Rustic Rosemary Sourdough Bread

Rosemary Sourdough Bread

Rosemary sourdough bread is my favorite herbaceous sourdough to bake, and I never knew I liked it until I bought a loaf of rosemary sourdough from the whole foods bakery.

One week I was behind on my baking, so I picked up a loaf from the store, which was so vibrant and delicious. But at 6 dollars a loaf, I knew I had to recreate it and bake it myself at home.

Rosemary Sourdough

My rosemary sourdough recipe is a simple sourdough boule recipe with fresh rosemary added in. I use my active, bubbly sourdough starter, organic bread flour from Lindley Mills, unrefined sea salt, and fresh rosemary.

I think it’s essential to use fresh rosemary for the best flavor. You can use dried rosemary, but fresh gives you a more vibrant flavor.

What to Pair with Rosemary Sourdough Bread

This is a perfect bread to pair with fall and winter meals. Rosemary sourdough goes well with almost any soup, stew, roast, or braise. Here are some of my favorite meals to pair with freshly baked rosemary sourdough:

• Tomato Braised Kale and Chickpeas with Chard
• Rustic Scallop Shrimp and Corn Bisque
• Instant Pot Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup with Chickpeas
• Jammy Eggs with Greek Yogurt and Miso Butter

Making Sourdough Rosemary Bread

Here are some things you will need to make this delicious rustic rosemary sourdough:

• Sourdough Starter: We have an easy sourdough starter recipe HERE. You’ll need to start this seven days before baking or two days before if you use our quick recipe option! I like to feed my starter 100% rye flour or a 50/50 all-purpose rye mix.
• Flour: I use bread flour or unbleached all-purpose for my dutch oven sourdough boule.
• Water: You can use tap water to bake bread; I do. But if you prefer bottled or filtered, that works too!
• Salt: Unrefined sea salt, please! Just make sure your sea salt is unrefined and free from anticaking agents.
• Spray Bottle Filled with Fresh Water: This is a must-have for stretching and folding the dough.
• Dutch Oven: a 6-quart dutch oven with a lid works best for this recipe. I have a milo and I love it.
• Proofing Basket: You can use a proofing basket like this one or a bowl with a tea towel coated in flour.

Sourdough

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Rustic Rosemary Sourdough Bread

Rustic and herbaceous rosemary sourdough bread is easy to bake and pairs well with most dinners. Try my sourdough rosemary bread with soups, stews, or braises for a warm winter meal.

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• Prep: 30 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 500 Grams Organic Bread Flour 
• 300 grams Water
• 100 grams Sourdough Starter
• 10–15 grams Sea Salt 
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Instructions

1. It’s best to start the sourdough process by 9am. These directions are for a room temperature of about 74-76 F. If it is colder in your home, the process will take longer. If it is warmer, it will be faster.
2. In a large bowl, combine the starter, flour, salt, rosemary, and water. 
3. Knead the ingredients together until a uniform dough ball forms. 
4. Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
5. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. 
6. Stretch and Fold 1: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
7. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 2 hours. 
8. Stretch and Fold 2: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
9. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 2 hours. 
10. Stretch and Fold 3: Using a spray bottle filled with water, mist your clean countertop again. Wet your hands and wet the top of the dough ball with the spray bottle. Turn the dough out onto the wet counter surface. Scrape out the bowl and rinse the inside of the bowl really well. Leave the bowl wet. 
11. Stretch and fold the dough. Stretch the top of the dough over the bottom, side over side, and bottom over top. Place the dough back in the bowl with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 2 hours. You should see the dough double in size at this point. If that has not happened, wait longer before moving on to shaping.
12. Clean and dry the counter surface you’re working on. Sprinkle some flour on the surface of your counter and coat your hands in a bit of flour. Gently flip the dough out onto the floured surface so that it is seam-side up. 
13. Pre-shape: Gently stretch out the dough, and fold it again. Fold side over side and top over bottom. Then flip the dough over so that the seam side is down on the counter. Tuck under any parts of the dough you need to form a nice circular shape.  Leave the dough on the counter,  sprinkle some flour on the top of the dough, and cover with a tea towel. 
14. Let the dough rest for 1 hour. 
15. Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of your pre-shaped dough and on the counter around the dough. With your hands coated in flour, flip the dough over so that the seam side is up again. 
16. Gently stretch out the dough, and fold it again. Fold side over side and top over bottom. Then flip the dough over so that the seam side is down on the counter. Tuck under any parts of the dough you need to form a nice circular loaf shape. This is the final shaping so take your time with it. 
17. Coat a proofing basket with flour and bread toppings (optional). You can also use a bowl lined with a towel and a generous amount of flour. 
18. Flour your hands and swiftly pick up and flip your dough into the basket. Smooth side down, seam side up. 
19. Cover and place in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours. 
20. After the 8-12 hours in the fridge, preheat your dutch oven with the lid, in your oven at 450 degrees F. 
21. Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove your dutch oven and place the lid to the side. *Don’t forget that it’s very hot!*
22. Cut a large square of parchment paper and place it on the counter. Turn your dough out onto the paper so that the seam side is down and touching the parchment paper. 
23. Score the dough using a very sharp knife or a scoring tool. 
24. Picking up all four corners of the parchment paper, move your dough into the dutch oven. 
25. Place the lid on the dutch oven and bake at 450 F for 30 minutes. 
26. After baking covered, remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes at 450 F. 
27. Remove your finished loaf from the dutch oven and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour. 

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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