Foolproof Garlic Parmesan Bread. It’s crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and loaded with garlic, a hint of rosemary and lots of cheese!
Hello friends!! ? I’m very excited to bring you today’s recipe because it’s one we really, really love!
We’ve made four variations of this artisan Garlic Parmesan Bread now and we can’t seem to get enough. I am by no means a “bread baker” so when I say this recipe is easy and foolproof, I mean it! I can’t really call it no-knead because technically you knead in the garlic, cheese and rosemary, but really it’s just mixing it in. It takes all of 5 minutes to prep the dough and the rest is just following a few steps to ensure the bread bakes up nice and crusty. Want to learn my tips and tricks to making this bakery-style bread at home? Read on!
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Bread
The recipe below says it takes 19 hours and 30 minutes to make, but that includes 18 hours of rise time. It only takes an hour and a half to make, but that’s just the “hands-on” time. You’ll start by combining all-purpose flour (or bread flour if you have it), salt and yeast. Using a dough whisk or a spatula, add the warm water and mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.
When the dough has doubled in size and is covered in bubbles it’s ready to go. Sometimes this process can take up to 24 hours, especially if its winter and your house is really cold, however, in the summer it can take as little as 12 hours.
When the dough is ready, place a Dutch oven (with the lid on) into the oven and turn it on to 450 degrees. Allow it to heat in the oven for 30 minutes. I use either my 3 ½ quart or 4 ½ quart Dutch oven. Both sizes will work. I generally make soup or pasta when I make this bread, so whatever Dutch oven I’m not using for that I’ll make the bread in.
Meanwhile, fold in the garlic, parmesan and rosemary. P.S. I’ve made this recipe twice, once with raw garlic and once with roasted garlic and they were both wonderful. I used my garlic press to make mincing it totally effortless. This is one of my favorite time-saving kitchen gadgets!
Take the dough and tuck the edges under to create a ball. It’ll still be soft and blob-like, that’s ok. Place it on a large square of parchment paper (big enough to cover the bottom of your Dutch oven), then dust the dough with flour, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, at a 90 degree angle, score an X in the top of the loaf. Each score mark should be about 3 ½ inches long and about 1/4″ deep. Scoring the loaf will help prevent unwanted cracks and will help the loaf rise up instead of expand out.
Then, using a mister, spray bottle, or pastry brush, lightly mist (or brush) the top of the bread with water. You don’t want to drench the dough, just give it a nice kiss of moisture. This little trick will help produce steam which will create a nice crisp crust just like I mentioned above.
CAREFULLY remove Dutch oven from the hot oven. Place the dough into it, cover and return it to the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the remaining cheese and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown.
Transfer the loaf bread to a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes so that the crumb inside isn’t gummy. I know it’s a long time to wait (trust me, I’m always tempted to slice into it right away), but it’s definitely worth it!
This garlic parmesan bread has quickly become a staple in our home. It goes great with soup, pasta and just about any kind of roasted meat you can think of. We love adding a bit of my Homemade Garlic Butter to it just to enhance all of the amazing flavor it already has baked into it. I hope my tips and tricks will inspire you to make a loaf of your own. You’ve totally got this!
Bread Storage Tips
- For the best moisture retention, slice your bread loaf from the center instead of from one end, then store the loaf in an airtight container with the two cut halves facing each other and pressed together.
- If you wrap the loaf in plastic or foil, it will help retain the moisture and keep the bread soft, but crusty artisan bread will lose its crisp crust.
- To preserve a crisp crust, you can store crusty loaves unwrapped at room temperature for a day or so, just make sure the cut side is down on the cutting board.
- If you can’t eat all of the bread quickly, then to store for more than a couple of days, wrap bread slices in plastic and then freeze them. Before serving, thaw and reheat the individual slices by either toasting them or warming them in the oven.
Why use a Dutch oven for making bread?
- The Dutch oven can withstand high baking temperatures.
- The heat inside the Dutch oven is distributed more evenly than in a conventional oven.
- When the dough is put inside the hot Dutch oven, humidity (steam) keeps the crust soft longer. It expands during the early stages of baking which results in a tall, round loaf.
- The steam also ensures that the bread’s crust will be crackly and blistered with bubbles.
It turns out perfect every time! It’s pretty magical!
Here are More Delicious Bread Recipes to Try:
- Easy Focaccia Bread
- 4 Ingredient No-Knead Artisan Bread
- Irish Soda Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Artisan Bread
- Cheese Breadsticks
- Brazilian Cheese Bread
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Garlic Parmesan Bread Recipe
Recommended Products
Ingredients
- 3¼ c. all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. coarse kosher sea salt
- ½ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1½ c. + 2 tbsp. warm water
- 6 cloves garlic - fresh or roasted, minced
- 1 c. freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese - divided
- 1/4 tsp. rosemary - freshly minced and (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, salt and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooded spoon, gradually add the water, stir until incorporated. Mix the dough gently and form into a rough ball.
- Transfer to a large clean (ungreased) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free area at room temperature until surface of dough is covered with tiny bubbles and the dough has more than doubled in size (This usually takes about 18 hours or so, however, it still turns out great with just 12 hours of rise time).
- When the dough is ready, place a Dutch oven into the oven and turn it on to 450 degrees. Allow it to heat in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, knead in minced garlic, ½ cup of cheese and rosemary. Transfer the dough to a large square of parchment paper (big enough to cover the bottom of your Dutch oven). Lightly dust dough with flour, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, at a 90 degree angle, score an X in the top of the loaf. Each score mark should be about 3 1/2 inches long and about ¼” deep. Using a mister, spray bottle, clean toothbrush or pastry brush, lightly mist (or brush) the top of the bread with water.
- Carefully remove Dutch oven from the oven. Place the shaped dough into it, cover and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the top is nice and dark (but not burnt). Remove from the oven and transfer the loaf bread to a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing to prevent a gummy crumb.
Very good!!
Thanks for giving it a try!
I am wondering if I should add more flour. My dough spreads out flat on the parchment and isn’t holding any type of shape at all. I even added a bit of flour but I think I need to see a picture or read a description of how it should look before the long rising stage and before the parchment paper.
There is a good image of the shaped dough on this recipe: https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/4-ingredient-no-knead-artisan-bread/. If your dough is wet, make sure your hands and work surface are lightly dusted with flour and add a tablespoon of flour at a time while you are kneading it until it is firm enough to shape into a ball. Good Luck!
This recipe absolutely did not work for me. I make the no-knead Dutch oven rustic bread recipes all the time. I normally make the ones that do not require an overnight rise. I thought so little yeast could be the issue? I won’t be making this again.
I’m sorry to hear the bread recipe didn’t work out for you. Thanks for your feedback!
thanks for sharing
You are welcome! Let me know how you like it!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love Artisan bread and this is just a step up!