Rosemary Braided Bread Recipe (2024)

This light, fluffy, and beautiful braided bread recipe has the scent and flavor of rosemary. And you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make! Get your kids in the kitchen with you to bake this special bread.

Homemade bread is so magical. It tastes great, and making it can be a special activity you do with your kids. But a lot of people feel intimidated by making their own bread because it is kind of aprocess. The good thing is that most of this process is hands off! You just need to start a lot earlier than you want to eat the bread, because it needs time to rise.

In other words, this braided bread recipe is SUPER easy, it just requires patience.

And this rosemary bread is worth the wait! It’s very impressive in both taste and appearance. Gather up your ingredients and let’s get started.

How to Make Rosemary Braided Bread

To start, add your rosemary, yeast, salt, olive oil and warm water to a bowl or stand mixer. (Make sure your water is warm, but not hot, to help the yeastactivate.)Stir it until the yeast is dissolved. The rosemary will stay floating on the top.

Note: we used dried rosemary for convenience, but you can also use fresh! If you’re using fresh rosemary, you can add an extra teaspoon or two to bump up the flavor.

Next, mix in 2 cups of flour and continue to mix. Add up to 1 cup more of flour to make the dough soft and not sticky.

Let the dough knead in your mixer with a dough hook for 8 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, then flour a surface and knead the dough by hand for 8 minutes. (You’ll build some good muscles this way!)

Place dough in greased medium bowl and flip dough over so that the top is also lightly greased.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place.Then punch down the dough. Turn it out on a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts and let sit for 10 minutes to relax the dough. Grease a baking sheet. Roll each dough part into an 18-inch rope. Braid ropes on greased sheet, pinch ends together. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in a warm, draft-free place.

In small bowl, use a fork to lightly beat an egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. With a pastry brush, brush the top of the bread. Bake at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Then comes the best part… eating it up! Slice and slather with butter or use it as a sandwich bread. Or if you are a REALLY nice human, bringing it to a friend or neighbor. I can speak from experience: they’ll love you for it!

How to Store Homemade Bread

Once the bread is completely cooled (and I mean completely) store it tightly wrapped in a plastic produce bag or large zip-top bag. Your bread will keep at room temperature for two to three days like this.

To get a couple more days of freshness, you can store the bread in the fridge. It won’t be as soft, but you can toast the slices and they refresh beautifully.

You can also slice and freeze this bread for a homemade treat anytime you’re in the mood for one.

More Homemade Bread Recipes

White Whole Wheat Bread
Healthy Banana Bread Recipe
Chocolate Orange Bread

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3.6 from 150 votes

Rosemary Braided Bread Recipe

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 124kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoon rosemary, dried
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast, active dry
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cup flour, all-purpose
1 large egg white

Instructions

In large bowl, add rosemary, yeast, salt, water, and olive oil. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Add enough remaining flour until the dough is soft and not sticky. Knead dough in your mixer for 8 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, place dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. Place dough in greased medium bowl and flip dough over so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place.
Punch down dough. Turn dough out and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal parts and let sit for 10 minutes to relax the dough. Grease a baking sheet. Roll each dough part into an 18-inch rope. Braid ropes on greased sheet, pinch ends together. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in a warm, draft-free place.
In small bowl, use a fork to lightly beat the egg white and tablespoon of water. Brush mixture on braided loaf. Bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on rack.

Nutrition

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Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

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It looks great. I love to make bread, too. Do you think I can use fresh rosemary? Thanks! Will try this recipe 🙂

That looks absolutely delicious. You make it look so easy to make, I may just try it myself.

I can really see my two girls getting involved making this receipe – especially with helping me to braid the loaf! Lovely idea.

Thank you for the step-by-step photos. Would fresh rosemary work the same and would you decrease the amount?

You can definitely use fresh – I would probably just decrease the amount that you use though because it will have a more powerful flavor. Good luck – let me know how it turns out!

This bread looks delicious. However, I have recently been under the impression that regular flour is really not healthy, yet this recipe is made with all purpose flour. What is your take?

