Garlic Parmesan Artisan Bread

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Foolproof garlic parmesan artisan 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! I’m also excited because I get to give away a beautiful Le Creuset oven and a time-saving Kuhn Rikon garlic press. Both of which are staples in my kitchen. Make sure to hop on over to Instagram and enter to win!

We’ve made four variations of this artisan 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!

The recipe below says it only takes an hour and a half to make, but that’s just the “hands-on” time. The dough itself needs 18 hours to rise (and ferment), so please be aware of that! 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 ALWAYS use my Le Creuset 3 ½ quart or 4 ½ quart oven. Both sizes will work. I generally make soup or pasta when I make this bread, so whatever oven I’m not using for that I’ll make the bread in. ?

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! ✨ Of course if you don’t own a Dutch oven, I’ve left a few suggestions down in the notes section.

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 Kuhn Rikon Epicurean 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 ¼″ 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 artisan 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 spread 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! ?

Garlic Parmesan Artisan Bread

Foolproof garlic parmesan artisan bread. It’s crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and loaded with garlic, a hint of rosemary and lots of cheese!

4.8 from 15 votes

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Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 50 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Servings: 1 loaf

Author: Natalie

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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 - shredded parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 tsp. freshly minced rosemary - 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, 1/2 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.