No-Knead Rosemary Sourdough Bread Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jul 5, 2024 • 6 min read
Fragrant rosemary and tangy ferment play off one another in this bold, crusty rosemary sourdough bread. It’s a no-knead recipe that elevates the classic sourdough to new savory heights.
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What Is Rosemary Sourdough Bread?
Rosemary sourdough bread is a naturally leavened bread flavored with fresh rosemary leaves. Artisan bread dipped in fruity, green olive oil is a flavorful treat, especially if the oil is herb-infused. Rosemary sourdough bread brings all of these elements together with a hint of sea salt for an added savory bite.
Use the loaf as sandwich bread to elevate any lunch, serve it with ribollita (Tuscan white bean soup) for a cozy winter meal, or tear it up into craggy pieces for an earthy and flavorful Thanksgiving stuffing.
How Long Does It Take to Make Sourdough Bread?
Sourdough bread is a multiday project. If you already have a healthy sourdough starter, a basic no-knead bread will take about two days to make. On the first day, you’ll add your sourdough starter to flour and water and let it ferment in the refrigerator overnight. On the second day, you’ll shape, proof, and bake the bread. If you haven’t made a starter, you’ll need to add at least another day to your timeline.
What Tools Do You Need to Make Rosemary Sourdough Bread?
Investing in these five tools will make the baking process much more manageable. Here they are, in order of when you’ll need them:
- Kitchen scale: Although it’s possible to measure bread ingredients with cups, the accuracy of a scale helps keep things consistent.
- Dough scraper: The deep, wide blade of a scraper helps divide your bread dough and gently move it from one surface to another.
- Dutch oven or combo cooker: Baking bread in a Dutch oven lets you steam the bread at the beginning of the bake, getting the best rise and forming a nice crust. Some bakers prefer a cast iron “combo cooker,” which features a Dutch oven and a lid that doubles as a pan.
- Proofing or banneton baskets: Banneton baskets, made with cane, have ridges that support the dough. Their design lets the dough rise while giving the loaves a consistent shape. Alternatively, use mixing bowls lined with a clean cloth for proofing bread.
- Razor blade: You’ll need a very sharp tool to successfully score, or create a slit in the top of the dough, which allows it to expand during baking. While you can find tools explicitly made for this purpose (called lames), a razor blade or very sharp knife will work fine. When scoring, take care not to over-manipulate your bread. Here’s how to score sourdough bread properly.
4 Tips for Baking Rosemary Sourdough Bread
These tips will help you keep your sourdough starter fresh and bubbly and give your bread dough a light, airy crumb.
- 1. Refresh your starter as often as possible. If you wait too long to feed your starter, the wild yeast won’t be strong enough to get the bread to rise. To refresh your starter, discard all but two tablespoons of your starter. Mix a fresh batch of warm water and flour (100 grams of each) and combine with the remaining starter. Repeat one to three times a day. Keep your starter in the fridge so that it requires less refreshing but feed it at least once a week and take it out of the refrigerator the day before you plan to bake. Refrigeration slows down fermentation, and you want your starter to be very active when it’s time to bake.
- 2. Use the starter when it’s most active. For a refrigerated starter, plan on feeding it about three times before baking. To test your starter’s readiness, drop a spoonful in a cup of room-temperature water. If it floats, it’s ready.
- 3. Be gentle with your dough. A stand mixer will deflate the dough, so your hands are your best tools for shaping rosemary sourdough bread. Handle the dough as little as possible to preserve the air pockets.
- 4. Customize your bread. Along with the rosemary, try adding thyme, caraway seeds, or other sturdy herbs, seeds, and spices that hold up well to heat.
No-Knead Rosemary Sourdough Bread Recipe
makes
2 loavesprep time
1 hrtotal time
2 hr 30 mincook time
1 hr 30 minIngredients
Note: The total time does not include 12 hours of inactive time.
Day 1
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter with 100 grams of whole-wheat flour, 100 grams of all-purpose flour, and 200 grams of warm water.
- 2
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm place overnight. (In bread terms, this is the autolyse method.)
- 3
In a large bowl, combine the remaining whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour with the rye or spelt flour and 750 grams of warm water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight.
Day 2
- 1
Add half of the leaven (sourdough starter) to the soaked grains.
- 2
Stir to combine them, and let the mixture rest for 20 minutes.
- 3
Set aside the leftover leaven: This can become your new sourdough starter for the next time you want to bake.
- 4
Combine the salt with 50 grams of warm water and add it to the dough.
- 5
Add the rosemary and olive oil to the dough, and allow the whole mixture to rest for 20 minutes.
- 6
Fold (don’t knead) the dough, using a wet hand to reach under the dough, pulling the bottom of the dough up, and folding it up over itself. This technique will give your sourdough loaf a better texture than kneading with a mixer or by hand.
- 7
Rotate the bowl in four quarter turns, folding after each turn. Repeat this process every 30–45 minutes for 4–5 hours, leaving the dough seam-side down after each time. (A pen and paper can come in handy to count down each fold.)
- 8
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
- 9
Using a bench scraper, divide the dough in half.
- 10
Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- 11
With floured hands, flip the two balls of dough over.
- 12
Starting with the first ball of dough, gently pull the dough towards you, folding it upwards over itself and folding it in half.
- 13
Pull on the non-folded side to fold it in half again.
- 14
Fold it a third time.
- 15
Rotate the ball of dough 90 degrees, and fold it a fourth time.
- 16
Rotate it 45 degrees, pull the dough towards you, and fold it a fifth time.
- 17
Pull the dough towards yourself in the other direction, and fold it a sixth time.
- 18
Rotate the dough 90 degrees, and fold it a seventh time.
- 19
Fold in the other direction, for a total of eight folds.
- 20
Repeat the folding process with the second ball of dough.
- 21
Place both dough balls in proofing baskets or cloth-lined bowls dusted with flour.
- 22
Cover them with a clean cloth or tea towel, and let the dough rest for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
- 23
Heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 24
Place a Dutch oven in your oven as it heats up, and leave it inside for 15 minutes.
- 25
Remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and gently add the first ball of dough (known as a boule) to the pot.
- 26
Score the bread with a razor blade, cutting a 2–3 inch slit in the top of the bread.
- 27
Place the lid on your Dutch oven, and return it to the oven.
- 28
Reduce the temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake the bread for 20 minutes.
- 29
Remove the lid of the Dutch oven, and bake the bread until the crust is golden brown, another 23–25 minutes.
- 30
Cool your loaf of bread on a wire rack.
- 31
Repeat with the remaining dough to bake your second loaf.
- 32
Store the cooled bread wrapped in parchment paper in a ziptop bag.
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