It is true that whole wheat flour has a lot more nutrients – vitamins, minerals and fiber. But our motto is everything in moderation. And we definitely don’t believe that white flour is ‘bad’ for you. We usually make this recipe for special occasions or when we are bringing it to someone. Our regular bread staple is a homemade whole wheat bread – I grind my own wheat every week. You could try doing half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour – would love to know how it turns out!

I just tried this recipe. Haven;t tried it yet but will soon let you know! Smells divine so I expect it to be yummy! Very easy to make. :o)

Could you please clarify the amount of water needed? Is it 8 fl oz or 1 1/4 cups (10 oz)? Thanks!

It is 1 1/4 cups.

Thank you. The listing “1 1/4 8 fl oz” is confusing.
This looks delicious and your directions are clear. Thanks!

That is confusing – we will get it changed!

love the blog! we have 5 children and would like more, so reanidg your blog is like a peek into what the future could be like! I’m wondering if you used molds to get those great shapes from the salt dough? and if so, WHERE did you find them? I’ve never seen any shaped like race cars or dinosaurs, just pretty ones for making candy.thanks!

Love this recipe! I used all whole wheat pastry flour, fresh rosemary and added some minced garlic. Sprinkled a little coarse sea salt on top after the egg wash. Amazing!

Can you make the braid in advance and cook it later that day or the next? Im new to the bread making world. It takes so long, it would be nice if you could make it ahead of time then put it in the oven when you’re ready to eat it. Advice?

Can you freeze this? And if so, would you do it after the second rising?

Gosh, if I’d cooked this at 450 for 30 minutes, it would have been burned to a crisp.

Happened to check it after about 15, and had to pull it out overdone already!

Perhaps a typo?

I made this tonight. It’s really delicious and easy to make. I wasn’t sure if it was 8 Oz or 1 1/4 cups so I used 8 Oz and cut back on the flour by 1/4 cup.

The dough was still so wet even after using 3 cups of flour that we had to add at least another cup of flour. I think one and a quarter cups of water is too much. My mom was visiting so she helped me because she has been making bread and dough for years. Also, is the oven temp supposed to be 350 degrees F? My mom said 450 is way too high for bread.

Thanks for the tips. This is a recipe I have made a lot of times and it has turned out fine for me. Altitude can make a big difference with bread. Good luck to you!

This is too easy, Ive taking to making it at least 3 times a week, sometimes more.. 450 for 30 minutes is perfect timing..
And soooo delicious.

Awesome, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!

I’ve made this recipe quite a few times now and it always turns out great! I think the measurements are perfect. It’s always a big hit when I serve to guests because it looks so beautiful.

Thanks for sharing Nicole!

Came out perfectly. So delicious. Used fresh rosemary. The outside was nice and crispy. Baked for 25 minutes. Definitely a great started bread recipe.

Okay so I made this bread a few weeks ago for an autumn picnic and it was AMAZING. I’m making a double batch today to turn into bread cubes for stuffing next weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving time!) and I am so excited. Thank you for sharing this!

So glad you love it!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

I’ve probably made this bread 100 times and I’ve never had a bad loaf. It’s my go to for easy bread that’s sure to be popular. I can’t thank you enough for it!

We’re so happy to hear your positive feedback! Thanks for sharing!

Hmmmmm… not sure what i did wrong. It was looking great the braid looked wonderful and the 2nd rise time made it rise to the point where it fell back in on itself and went flat as a pancake, couldn’t even see the braid marks anymore. I went ahead and baked it anyways knowing it was already ruined and it came out gummy and dense like a doorstop (knew it tho) so i will try this again and cut the 2nd rise time in half ill bake it after only 20 minutes rise after its braided and see if that works better.

Yes, it definitely sounds like it was over-proofed second time around. Bake it just after it has almost doubled in size. Good luck!

