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This rosemary olive oil bread is soft on the inside with a crunchy outer crust
It’s no secret that I love carbs. I don’t think I can ever give it up. Those diets that cut carbs – I probably would die. I can’t go a day without eating pasta, rice, or bread!
I swear there’s not a better smell than walking by a bakery and smelling fresh bread coming out of the oven. I was reading this book, The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Finn last month (which by the way, if you have not read it, I highly suggest you do. It’s a really easy read and it takes you through her journey at the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris), and throughout the book, she talked about walking by all these patisseries and she’d describe the smell of fresh bread coming out of brick ovens. I want to experience that. It just sounds so heavenly and so rustic.
My favorite winter herb is rosemary, hands down. I love the smell of it. It’s so aromatic and smells medicinal to me sometimes. However, let’s not talk about the one time Jason and I killed an ENTIRE rosemary tree in less than a week. Yeah, these are pretty hearty herbs, we were clearly not born with green thumbs. I love getting rosemary and olive oil bread fresh from bakeries. It just smells SO GOOD. I wanted MY house to smell that way and let me tell you – if you make this bread, you will want to live in your oven (ok, not reallllly).
Anyway, make this this winter. It’s so fluffy on the inside and not a super hard crust on the outside. Dip it in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil and I’m pretty sure you’ll want to make a second batch of this.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (236 ml) warm water, 110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoon (4 g) fresh rosemary, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (63 g) bread flour + extra for kneading
- 2 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp. water, whisked
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh rosemary for sprinkling
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let proof for 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add flours, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Mix to combine. Add in the yeast water and olive oil and mix until dough starts to form and starts to pull away from the bowl.
- Knead for 5 minutes with the dough hook. If it feels too sticky, add a bit of flour to it, a tablespoon at a time.
- Once it's been kneaded, place dough in a lightly greased bowl and place in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise for 1 hour.
- After dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and form it into a round loaf. Using a pizza pan (or pizza peel, whatever you have), dust with cornmeal and place loaf on top. Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
- Once the dough has risen, brush the top of it with the egg wash mixture then sprinkle rosemary on top.
- Carefully slide the dough onto the pizza stone (it should slide off very easily with the cornmeal underneath it) and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is nicely browned and there's a hollow sound when tapped.
- Let cool slightly before slicing and dipping in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
NUTRITION FACTS
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
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Christine
Sunday 25th of September 2022
Mine rose up and doubled but then deflated as I was transferring into the oven (even though I was trying to be as careful as possible putting it in there.) All the ingredients were fresh so I'm not sure what I did wrong or how high the loaf was actually supposed to be once baked. Haven't tried yet but still looks and smells amazing.
Barb L
Monday 10th of September 2018
Hi Julie,
Made this recipe yesterday. I loved how it looked and the texture and taste. Also the ease of making. I finished making the first loaf and decided to make a second right after but just added an egg wash on top so that sea salt would stick on top. Also I kept the rest of the recipe exact except I made mine in my Dutch oven for 20 minutes st 480 degrees. I will be making this often. Thank you!
Bernadette
Sunday 26th of March 2017
I used to buy a loaf of this bread at my local grocery store but they don't always have so, I decided to stop being lazy and make my own. I make your recipe once a week now and have it memorized. I do add salt (a personal choice ), and the fresh rosemary is spot on. I enjoy it toasted with butter and honey in the mornings with breakfast. Thank you so much for sharing
Marg
Tuesday 28th of February 2017
I don't have a pizza stone, what else could I use ?
Julie
Thursday 2nd of March 2017
You could turn a baking sheet upside down in the oven while it warms up. I've seen people do that instead of a baking stone.
jemma
Monday 27th of February 2017
What temp do I cook it in?
Julie
Monday 27th of February 2017
It says in step 6. 400 degrees.