Updated: 23 June 2025

By Bake with Paws

Rosemary Spice Bread – Soft, Fragrant & Perfectly Spiced

Looking to elevate your everyday bread with a touch of warmth and aroma? This Rosemary Spice Bread is a deliciously soft, slightly sweet loaf infused with the earthy essence of fresh rosemary and gentle notes of spice. It’s a simple yeast bread that brings together rustic charm and comforting flavor—perfect for both festive occasions and everyday meals.

Whether you're new to baking or experienced in the kitchen, this easy yeast bread will impress with its tender crumb and subtle fragrance. No sourdough starter needed—just pantry staples and instant yeast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Unique Flavor Combo: Fragrant rosemary paired with mixed spices adds warmth and depth.
Soft, Flavourful Crumb: This bread has a tender and fluffy texture, achieved with the right balance of flour, butter, and hydration—no milk or eggs required. It is baked in a cast iron pot or Dutch oven, which helps create a thin, crisp crust while locking in moisture for a soft and airy crumb.
Beginner-Friendly: No sourdough starter or special fermentation—just instant yeast and simple steps.
Beautiful Aroma: Your kitchen will smell incredible while this bread bakes!
Versatile Use: Makes a perfect sandwich bread, soup dipper, or base for savory toasts.
Perfect for Christmas: You can prepare it a day ahead, allowing you to focus on other dishes on the big day.

How To Make Rosemary Spice Bread

Ingredients (Yields: 1 Loaf)

300g Japan high gluten flour - About 12% protein
30g whole wheat flour
1 tsp (3.1g) instant dry yeast
250g water
6.5g salt

1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp mixed spice (Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and coriander)

5g (1 Tbsp) fresh rosemary, chopped

10g butter, room temperature

Banneton (proofing basket)'s size - 6.5"or 8.5" oval shape

Step-By-Step Instruction

Mixing Dough:

Mix water, instant dry yeast and sugar in a bowl of stand mixer. Stir well.
Add in flours, salt, mixed spice and rosemary.
Mix with paddle attachment for about 2 minutes at speed 2 (KA mixer) and slowly turn to speed 4. Add butter and continue kneading for another 2 - 3 minutes or until the dough turns smooth, comes together and away from the sides of the bowl.

Proofing and shaping:

Round up the dough. Transfer the dough into a greased dish. Cover and rest for 1 hour at room temperature around 28C.
Do 1 set of coil fold. Cover and rest for 1 hour.
Transfer dough to a floured surface. Fold right to centre and fold left to meet in the centre. Roll up the dough like Swiss Roll until a log is formed. Pinch both ends to seal.
Place the dough to a floured banneton with seam side up. Proof for another 20 – 30 minutes. Lightly press the the dough with your finger. If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready.
Transfer to freezer and let it rest for another 45 minutes. Take bread dough out from the freezer, invert onto a parchment paper. Then place back in the freezer again for another 15 minutes. This is to harden the top for easy scoring.

Scoring and baking:

While resting the dough in the freezer, preheat oven with the dutch oven (cast iron) at 250C (top & bottom heat) for 30 - 60 minutes before baking.
Take bread dough out from the freezer. Using a razor blade and score Christmas tree design as you wish.
Immediately transfer the dough with parchment paper to your preheated dutch oven.
Bake with cover on for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and lower the temperature to 220C (top & bottom heat), continue bake for another 5 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove bread from oven and dutch oven. Let it cool on rack completely before slicing.

Tips for Scoring:

Place the bread in the freezer after final proofing. Then invert onto a parchment paper, place back in the freezer again for 10 - 15 minutes for easing scoring.
Dust the top with rice flour before scoring to accentuate the pattern.
Do not overproof the dough. When you score, the excessive gas collected in it will cause the dough collapse.
Use a sharp razor blade for bread scoring.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy warm with a pat of salted butter
Toast and spread with cream cheese or fig jam
Serve as a side to roast chicken, creamy soups, or lentil stews
Use for making savoury sandwiches or festive open-face toasts

How to Store

Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
Freeze: Slice, wrap individually, and freeze for up to a month. Toast directly from frozen when ready to enjoy.

FAQ

Q: Can I use dried rosemary instead of fresh?

Yes, but use about 1/3 of the quantity since dried herbs are more concentrated.

Q: Can I leave out the spices?

Certainly. The spices are optional and can be adjusted to your preference. The bread is still delicious with just rosemary.

Q: Can I use all-purpose flour?

Bread flour is preferred for better structure, but all-purpose flour can work with a slightly less chewy texture.

Variations to Try

Add grated cheese to the dough for a cheesy herb bread.
Mix in roasted garlic or chopped olives for extra savouriness.
Substitute rosemary with thyme or sage for different herbal profiles.

More Yeast Bread Recipes You’ll Love

Tried This Recipe?

If you give this Rosemary Spice Bread a try, I’d love to see your creation!

Tag me on Instagram @bakewithpaws and use the hashtag #bakewithpaws.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below—I’m happy to help!

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Comments

Anonymous7 March 2023 at 14:45
What a gorgeous loaf! Thank you for sharing ❤️. I do have a question. In the instruction, there’s this sentence, “ Mix water, instant dry yeast and sugar in a bowl of stand mixer. Stir well.” how much sugar should I add since it’s not listed above. Thank you!
Anonymous11 February 2024 at 02:02
Hi, just wondering if can use yudane or tanzhong method, instead of old dough to make this loaf? Love to try making this soon
Bake With Paws11 February 2024 at 05:20
Hi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. Yes, you can alter the recipe to your liking. However, I didn't use old dough for this recipe. This is straight dough method and went through longer fermentation.

Cheers :)

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Rosemary Spice Bread