I threw my first attempt away and went back into making it again. I added a tsp of sugar to the water oil and yeast and rested the first time braided the loaf and cut the 2nd rest time down to 25 minutes instead of 40 minutes since my first attempt rested far too long and deflated in on itself and it turned out much better. I had to check the loaf and rotate it in the oven after 10 minutes and cover it after 15 because it was browning too much and pulled it after 20 minutes. It is still a dense bread but the top is crispy and for the garlic bread i wanted to make with it, it turned out good.

FAQs

How do you know when braided bread is done? ›

After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

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What does rosemary bread taste like? ›

The bread has beautiful flavor from the rosemary, saltiness and cheesiness from the parmesan and a lovely texture thanks to the long proof time and Dutch oven cooking method. The Dutch oven works like “an oven within an oven”.

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Do you score braided bread? ›

Some breads like pizza, ciabatta, braided loaves, bagels and bialys or focaccia and flat breads are baked without scoring. The shape of those breads allows for expansion without bursting. Other breads like boules or batards and baguettes should be scored.

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What is the secret to making bread rise? ›

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

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How do you know when bread has proofed enough and is ready to bake? ›

Gently press your finger into the dough on the top. If the dough springs back quickly, it's underproofed. If it springs back very slowly, it's properly proofed and ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is overproofed.

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How do you know if bread has risen enough? ›

What bakers call the “poke test” is the best way to tell if dough is ready to bake after its second rise. Lightly flour your finger and poke the dough down about 1". If the indent stays, it's ready to bake. If it pops back out, give it a bit more time.

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Can I use fresh rosemary instead of dried in bread? ›

Using Dry vs.

Fresh or dry herbs work equally well in bread recipes. Ensure you increase the amount of fresh herbs used (see instructions below). Or check out my Pesto Flatbread recipe where I use homemade fresh herb pesto in the bread dough.

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What kind of rosemary is best for baking? ›

Some of the better varieties for cooking include Benenden Blue, Flora Rosa, Tuscan Blue, Majorca Pink, Arp, Albiflorus, Huntington Carpet, McConnell's Blue, Irene, Holly Hyde and Hill Hardy, to name a few.

What is the closest spice taste to rosemary? ›

Thyme and sage are good substitutes for rosemary. Other options include marjoram and oregano which all fall under the same mint family. If you have italian seasoning, that is also a good substitute as rosemary is often included in the mix.

What are braided breads called? ›

What Exactly is Challah Bread? Challah is a loaf of braided bread that is made with eggs, flour, yeast, and salt. It is typically pale yellow due to the number of eggs used in its creation.

Get More Info Here ›

Is it better to bake bread with olive oil or butter? ›

While butter is well-suited for baking, there is no question that olive oil contains healthier fats and polyphenols that butter does not. Olive oil is also a choice that adds a unique depth of flavor to baked goods.

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Can you let bread rise too long? ›

If you leave your bread dough to rise for too long outside at room temperature, there is a risk of overproofing the dough. It might look alright in appearance, but when you bake the bread, it will not rise much in the oven. The end result will be a dense loaf of bread. A bread dough that's over-risen - collapses.

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What helps bread to become light and fluffy? ›

Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.

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How do you know how long to knead bread? ›

An easy way is to hold the dough with one hand and stretch it out over the work surface with the other, then bring it back to a ball and repeat with the other hand. Keep kneading until it has a smooth texture and can be stretched without tearing – this typically takes 10 minutes.

How do you know when focaccia is cooked? ›

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F.

The focaccia should be golden brown on top and have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. If you slide a spatula under it (gently!) it should lift in one piece and the bottom should look dark golden brown and crispy.

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How do you know when no knead bread is done? ›

You can be extra-sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side registers 210°F. Cool and slice the bread. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and use the parchment paper to transfer the bread to a wire rack.

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How can you tell if sourdough is undercooked? ›

Your sourdough should also feel light (because a lot of the moisture in the bread evaporated during the baking process). If your bread does not sound hollow and feels heavy, chances are it's not cooked through properly and you need to leave it in the oven for longer.

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