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Rosemary Garlic Bread

This rustic rosemary garlic bread is wonderfully golden brown on the outside with a soft, fluffy center and plenty of garlic flavor. Readers have been loving this bread since we originally published it in 2012. Anyone can make this restaurant-quality bread!

Rosemary Garlic Bread round loaf.
The delectable aroma of roasted garlic and warm bread fills your home as this recipe bakes.

Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe

Easy Rosemary Garlic Bread (Restaurant Style)

Why This Recipe Stands Out

  • No Special Equipment: Kneaded by hand, it’s quick and easy to make – no bread maker required! 
  • Beautiful Texture: It’s crusty on the outside yet soft on the inside making it great for dipping. 
  • Friends and Family: With 8 servings per loaf, it’s the perfect option for feeding a crowd. 
  • Aroma: Simple pantry staples create bold, mouthwatering flavor with aromatics that will have you drooling as it bakes. 
  • WAY Better Than Restaurants: Baked fresh and served warm, it blows even the best restaurant bread out of the water. 
Rosemary Garlic Bread round loaf.
This rosemary garlic bread is guaranteed to be a hit with all your guests.

Key Recipe Ingredients

  • Active dry yeast combines with water, sugar, and salt to add flavor to the dough and provide structure to the bread, creating the fluffy texture we’re looking to achieve. 
  • Bread flour is then added to the mix to complete the base of the dough. We also use it for our chewy homemade bagels.
  • High-quality olive oil is drizzled on top, acting as a tenderizer and keeping your rosemary garlic bread soft. 
  • Plenty of flavor belongs here! Rosemary, black pepper, oregano, and roasted garlic create a savory flavor that is out-of-this-world delicious. 

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

  1. In large bowl, Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water. Mix in the sugar and salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until it foams.
  2. Add in olive oil. Add flour and knead (by hand or stand mixer/hook) for about 10 minutes.
  1. Add rosemary, black pepper, and oregano. Knead another 5 minutes. Knead in roasted garlic.
  2. Place dough ball in oiled bowl, turning dough a few times so that dough surfaces are protected by oil. Tightly cover bowl with cling wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until dough is doubled.
  1. After dough is doubled, gently punch it down and shape into a rounded loaf. Using sharp knife, make a criss-cross design on top. Cover up loaf with large mixing bowl inverted over it and let rise until doubled again.
  2. After dough has doubled again, very gently brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a bit more rosemary.
  1. Bake and let bread rest before cutting into it. Serve warm, with your favorite blend of good olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and balsamic vinegar!

Pro Tips for Success

  • Be sure your yeast is very fresh to ensure a good rise.
  • Let the yeast sit long enough to activate. Otherwise, your bread won’t rise in the oven! You’ll know it’s ready when it begins to foam. 
  • Measure the ingredients carefully, taking care not to “tap down” flour when measuring. Always use dry measuring cups and the scoop and scrape method as described here
  • You can roast several heads of garlic ahead at a time and keep them airtight in the fridge to use for recipes like this. Roasted garlic can last nicely for up to a week.
  • To speed up the rising process, place your rosemary garlic bread in an oven that has been slightly warmed up. 
  • After 25-30 minutes of baking, bump up the temperature of your oven to 425F, and spray your loaf with water. This will help create that nice thick crust while preventing your bread from burning. 
  • Every oven bakes slightly differently. So, be sure to keep a close eye on your bread, and remove it from the oven as soon as the top has turned golden brown! 
garlic bread, rosemary bread, rosemary garlic bread, garlic rosemary bread
Pair your bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the best appetizer!

Once you’ve mastered your hand at this bread, you will find this easy pizza dough a breeze for making homemade pizza!

Rosemary Garlic BRead Commonly Asked Questions

What Is Rustic Bread? 

In general, rustic bread is considered to be a type of bread that is made with simple ingredients including flour, water, salt, and yeast. Furthermore, it is shaped by hand rather than molded with a bread pan and baked at a higher temperature than other loaves. As a result, it has a thick, crusty, flaky exterior and a soft, fluffy interior

How should I store rosemary garlic bread and can I freeze it?

This rustic garlic bread recipe is best eaten right away while still warm from the oven. However, on the rare chance you happen to have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months

To enjoy, let your frozen bread thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, warm it in the microwave or oven at 300F for 10-15 minutes or until it is soft and heated through. 

How should I serve this bread?

Our favorite way to devour this recipe is dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar while it’s still warm. However, it would also taste incredible used in a garlicky breakfast sandwich, served alongside cozy soup or hearty chili, or used to soak up the last of your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce


Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

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Rosemary Garlic Bread

4.82 from 337 ratings
This rustic rosemary garlic bread is wonderfully golden brown on the outside with a soft, fluffy center and plenty of garlic flavor. Better than any restaurant bread, it pairs perfectly with olive oil and balsamic for a tasty appetizer to all your favorite main courses.
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Optional for Serving

