topping. It's crisper on the outside with a wonderful, chewy interior.
You probably have everything you need to make this Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread other than fresh rosemary. If you don't have the rosemary in your fridge or garden, run out and get some before you go to bed. Once you're home, it will only take 5 minutes before you go night-night to stir together this dough.
When the amazing fragrance fills your kitchen in the morning, you'll be so happy you made the trip. And who knows? You might just also have partakers who would forfeit dessert (really?) for just one more slice of this fabulous Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread! Serve it warm with some delicious butter and the meal may go on and on...
Café Tips for making this Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread
- This recipe calls for bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose, usually 11-13%. It gives bread a slightly higher rise and a bit more chewiness. Honestly, I've used both all-purpose and bread flour for this recipe - there's not a ton of difference in the results. So if you have bread flour, go ahead and use it, but you'll also have delicious bread using all-purpose flour.
- The dough can be divided into 2 or 3 portions, depending on how large you want the loaves to be. If I'm using them for a dinner bread, I like to make 3 loaves. For sandwiches, a little larger loaf is nice so I make two loaves.
- This dough is fairly wet and sticky right out of the bowl. Be sure to use plenty of flour on the work surface. A baker's scraper or dough scraper comes in very handy to turn the dough and coat it with flour so it's not so sticky.
- It's important to have a good bread knife when cutting artisan breads like this Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread. In contrast to a good chef's knife, a bread knife has to be replaced every 3-4 years, depending on how much you use it. They just don't stay sharp and can't be sharpened easily like other knives. So it's not worth spending a lot of money on a bread knife. The good thing is that good quality bread knives can be purchased for between fifteen and twenty dollars, way less than a good quality chef's knife! I have this Dexter-Russel breadknife as well as this Tojiro Bread Slicer and I'm really happy with both of them.
- If serving for dinner, I like to pop this Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread back in the oven and get the crust nice and crispy. About 10 minutes at 350˚F will do the trick!
- Before baking, be sure to thoroughly cover the surface of the loaves with butter. If you miss spots the color of the finished loaves will be spotty.
- I like to use fresh rosemary in this recipe, but if you're in a pinch, you could use dry rosemary.
- A depth of flavor and nice artisan texture is achieved by the long, slow rise in this Easy Rosemary Bread recipe. That being said, if you don't have overnight or 8-12 hours to make this bread, a few adaptations can be made to speed up the process:
- Replace the regular active dry yeast with instant yeast.
- Use hot tap water instead of room temperature water.
- Find a warm, cozy place for the dough to rise. I often preheat my oven for one minute then turn it off and leave the light on to create a warm place for my dough to rise. Another option is to bring a cup of water to a boil in the microwave then add the bowl of dough. It will take about an hour for the dough to rise, making these adaptations. Then proceed with step 3 in the recipe directions.
Thought for the day:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
This Ridiculously Easy Rosemary Bread definitely earns its ridiculously easy name but, even better... it's ridiculously delicious!
- 4 cups bread flour plus extra for shaping
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast traditional
- 1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped rosemary
- 2 cups room temperature tap water
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt for topping
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary for topping
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In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, yeast and rosemary. Make a well in the center and add the water. Mix with a sturdy rubber spatula until all flour is incorporated. Don’t worry, the dough will be wet and sticky, that’s how it should be.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise at room temperature overnight or for up to 12 hours.
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The following morning (or after 8-12 hours), the dough will have risen, but it may still look shaggy and its surface will be covered with bubbles. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
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Spread a generous ¼ cup of flour on a work surface. Dump the dough out onto the floured surface and turn it several times to coat with flour. I like to use a bench or baker's scraper for this. Knead the dough for one minute, adding more flour to the work surface as needed.
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Divide the dough into 2 or 3 fairly equal portions, turning each piece in the flour to coat. (The bench scraper is also great for cutting the dough).
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Shape each piece into a ball, pulling edges under and pinching together to make a smooth rounded top. Place loaves on prepared pan, smooth side up. If the dough is sticky as you’re shaping, just roll the piece in more of the flour.
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Brush each loaf all over with melted butter. Sprinkle generously with finely chopped rosemary and sea salt.
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Allow bread to rise for about 20 minutes while the oven is preheating. Don't worry if the dough flattens a little while it's resting. It will puff up nicely in the oven.
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Transfer pan to the oven. Bake 23-28 minutes or until nicely golden. Transfer bread to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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If making in advance, remove from oven when pale golden brown (about 3-4 minutes less). Cool completely, then freeze on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer each loaf to a large ziplock bag and store in the freezer.
