Soft Sourdough Rosemary Bread

5 from 8 votes

Soft Sourdough Rosemary Bread

Soft, tender, filled with rosemary flavor & just a little hint of sourdough, this soft sourdough rosemary bread is topped with flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Fermentation Time10

Total Time10 55

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices (2 loaves)

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (1:1:1) ready in 3-4 hours at 78-80ºF

45 grams ripe/active sourdough starter about 3 Tablespoons
45 grams water about 3 Tablespoons
45 grams all purpose or bread flour about 1/3 cup

Soft Sourdough Rosemary Bread

120 grams ripe/active levain about 1/2 cup
350 grams water about 1 1/2 cups
15 grams sugar about 1 Tablespoons
15 grams olive oil about 1 Tablespoon
12 grams salt about 2 teaspoons
3-4 grams fresh or dried rosemary chopped, see recipe notes, about 1 Tablespoon
600 grams bread flour about 4 1/4 cups

Topping

30 grams softened butter about 2 Tablespoons
sprinkle of flaky sea salt see recipe notes
sprinkle of fresh/dried rosemary reserved for topping

Instructions

Levain (1:1:1, 3-4 hours until bubbly and active at 78-80ºF)

Mix together 45 grams of ripe and active sourdough starter with 45 grams flour and 45 grams water. Cover and let rise for 3-4 hours until levain has doubled in size, peaked and is airy and filled with bubbles.

Soft Sourdough Rosemary Bread

To the bowl of a stand mixer add ripe/active levain, water, sugar, olive oil, salt, rosemary and bread flour. Mix until completely combined and the dough feels tacky (not super sticky) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I like to reserve about 1/2 cup of bread flour and add it in as the dough kneads together, making sure that I'm not adding too much flour to the dough.
Knead together for 8-10 minutes, adding the rest of the flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should be tacky to the touch, not overly sticky. If it is very sticky, add a little bit more flour, about 20-30 grams at a time.
Bulk Fermentation: Put the dough in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm, 76-78 degree F place for 4-5 hours. Take the temperature of the dough as needed to maintain the dough temperature right around 78 degrees F (I use this bread proofer to keep my dough temperature consistent). At the end of about 4 hours, the dough should be puffed up and feel very elastic. If it doesn't feel this way, let it bulk ferment for another half hour and check again
Overnight Option: At this point, after the bulk fermentation has finished, you can cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Proceed with the recipe the next day, shaping and proofing the rolls before baking. Give the dough a little extra time to rise to compensate for the cold ferment.
Shaping: Dump the dough onto a countertop. Cut the dough in half. Put one hand to the side of the dough and the other hand use your bench scraper to turn/drag the dough to form a ball in a circular motion creating tension for the loaf. Place the ball of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second loaf.
Proofing: Cover the loaves with a dish towel and let rise in a 78 to mid 80 degree F place until puffed up, almost doubled in size and risen, about 2-3 hours. Do not bake these loaves if they have not risen.
Topping: Top the loaves with very soft butter, a sprinkle of rosemary and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
Baking: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the loaves are dark and baked all the way through. Let cool completely and enjoy!

Notes

Levain: You can switch up the ratios of this levain to suit to your schedule. If you prefer an overnight levain, feed a 1:10:10 ratio (6 grams starter, 60 grams flour and 60 grams water). Keeping it right around 78 degrees F it should be ready in about 10-12 hours.

Rosemary: This bread tastes best with fresh rosemary. Pull the rosemary leaves off the sprig. Chop into smaller pieces for best results.

Flaky Sea Salt: I love Maldon's Flaky Sea Salt for this recipe.

Nutrition