Rustic and light, this zesty Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread 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.
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 lemon rosemary 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! And we’ve been great patrons of GT’s Kombucha and our new favorite Inked Sourdough Bread ever since.
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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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!
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.
Hannah has some more in depth instructions and explanations on this recipe, so if you’re newer to bread baking and want some more info, head to Make It Dough to read and learn a bit more about this recipe!
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe for Lemon Rosemary Sourdough as much as we do. And I hope this lemon rosemary bread recipe will be part of your Thanksgiving menu! If you’re looking for something more traditional instead, try my Honey Butter Dinner Rolls or my Garlic Rosemary Skillet Dinner Rolls.
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, Dutch Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken, Chicken Potato Soup, or my Creamy Sausage Potato & Kale Soup.
How should I store this Lemon Rosemary Sourdough?
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.
Ingredients I used to make this recipe for Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread
King Arthur Organic Bread Flour
King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour
Organic Lemons
Organic Sourdough Starter
Frontier Co-Op Organic Dried Rosemary
Why go organic?
You may be wondering why I push organic ingredients for everything, even savory and healthy dishes. Organic ingredients go beyond just health and wellness, and contribute so much to the taste and flavor of a recipe. So, if you think that you’re making something healthy and buying fruits, veggies, or meats so maybe you don’t need to spend the extra to go organic here – let me sway your thinking.
Organic ingredients are made in a more pure way, therefore using no additives, no GMOs, and minimal ingredients. This really allows the true ingredients to shine – and because of that their flavor shines through. Therefore, organic ingredients are more flavorful than their non organic counterparts. So, just because it’s already a healthy recipe, or you’re already buying good for you ingredients – it doesn’t mean you can skip organic! Trust me here, and make the switch. Your body and your taste buds will thank you!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
This crusty Lemon Rosemary Sourdough bread makes the perfect snacks, side dish, or vessel to soak up soup!
Ingredients
300 grams (2 1/2 cups) organic bread flour
90 grams (3/4 cup) organic whole wheat flour
282 grams (1 1/3 cup) water
113 grams (1/2 cup) active sourdough starter
8 grams (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
6 grams (3 tablespoons) organic dried rosemary
1 medium organic lemon
Directions
- 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 1/4 to 1/2-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.
- Serve: Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- Store: Store any leftover slices of sourdough in a zip bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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.
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