No-Knead Cheddar, Rosemary & Garlic Dutch Oven Bread
A rustic homemade bread with a crisp golden crust, soft, airy centre, sharp cheddar and fragrant rosemary. Everything is mixed in one bowl—no kneading required.
Prep time
10 min
Cook time
40 min
Serves
1 large round loaf
Ingredients
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- 3¾ cupsall-purpose or bread flour, spooned and levelled (450 g)
- 2 tspinstant yeast
- 1½ tspfine sea salt
- 1 tspgranulated sugar
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tbspfinely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tspdried thyme
- 1¼ cupsgrated sharp cheddar cheese (approximately 140 g)
- ¼ cupfinely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ cupswarm water, approximately 105–110°F (355 ml)
- ¼ cupflour, for shaping
- Optionalflaky sea salt
Ingredients
- 3¾ cupsall-purpose or bread flour, spooned and levelled (450 g)
- 2 tspinstant yeast
- 1½ tspfine sea salt
- 1 tspgranulated sugar
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tbspfinely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tspdried thyme
- 1¼ cupsgrated sharp cheddar cheese (approximately 140 g)
- ¼ cupfinely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ cupswarm water, approximately 105–110°F (355 ml)
- ¼ cupflour, for shaping
- Optionalflaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme.
- 2
Gently stir in the grated cheddar and Parmesan, distributing the cheese evenly throughout the dry ingredients.
- 3
Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy and feel quite sticky.
- 4
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 3–4 hours, or until doubled in size.
- 5
Generously flour the counter and your hands, using approximately ¼ cup flour. Gently turn the dough out onto the counter. The dough will be sticky. Do not punch it down, knead it or roll it out. Working gently and quickly, form the dough into a round ball.
- 6
Carefully place the shaped dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using the parchment paper, gently lower the dough into a clean glass bowl. Lightly dust the top with flour, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. While the dough rests, place the covered Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 450°F.
- 7
Sprinkle the top of the rested dough with a little flaky sea salt, if desired. For a more controlled opening, score the top with a sharp knife or bread lame. Scoring is optional—the loaf may crack naturally as it bakes.
- 8
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the rested dough directly from the bowl and carefully lower it into the Dutch oven.
- 9
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for approximately 10 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply golden and crisp. Begin checking it after 7 minutes, as the cheese can cause the crust to brown quickly.
- 10
Carefully lift the bread from the Dutch oven and place it on a wire rack. Let it cool for at least 25–30 minutes before slicing.
Melissa's Notes
Bread flour will produce a slightly chewier, more structured loaf, but regular all-purpose flour works very well.
The dough should be sticky. Avoid adding too much extra flour or the finished bread may be heavy.
Make sure your parchment paper is rated for high-temperature baking.
Did you know that a covered Dutch oven works like a miniature steam oven? As the bread bakes, moisture released from the dough becomes trapped beneath the lid, helping the loaf rise beautifully and develop that wonderful crisp, golden crust.
The Dutch oven and lid will be extremely hot, so use heavy oven mitts and take care when transferring the dough.
**The Dutch oven I use:** Shop the Bread Dutch Oven
Nutrition Information
Per slice (loaf cut into 12)
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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