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To serve, allow bread to thaw, then heat for 8-10 minutes at 325˚F or until nicely golden brown.
See Café Tips above in most for more detailed instructions.
Recipe adapted from these Unbelievably Easy Artisan Rolls which was adapted from Alexandra Cooks.
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Patricia says
I made this bread today; just had a slice and it tastes great by itself. Only challenge I had was that the dough was way too soft and sticky after rising and even after I added quite a bit of flour. I also left it in the oven probably seven to ten minutes overtime. Not burnt though, and we'll baked. I would definitely make again but believe that I should slightly reduce the amount of water.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Patricia, the amount of flour can be quite variable, depending on the type of flour you use, the way you measure the flour and even the humidity in the area where you live. That's why I shared in the Café Tips that it will be a wet, sticky dough and to be sure to use plenty of flour to be able to handle it and form the loaves. I'm glad you enjoyed the bread despite the problems!
vered jacobs says
Heloooo !!! thank you you for the recipe
I've made the dough last night at about 8 pm and only shaped it in the morning about 10 am
it was so sticky .. doesn't matter how much flour I've put it was way too sticky
is that ok ?
what was I doing wrong ?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Vered, it is a sticky dough but if you roll it in flour to coat on all sides it should be fine to handle. If it's sticky when you're forming the loaves, just keep turning it in some flour and you'll be fine. Enjoy!
Carol says
Actually the yeast I’m using is instant yeast, not rapid rise. I guess there’s a slight difference, but I often use the terms interchangeably. So my question is, should I cut back on the amount of yeast in this recipe if I’m substituting instant yeast for traditional yeast and allowing it to rise for 12 hours?
Chris Scheuer says
HI Carol, I have let this rise overnight and used the same amount of yeast with good success!
Carol says
If I use rapid rise yeast and allow the dough to rise for 12 hours, would it be better to cut back to 1/2 tsp of yeast? Most of the other overnight, slow rise recipes I’ve tried (with rapid rise yeast) only called for 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of yeast.
Debbie says
Just baked two loaves this morning and they are a lovely golden brown. My concern is in my own at 425*, the tops were golden in only 20-21 min and was I worried the inside wasn't baked through. Actually put it back in for at least 3 more minutes but didn't want to over bake. My oven must run hot. What should do I next time? Taking 1 loaf and meal to someone who had a recent surgery so hoping they baked through. They smell wonderful so crossing my fingers. Debbie
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Debbie, every oven is a little different but I think you'll be fine. If the outside is nice and golden it should be done inside. Next time you could go with a slightly lower temp or just bake for less time like you did this time.
Aly says
I have a small family and 2-3 loaves is way too much gor us. Can I divide this in half and make a single loaf?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you definitely can make a half portion. But just so you know, these are fairly small loaves of bread.
You could also make the whole recipe and freeze what you can't eat right away. Either way will work!
Aspen says
I absolutely adore this recipe, but just recently moved to a tiny apartment with no oven 🙁 Is there any way this recipe could be adapted to be made/baked in a bread machine? I'm new to baking so I don't really know how I could go about it without messing it up.
Chris Scheuer says
Hello Aspen, I don't have a bread machine so I am not the best one to ask for advice regarding this. I would think that you could just mix up the dough with the machine and then let it do its thing but as I said, I don't have a lot of experience with bread machines.
Shweta M says
I recently started making breads and I came across this recipe which was so easy to make and the result was mind blowing. My husband who was sceptical for proofing bread for long time was so mesmerized with the bread that he ate half of it. Thank you for the recipe. I hope you make more easy recipes like these.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know, Shweta!
Cheryl says
LOVE this bread! Wondering if you've tried this same recipe with different herbs and had success?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Cheryl! Yes, you could definitely use other herbs!
Kinli says
I’ve NEVER been successful making bread. This was perfect! I look like a pro!
Chris Scheuer says
I love that, Kinli! Thanks so much for letting us know!
Kathie says
Love, love, love this bread. Have made it several times. Having a neighborhood gathering soon and would like to know if I can double this recipe and achieve the same results. Many thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Kathie! You can definitely double this recipe. Enjoy!
