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.
Check out my tips and answers to FAQs in the Sprinkle of Science box below!
Sprinkle of Science
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
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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 sea 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.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Jess Larson.
The rosemary bread recipe calls for “instant” yeast. Is there a difference between this & packages of yeast I would but at the grocery store.
I love rosemary bread, and want to make this but need to know if this is a special yeast?
Thank you.
I didn’t realize there was two types of yeast and before realizing it, made the recipe with regular yeast. It worked just fine and rose in one hour as stated. I live in the midwest and weather was cold this week when I tried the recipe. I covered the cast iron skillet with Saran wrap and placed the skillet inside the oven with the door shut and light on. It doubled in one hour.
The family and guests loved this recipe! I shared it on Facebook and have had two other friends try it with the same response. Easy, delicious and stores well.
There is a difference, but generally speaking they can be used interchangeably. Instant yeast just works more quickly and is more ‘foolproof.’
My first time to try the recipe so I’m curious, why does the recipe say it only takes 30 minutes to rise if placed in the skillet (step 2) versus 1 hours in a bowl. This was a little confusing so I’m not sure how long to let it rise. I’m going to take a leap of faith and assume I should let it double in size before baking? Thanks for the feedback.
Outstanding. I’m at 5000′ so I increased liquid by 3/4 cup, increased flour by 20g, increased temp to 415, and decreased cooking times by 3 minutes in each segment. You could also do this with dill. Next time I’ll add 1/2 tsp of acetic acid to make it a little “sour”. ( My sourdough starter would likely need a different rise regimen compared to the yeast.)
Have made several times. I mix cheese and rosemary for top, sprinkle it on before baking. Cut round of heavy duty foil, lay loosely on top, bake, remove 15 minutes before finish the crunchy top stays crunchy and doesn’t crack off.
Made this bread five times now. A whole loaf disappears serving only 4 adults. It’s not a small loaf; it’s the star of the meal! Every. Time. Easy for bread. Rustic. So perfect for all our cold weather comfort foods. Thank you for posting.
Amazing! I’m so pleased to hear that. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Flavor was great. However Parmesan got too dark. The consistency is more of a drop biscuit than of a bread.
So easy to make and it sounds delicious!! Cool proof!
I made this tonight, sorta. I make brrad for my husband’s lunches, and sometimes he wants something sweeter.. So I left off the rosemary and parmesan this time (plan to make it properly soon). I also substituted 2 1/2 cup with whole wheat, and I mixed pretty vigorously which admittedly somewhat kneads the bread and gives a slight bit more stucture. It did raise more than in your picture. It’s a tall, round loaf, about half the height in the pan, half the height above the pan. I found it to have very nice texture, VERY easy to make, and I will be making it again.
Oops, my star rating didn’t load.
Also, I forgot the drizzle the oil over the top, but still delicious!
And looking at the pictures again, I wonder if my dough turned out slightly drier, and that contribued to the structure that allowed it to rise higher? I find that drier (not TOO dry) doughs rise and hold their shape better with other recipes.
Also, next time I want to add the parmesan… Did you use FRESH parmesan, or would dry work?
This is an adaption of Jim Lahey’s no knead bread recipe. The problem is there is way too much yeast used to make up for the extremely short rising time given in the recipe. I’ve never heard of a no knead bread recipe that only has one and a half hour rising time! I assume the reason this bread has any flavor at all is the saltiness of the Parmesan and the savory of the rosemary.
This bread was simple and delicious! My husband loved it and cant wait for me to make it again!
Have made this bread twice now. OMG!! It is perfect! I only have a 12″ cast iron skillet and it makes for a shorter in height bread, I do adjust my cooking time down a few minutes tho. I think I’ll add some garlic to it next time.
I made this tonight with my stand mixer with the dough hook and used 2 tsp of dried rosemary instead of 2 tbsp fresh. I also let it rise a little longer than what was listed and it turned out great! This will be made regularly at our house. Love love love. Thank you so much for sharing.