Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: I absolutely adore the fresh, earthy, piney taste of rosemary, especially when combined with salty Parmesan cheese!
Texture: The bread develops a wonderfully crisp, rich crust, while the inside is light and tender.
Ease: Ridiculously easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: The dough comes together in a matter of minutes and using the cast iron pan means no shaping. Not to mention it creates a beautiful crust!
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Bread really doesn’t need to be intimidating or complicated, which is why I love to share recipes like this super easy No Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread!
It’s so simple, and the perfect beginner bread if you’ve never baked your own bread before.
There’s nothing like a loaf of fresh-baked bread, warm from the oven! The smell is absolutely intoxicating. I think I was born to bake bread. It’s one of my very favorite things to do.
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How to Make No-Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread
Which Yeast Should I Use for Skillet Bread?
- No Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread utilizes a shortcut ingredient: instant yeast, also called rapid rise or quick rise yeast.
- One of the three should be available at most grocery stores or you can buy my all-time favorite yeast on Amazon.
- These types of yeast are specifically formulated to allow you to skip proofing (aka the step where you combine the yeast with warm liquid for 5 minutes). You can add instant yeast directly into the mix with all of the ingredients.
What if I Only Have Active Dry Yeast?
If you don’t have or can’t find instant yeast, you can easily use active dry yeast instead at a 1:1 ratio. Add it right in with the dry ingredients like instant yeast, but just note that the dough will take about 20% longer to rise.
Alternatively, you can speed up that rise time slightly; simply combine it with the warm water and a pinch of the sugar called for in the recipe, and allow it to proof until it becomes bubbly (about 5 minutes) before adding into the bowl with the other ingredients. Learn more about the different types of yeast, and how to substitute yeasts, here.
How to Tell When Dough Has Risen
- After mixing, place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl or directly into the oiled skillet.
- I like to take a picture of the dough before rising, so I can compare to see how much it has risen later.
- Cover the bowl or skillet loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free location.
- The amount of time the dough will take to rise depends on your kitchen environment.
- Ideal rise temperatures are between 80°F and 90°F.
- Lower temperatures will require more rising time; hotter temperatures will require less rising time.
- The dough is done rising when it’s about doubled in volume and puffy.
Can I Mix Up the Toppings?
Absolutely! Feel free to add different herbs and spices, change up the cheese, and experiment with adding other toppings. Crumbled feta or goat cheese, torn fresh mozzarella, olives, cherry tomatoes, or fresh garlic cloves are all delicious touches. Homemade everything bagel seasoning also adds a fun flavor.
How to Serve No Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread
- Serve alongside a delicious soup, like my Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Dip the bread in oil & balsamic
- Slather with butter
- Serve with pasta
- Or any other way your heart desires!
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Garlic Knot Rolls – soft, fluffy, and drenched in garlic butter!
- Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Red Lobster Homemade Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
- Homemade Hawaiian Rolls
- Ultimate Dinner Rolls
- Focaccia Bread
No Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread
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Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) instant yeast
- 2 cups lukewarm water (about 100°F)
- 4 1/2 cups (574 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water. Add half the flour in and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the rosemary, salt, and remaining flour and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Or, you can let the dough rise in the skillet (next step).
- Brush 2 tablespoons olive oil over the bottom of a 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet. Sprinkle the dough and your hands with flour before shaping it into a disk. Dough will be sticky, it doesn’t have to be perfectly shaped. Place in the skillet, cover loosely, let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Drizzle additional olive oil over the top of the bread. Slash the dough with a sharp knife to create an X shape. Sprinkle with rosemary leaves. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle all over with the Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
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This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Jess Larson.
wow, this bread looks absolutely delicious! I will definitely be bringing this to picnic.
Hope you enjoy! xo
Absolutely amazing. Followed the recipe exactly. Its cool right now where I live so I let my dough rise in my laundry room while I had my clothes on the dryer ☺. The bread is perfectly crunchy on the outside and super soft inside. Bursting with flavor. I made this to go with homemade minestrone. But I could just eat it by itself with butter and be happy lol. Cant wait to use this dough but try other flavors. Wonder if it would work for cinnamon raisin?
Wonderful!! I haven’t tried, but let me know how cinnamon raisin turns out if you give it a shot 🙂
Great recipe, but in my experience and hour is not long enough to have bread rise. I let my no knead bread rise 8 to 14 hours. Overnight, works best. I make the dough in the evening before bed, cover it, leave it in the warmest room and let it rise. It makes great pizza dough too. I think it is even better to punch it down and give it a second rise. I like to see bread with a lot of bubbles and air pockets too.
Your bread looks amazing and I have not yet tried to make bread in my cast iron skillet but now I might.
Thanks. : )
I live in Phoenix, AZ where bread tends to rise very quickly because it’s so hot!! But good tip for those who have cooler kitchens. Long rises also add extra flavor 🙂 🙂
Can I ask a stupid question, what can I use instead of a cast iron ski lit as I don’t own one.
Will make. Maybe use a different cheese the second time some olives and just experiment. Think it is a recipe you could do a lot with. Love that it is done in a cast iron skillet. Everyone should have one. I am fortunate enough to have 5 in different sizes and use for everything.
Made this with half wheat flour. Beautiful and delicious. I loved how the Rosemary and Parmesan filled my house with the aromas of this delicious bread !
I tried this recipe last night, and it was super easy! The bread was really delicious. The only issue I had was that the crust turned out way too hard, beyond normal “crustyness” – any way to fix that in the future?
Great looking bread. My Mom would bake in this very large cast iron frying pan. There were 9 kids and my Mom and Dad and that large skillet was her go too pan for just about everything. The apple pies she would bake were to die for.
This looks so good!
Thanks Tessa!
Love all your recipes and the video’s are REALLY helpful 🙂
Hi Tessa. I love your recipes and will definitely try this one.
Would it work in a round baking pan instead of the skillet?
Since I don’t have one I will try, just don’t know if it’ll turn out as crispy.
Tks
It probably won’t be quite as crispy since the cast iron skillet gets so hot and retains that heat so well, but I think it would still be delish 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. Any kind of bread if my weakness. Mac and cheese is another weakness.
Mmmm I saw a mac & cheese on the Food Network the other day that looked absolutely mind-blowing and I’ve been craving it ever since! Might have to make some this weekend!
Looks good. I think I will try subbing bread flour though.
Let us know how it turns out!