Meggin says
Been making this recipe for a few months now, it’s very similar to one I used to make from my grandmother years back. I have tried a variety of other herbs even added puréed tomato and minded basil and it was amazing! It’s easy, quick and always a family favorite. Dividing the loaf into 2 or 3 is genius. The only trouble I am still trying to perfect is how to store the bread so it stays nice and crisp on the outside without turning soft and kind of sticky after day one… One loaf doesn’t usually last past three days so it’s not a huge setback but I’m open to suggestions. Currently letting bread completely cool and then placing in a sealed bag.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad you're enjoying the bread, Meggin! Thanks for letting us know! That's how I would store it for a day or so. Any longer I would stick it in the freezer. It will thaw very quickly and be perfectly fresh.
Darlene Schwartz says
Fantastic, delicious, EASY recipe!! I made two loaves and they were a huge success. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much, Darlene!
Dianna Ragula says
If I make this the night before can I wait until lunchtime to cook it? That would be well over 12 hours.
Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that will work fine, Dianna. It's a very forgiving dough. You could also make them earlier and the re-warm right before serving.
Sheryl says
New to this site and very pleased with what I see. Looking forward to making this bread soon!
Chris Scheuer says
Welcome! Thanks, Sheryl!
Amanda says
I've never made bread before this week, but have now made this twice! So easy and super delicious. I made croutons out of the day-old first loaf which turned out great as well.
Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe!!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! I'm so glad you had success with this recipe, Amanda!
Bonnie says
Wow, this was so good! I was a little worried about t the flat blobs of dough before they went in the oven, but they baked up beautifully! I mixed the dough in the morning and baked it for dinner to accompany soup. Thank you for a wonderful and easy homemade bread recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Bonnie!
Pat from Canada says
My daughter-in-law is always asking me for this bread - she absolutely loves it! (as do the rest of the family, and friends). I have always used rapid instant yeast and let it rise overnight, but thought I should try cutting back the rise time - how many hours would you suggest. Or I can just pick up some of the traditional yeast and try that.
Thanks for a heavenly loaf.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Pat, I’m so happy you and your family have enjoyed this bread. It’s fine to use the rapid-rise yeast and let it go overnight. The slower rise gives the bread nice flavor.
That being said, if you wanted to make the bread in less time, you can let it rise on the counter. The time will depend on the warmth of your kitchen.
Polly says
Can I bake these rounds in my small dutch ovens without using the lid?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Polly, I haven't tested this recipe using a Dutch oven but I think that should work fine.
Kate says
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making again. I was a bit nervous working with such a slack dough but plenty of flour did the trick. Mine didn't rise quite as tall as the pictures....maybe needed more working? Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kate!
Kathleen Fortun says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I make this bread all the time in 4 equal size loafs for my husband and I! It’s so simple and I love that it rises as I sleep. I love fresh rosemary but I add garlic salt on top and it’s just delicious! I make a batch once a month and we usually eat it with a pasta dish. Though my husband loves to eat as toast in the mornings and I found topping it with fresh avocado seasoned with salt and pepper is delicious!
I was wondering if I were to make rolls or dinner rolls how long should I bake them? 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kathleen, thanks so much for sharing your review. I'm so happy you've enjoyed this bread!
Regarding your question about rolls, I would check them after 12-14 minutes and then frequently after that until they are a nice golden color.
Ligia says
I bake this morning the bread and it was delicious, but not perfect, I think I have a problem with my oven, because I have gas oven and I baked the bread about for 45 min because it wasn't on top brown and I was afraid that the bread would not be baked..I'm still learning how to work with this oven to make a perfect bread, probably that's the reason why my bread didn't turn out as I expected to be. But I like the taste of rosemary in bread! Thank you for helping me with measurements so fast! Be blessed!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Ligia!
Sammy T says
This bread is incredible! I have made it for my husband and to give away - always a hit! We like to dip it in olive oil balsamic vinegar with some cracked pepper. So lovely!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad! Thanks, Sammy!
Marilyn says
OMG! The bread is amazing! And I love having the three loaves! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad! Thanks, Marilyn!
Brian says
This is a great recipe which produces a delicious loaf. As sad as it is, I may not be able to finish it over a few days. What is the best method to store it to ensure freshness after a couple of days?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Brian, I like to slice it and freeze it in a zippered bag. That way I can just pull out one or two pieces when I need them.
Susan says
Can you leave the easy bread recipe to rise in refrigerator overnight? Left a message earlier, but could not tell if for the correct recipe. It is the easy rosemary bread recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan, since this is a slow-rise recipe, it's better to leave it to rise overnight at room temperature. I'm afraid you won't get much rise in the refrigerator with the small amount of yeast.