Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread
When my son was almost a year old, I remember reaching into the pockets of my big bathrobe and discovering about twenty cheerios and a binkie (pacifier). I stood still and thought to myself, “Well, I guess I am officially a mom.”
To me, the day I baked bread and it not only smelled like heaven but looked and tasted divine, I decided I was a baker.
I make mistakes when I bake. Sometimes I pour in butterscotch chips instead of peanut butter chips and make a happy little accidents. Sometimes I go off recipe and double the zest or the extract and blaze my own trail. But bread? the beauty of bread is that it starts as a promise and grows. There is (a little) room for imperfection.
I think bread is like faith. You have to wait and see. You feed it, you give it a warm place to grow, and you shape it.
You place it in the fire and you wait for it to become something real.
This bread, like all good things, takes time. However, it is pretty simple as far as labor goes. Mix the ingredients, cover and place somewhere warm, shape, and bake. It bakes in a cast iron skillet in the oven , which is such a great idea.
Filled with rosemary, brushed with olive oil and topped with more rosemary and parmesan cheese, This gorgeous crusty loaf of bread has a beautiful crumb and the flavor of rosemary just carries through the whole loaf.
Now,
I do grow my own rosemary. I have two small plants that every year I marvel that they return. They technically shouldn’t because of my zone, but maybe where they are located in my yard just has magic, because last year I harvested some. Another neat fact is that I don’t use a lot of rosemary in my cooking, so, two little plants make more than enough for this bread and more.
My children do not like things in their bread. No to chunks or seeds or spices. No to raisins. No to herbs. But this bread is too good for me not to make because the kids I brought into this world can’t appreciate it.
Make this with French Onion Soup and use the bread instead of croutons. Make this when it snows and the warm Rosemary and Parmesan will make shoveling and snow removal worth it. It can be paired with salad, tomato soup, beef stew, made into grilled cheese sandwiches, oh, the list goes on.
What I love about homemade bread is the fact that you know exactly what goes into it. Flour. Yeast. Salt. Water. Sugar to feed the yeast if you are like me and want to make sure it blooms. Time. Love. Pretty simple stuff.
I use a basic AP Flour but have since purchased Artisanal Flour (More expensive and fancier bag) and have noticed little difference. You can play with heartier flours, but it will impact the density and consistency of the bread.
I can not express how proud you will be when you take this out of the oven. Like those cheerios, it will rename you as a baker, for sure.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click below for a printable recipe!
PrintRosemary Parmesan Skilled Bread
Original recipe from www.handletheheat.com with a few modifications by yours truly. So delicious, the combination of rosemary and parmesan make this the perfect accompaniment to soup or salad, or stand alone with or without butter!
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of Lukewarm Water
- One Packet of Instant Yeast (2 1/4 Teaspoons)
- 4 1/2 Cup Bread Flour
- 3 Tablespoons dried Rosemary (I did not chop this- I crumbled it in my hand to both make the dried rosemary into smaller pieces and release natural oils.
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/3 Cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Place yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine flour slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula.
- Incorporate rosemary, salt, and mix until combined.
- Cover bread dough with a clean, warm, damp towel and leave in a warm spot to double in size. (I left mine over night, but it was ready for the next step in an hour or so).
- Place two tablespoons of olive oil in the cast iron skillet, making sure to oil the surfaces where the bread dough will touch.
- With floured hands, remove dough from the bowl, shape into a ball, and place in the oiled skillet.
- Preheat oven to 400*
- Allow bread dough to rise a second time in the skillet, approximately 30 minutes.
- Right before placing dough in the oven, pour remaining olive oil on the dough and brush to cover the top surface.
- Make a slash on the top of the bread in an X shape with a sharp knife.
- Sprinkle additional rosemary on top of the bread.
- Bake in a 400* for 25 minutes.
- Pull Bread out of the oven, sprinkle liberally with the Parmesan cheese, and return to the oven.
- Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, when golden brown.