Instructions

  • In large bowl, Sprinkle yeast into 1 cup warm water. Mix in the sugar and salt. Let sit for about 10 minutes or until it foams. Add in olive oil. Add flour and knead (by hand or stand mixer/hook) for about 10 minutes.
  • Add rosemary, black pepper, and oregano. Knead another 5 minutes. Finally, gently knead in roasted garlic by hand, about 1 minute. Dough should come together well at this point; slightly sticky is fine, but still should be manageable.
  • Place dough ball in well oiled bowl, turning dough a few times so that dough surfaces are protected by oil. Tightly cover bowl with cling wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise until dough is doubled, approx. 1 hour, depending on room temp (if your room is cooler, it could take 2 hours.)
  • After dough is doubled, gently punch it down and shape into a rounded loaf. Using sharp knife, make a criss-cross design on top. Place rounded loaf on greased baking sheet. Cover up loaf with large mixing bowl inverted over it. Make sure bowl is large enough that it gives your loaf room to rise. Let rise until doubled again, approximately 1 hour.
  • After dough has doubled again, very gently brush with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and a bit more rosemary. Try not to deflate loaf at all.
  • Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, spraying loaf with water once during the middle of baking. Bump oven up to 425F and spray loaf with water again. Watch carefully – bake just until top is a nice golden brown, taking care not to over bake (it should be pretty quick).
  • Let bread rest 5 minutes before cutting into it. Serve bread fresh and warm, with your favorite blend of good olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and balsamic vinegar!

Equipment

Notes

  • Be sure your yeast is very fresh, to ensure a good rise. Replace yeast if it’s been sitting in pantry for a long time. Tip: Store newly purchased yeast in the freezer for longer shelf life.
  • Measure ingredients carefully, taking care not to “tap down” flour when measuring. Always use dry measuring cups and use scoop/scrape method as described here.
  • You can roast several heads of garlic ahead of time and keep them airtight in fridge to use for recipes like this. Roasted garlic can last nicely for up to a week.
*If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you. 

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.5g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 7.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Sodium: 584mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 1.5g
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: Bake, Oven

More to Eat and Bake

  • Sweet Potato Bread – Say goodbye to bland and boring bread with this scrumptiously sweet quick bread option. 
  • Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread – Soft, chewy, cheesy, and full of garlic, this bread has everything you could ever want in a warm loaf and so much more. 
  • Best Banana Bread Recipe – This is by far the most irresistible banana bread we’ve ever had the privilege of sinking our teeth into; just one bite and we’re sure you’ll agree! 
  • Healthy Pumpkin Bread – Yes, it’s healthy! But you’d never guess given how delicious it is. 
  • Moist Zucchini Bread – This tried and true recipe is tender, flavorful, and perfect for breakfast.

Add a comment

Recipe Rating




308 comments

    • Shannon
    • 5 stars

    Delicious and my son wants this to replace his sandwich bread for lunches! Have you ever baked in a loaf pan?

    • Vickie

    Can this be made in a bread machine?

    • Tim
    • 5 stars

    Just made for the 1st time. Easy to make and tastes great. Thank you.

      • Amy Dong

      That’s great, Tim! 🙂

    • diana
    • 5 stars

    Alright, I had my doubts making it. I also messed up and made it flat. Was STILL delicious.

    Highly recommend

    • Anna
    • 5 stars

    Hi Amy, I made this yesterday and it was delicious! A quick question, when the loaf was done, the crust was crispy but softened after a short bit (no other issues, though, the crumb was wonderfully soft). What can I do to keep the crust crispy? Did I not brush with enough oil prior to baking or did I not spritz enough, or too much, with water? Thanks, it was wonderful.

      • Amy Dong

      This crust by nature isn’t super crispy, but you can crisp it up a bit more by baking it one rack higher so the top is more browned. You can reheat bread, uncovered, in oven or toaster oven for a crisper crust.

      • Kelsey
      • 5 stars

      When I make this bread, actually my go to base recipe, and I feel like a crispier crust I spray it with water once or twice towards the end.

    • Brianna
    • 5 stars

    Super delicious! This was my first time making this kind of bread. I didn’t add the roasted garlic and I used all-purpose flour instead of the recommended bread flour. But, even with my alterations the bread still turned out incredibly flavorful and had a great texture. I definitely recommend this recipe!

    • Melissa

    Hi Amy,
    This is my second go round with this recipe. I kneaded it by hand first time and then opted for my stand mixer the second time. Both times my dough is really really sticky. It was in the mixer 15 minutes and never smoothed out. I noticed in your video yours forms a nice smooth ball. What would you recommend?
    Thank you.

      • Amy Dong

      You’ll need to add more flour, if dough was too sticky. Add a bit of flour at a time until dough can form a smooth ball.

    • Car

    Can’t wait to try! You do not mention how you bake it in the oven… would you recommend a pizza stone preheated? Or is there another method that works better?

      • Amy Dong

      We use a greased baking sheet – enjoy! 🙂

    • Sarah Majerus
    • 5 stars

    Amazing. Thank you for this. I am making it again. Directions were perfect.

    • KD

    I’ve used this recipe for years. But the double proving where I live takes too long for this occasional baker. So if you love making bread, and have patience, this recipe is for you.

    • Mae

    I’m just double checking before I try this recipe, I’m probably overthinking it! Do you bake at 375 for 25 minutes and then bump it up to 425 and leave it in for a little longer or do you raise the temperature halfway through after misting with water?

      • Amy Dong

      Bump it up after the first 30 minutes. 🙂

        • Cait

        How long do you keep it in the oven at 425?

          • Amy Dong

          Cait – this will vary with every oven, but it should be pretty quick (most say it takes 2-4 min). Watch carefully and remove it once golden brown on top – ENJOY!

    • Jan
    • 5 stars

    Can you use all purpose flour?

      • Amy Dong

      Hi, Jan. We recommend sticking with bread flour for best results: Here’s why.

    • Kim Cheek
    • 5 stars

    I have been making this for years and get requests for it. So delicious!

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