Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread


Breads Eggless High Altitude No Seed Oils Sourdough Thanksgiving Vegan | Published November 17, 2022 by Mimi Council

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Rustic and light, this zesty Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread recipe is just the right amount of savory with the addition of lemon zest. Perfect with a big slab of butter or toasted to perfection to dip in soup.

If you're looking for more bread recipes, check out my Garlic Rosemary Skillet Dinner Rolls, Simple French Baguettes, or my Honey Butter Dinner Rolls.

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Today is National Homemade Bread Day! So of course, I am sharing a homemade Lemon Rosemary Sourdough recipe today. I teamed up with my friend Hannah from Make It Dough to create this easy rosemary sourdough bread recipe. We met over summer at the Organic Valley influencer retreat, and we became fast friends!

She sent me a copy of her book, Sourdough Everyday, along with some starter in the mail! Yes, you can apparently mail dry sourdough starter (something I didn’t know!). So, I revived the starter and became a sourdough mom again.

Delaney and I used to have a starter many years ago along with a kombucha mother as well. It got so intense with making bread and kombucha, we always had so much extra bread and booch! And this was when we were running the bake shop too. So, we would come home from work, after ten or fifteen hours of baking, and then we were like — oh it’s time to feed the starter, and to tend to the mother, and bottle the kombucha. It was too much, so we gave away both of them — haha!

But I got a nice reminder that making bread can be fun when Hannah and I came together on this recipe for Lemon Rosemary Sourdough. And this is easy rosemary sourdough bread — yes easy, and if I say easy it really is. I am truly a lazy bread baker people. I can spend all day on desserts, but bread I get bored, or I think it takes too long, or whatever.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy: This lemon rosemary bread recipe is one you can make even if you are beginner bread baker. And that is what I consider myself — a beginner or intermediate at best. I like easy bread recipes and this lemon rosemary bread recipe is easy! I kind of love that recipe is a two day process and this easy rosemary sourdough bread proofs in the fridge overnight. That way, you can wake up and bake it off right away. It gives you all day to eat this crusty and subtly sweet bread when it is at its best!

High Altitude Tested: I baked my Lemon Rosemary Sourdough at high altitude and did the testing up here, Hannah baked hers at sea level. So, like all the recipes on my site, you can count on baking it no matter where you live! Just be sure to jump to the Notes section at the bottom for high altitude instructions.

Bold & Zesty Flavor: The combination of rosemary and lemon compliment one another in this recipe giving you both bold and zesty flavor. This lemon rosemary bread is delicious with a slab of butter or even on a sandwich!

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Ingredients

King Arthur Organic Bread Flour

King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour

Organic Lemons

Organic Sourdough Starter

Frontier Co-Op Organic Dried Rosemary

Frontier Co-Op Sea Salt

Tools Needed

Mixing Bowl

5.5-Quart Dutch Oven (use code MIMIBAKES for 10% off your order!)

Parchment Paper (get my favorite nontoxic parchment paper and get 10% off with MIMIBAKES)

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Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Autolyse: In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, and water. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the ingredients together until no traces of dry flour remain. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm place and let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Step 2

Prepare the inclusions: Using an apple peeler, strip the rind off the lemon, but be careful not peel too deeply into the bitter white pith. Finely chop the rind and set aside.

Step 3

Add the starter and inclusions: Add the sourdough starter, salt, dried rosemary and lemon peel to the autolysed dough. Fold the dough over the sourdough starter and the inclusions until fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Strengthen the dough: Perform a coil fold by picking the center of the dough with your fingertips. Lift the dough until the ends release from the bowl. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and perform another coil fold. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Working in the bowl, complete 3 to 4 more sets of coil folds in 30 minute intervals. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place after each fold. Once the dough looks smooth and feels strong, let the dough rest untouched for 1 hour.

Step 4

Preshape the dough: Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Using a bench knife, turn the dough over and gently round it into a tight ball. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Shape the dough: Shape the dough into a boule or a batard. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Cold proof: Place the dough in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

Step 6

Prep: Preheat the oven to 500°F with a Dutch oven inside. Score the dough: Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut a large gash on the dough at least ¼ to ½-inch deep.

Step 7

Bake: Transfer the dough into the Dutch oven with the parchment paper. Bake covered for 25 to 30 minutes and uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dark you’d like the crust. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing

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FAQ's

Can I make this Lemon Rosemary Sourdough ahead of time?

Homemade crusty bread (like this easy rosemary sourdough bread) is always best when eaten right away. So, if you are planning to bake it for Thanksgiving then prep it the day before and bake it the day of.

Can I zest the lemon instead of peeling it?

Yes, you can zest the lemon instead of peeling and chopping it. I actually did this with my loaf as, like I told you, I am a lazy bread baker. And I thought that zesting it could also work, and it does!

What if I don’t have lemon?

If you don’t have lemon, you can omit the lemon from this recipe and you’ll just have rosemary sourdough bread, which would also be good!

What goes well with Lemon Rosemary Sourdough?

This bread is light and slightly sweet and bursting with rosemary flavor. It is amazing with just a pad of butter as snack. Or serve it as a side with my Easy Quinoa Salad, Chicken Sausage Greek Salad, my Creamy Sausage Potato & Kale Soup.

How should I store this bread?

This lemon rosemary bread recipe is a crusty sourdough bread, which means it’s best when eaten the same day it’s baked. That is the magic of the crust. But I know that it is not always possible to eat an entire loaf of bread in one day (and yet it also is). So, if you are storing it then an airtight container is the best option. This can be a zip bag, Tupperware, or a cake dome. Main thing is don’t let it dry out.

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Craving More?

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Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread

Mimi Council
This crusty Lemon Rosemary Sourdough bread makes the perfect snacks, side dish, or vessel to soak up soup!
Prep Time 16 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 16 hours 45 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Makes 10 servings
Calories 144 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

Day 1

  • Autolyse: In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, and water. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the ingredients together until no traces of dry flour remain. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm place and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
  • Prepare the inclusions: Using an apple peeler, strip the rind off the lemon, but be careful not peel too deeply into the bitter white pith. Finely chop the rind and set aside.
  • Add the starter and inclusions: Add the sourdough starter, salt, dried rosemary and lemon peel to the autolysed dough. Fold the dough over the sourdough starter and the inclusions until fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  • Strengthen the dough: Perform a coil fold by picking the center of the dough with your fingertips. Lift the dough until the ends release from the bowl. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and perform another coil fold. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  • Working in the bowl, complete 3 to 4 more sets of coil folds in 30 minute intervals. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place after each fold. Once the dough looks smooth and feels strong, let the dough rest untouched for 1 hour.
  • Preshape the dough: Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Using a bench knife, turn the dough over and gently round it into a tight ball. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
  • Shape the dough: Shape the dough into a boule or a batard. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
  • Cold proof: Place the dough in the refrigerator to proof overnight.

Day 2

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 500°F with a Dutch oven inside. Score the dough: Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Cut a large gash on the dough at least ¼ to ½-inch deep.
  • Bake: Transfer the dough into the Dutch oven with the parchment paper. Bake covered for 25 to 30 minutes and uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dark you’d like the crust. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing

Notes

High Altitude — Bake at 500°F covered for 15 to 20 minutes, and uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how dark you’d like the crust.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 313mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 23IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
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