Perfect for dipping, this rosemary olive oil mini bread is delicious and easy to make. It also freezes beautifully, so make extra so you’ll always have great homemade bread on hand!
If you’re looking for an easy bread recipe that delivers a delicious bread that goes perfectly with any meal (or is a great snacking/appetizer bread dipped in olive oil), this is it! This bread also freezes beautifully, so it’s great for keeping any extra in the freezer to enjoy later.
I also just love mini bread loaves! If you make 4 small loaves, each loaf will yield 4 or 5 slices, so it’s perfect for a bit of bread for two. If you’d like a bit more per loaf, you could also make 2 medium-sized loaves, from the same dough, or even 6 smaller loaves for individual portions to accompany a meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Yeast – you can use either Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast for this mini bread.
Rosemary – rosemary is classic, but if you aren’t a fan, use any herb you enjoy, such as thyme, oregano or an Italian herb blend.
Olive Oil – use your best extra virgin olive oil for this bread, for best flavour.
Recipe Tips
Don’t be afraid of adding a bit more flour to the dough, then specified. I had to add about 1/4 cup more to get my dough to come together. When making bread, flour is always approximate, at best, as it will depend on your flour or even the weather the day you’re baking. Add more flour in small increments though (1 Tbsp. at a time), so you don’t go too far and end up with a dry, stiff dough. To get a light and airy finished product, try to keep the dough as moist as possible, without being too sticky to handle.
As you can tell, this bread is light and airy and is perfect for dipping. It’s great with an olive oil and pepper dip, or add some balsamic and/or red pepper flakes.
This mini bread freezes beautifully!
Get the Recipe: Rosemary Olive Oil Mini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water, about 105° F.
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup warm water, about 105° F.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil, for brushing
- 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, for garnish
- 1 teaspoons dried rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, add the yeast, sugar and warm water. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and water and stir to combine. Add the flour, rosemary and the salt. Mix on low speed with kneading hook or with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms that is not too stiff or sticky (you may need to add a bit more flour. I added about 1/4 cup more. Add 1 Tbsp. at a time until dough reaches desired consistency).
- Brush a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or brush with olive oil. Generously flour a work surface.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, sprinkle some flour on the dough if it's sticky, then fold the top and bottom portions into the middle. Fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball. Place seam-side down on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, putting 2 balls on each baking sheet. Let stand, covered with a clean tea towel, until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bake the loaves 10 minutes, then remove from oven, brush with the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with the kosher salt and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon rosemary. Return bread to oven and continue baking until golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve with olive oil seasoned with pepper, for dipping, if desired.
Notes
More Bread Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This is a great recipe. I made 5 large sandwich buns instead of mini breads and they’re excellent. The rosemary is subtle so doesn’t overpower a sandwich filling. The buns are soft and moist with an airy crumb. The dough took no time to mix by hand. It was smooth, soft and pillowy after kneading for about 5 minutes. I topped a few buns with the rosemary and kosher salt, and used Za’atar and Everything Bagel toppings on the others.
So glad you enjoyed them, Sadie :) Thanks!
hi! love this bread. i was wondering if you could freeze the dough? pull it out of the freezer, let it thaw and bake. is this possible?
thanks so much!
Hi Mary, I think you can, though my I haven’t tried this myself. I’m only going on the fact that you can buy frozen dough and it works just fine. I think you’ll want to freeze them after the first rise and shaping into individual loaves. If you try it, let me know how it goes :)
Can you use fresh rosemary instead of dried?
Hi Linda and yes, if you prefer. You would need to use more fresh to get the same flavour. Probably about double.
Hi
I love this bread and make it every week. You mentioned that you can slice them and the picture show it nicely and stable. When I cut into it it collapses and breaks ,
Any idea why? And do you know if I make them into flat circles will they be like pita breads?
Thanks shan
Hi Shan, It sounds like your bread is maybe too moist or is lacking structure from under-kneading? Hard to say, but It should be sliceable, so maybe experiment a bit. As for making pita-like breads, you could, but you would need to significantly reduce the final rising time, otherwise, they will not be flat when they bake.
Hi
Perfact bread! I made them into rolls and freeze them.
Quick question: if I bake today and want to eat tomorrow can I leave them in room temp in ziplock bag? And will they taste the same?
Or is it better to freeze.
Thank you
Shani
Hi Shan, these should be fine into the next day. You can “refresh” them by wrapping in foil and popping them into a 300F oven for 5-10 minutes.
I made these the other night and I LOVED them! Usually when I make breads, they’re just okay and I’ll eat a little and make the rest into bread crumbs. But these were so fluffy and delicious, they were gone in 24 hours. I also made your soft cheese bread a year or so ago and it was also amazing, so I should’ve known to look at the rest of your recipes.
I made a delicious sandwich from your rosemary bread so I’ll include your link in my blog post tomorrow :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Ruosi and can’t wait to see your sandwich!
I just made this bread yesterday and we ate almost all of it! It was delicious! I’m going to be making more today. Just wondering what your instructions are for freezing this one. Do you usually freeze after baking? Thanks!
Hi Jessica. So glad you enjoyed it! I just pop the baked bread in to freezer bags and freeze, then just pull one or more out when you need it. To thaw, you can just microwave a bit (if you want to eat quickly) or thaw wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter for a longer thawing time.
This bread has me absolutely salivating! I’m making Gorgonzola fondue this weekend and I can think of no better way to improve it than with a slice of this gorgeous loaf :)
Gorgonzola fondue! Sounds so delicious and yes, this bread would be perfect with it. Enjoy!
Me! I’m looking for a perfect bread recipe! And my goodness I’ve found it. What is it about rosemary that just lends itself so perfectly to bread? Your air pockets look absolutely perfect, and that crust couldn’t get any more golden. Bookmarking for my next dinner party!
Thanks Sarah. This recipe delivers a lovely bread for a short-rise bread!
Our favorite Italian restaurant makes a rosemary focaccia that we hoard…now I can make my own version!
You can Sue and this bread is super easy to whip up, too!
I love rosemary, what adorable little breads!
Thanks Laura. Rosemary and bread are so nice together :)
I love the idea of mini loaves! Eat one now…eat another later. Your photos are so inviting. Just lovely.
Thanks so much, Kimberly!
Definitely love that this bread is mini – definitely great for dipping!..or slathering in butter. Oh my!
Thanks Katrina :)
I am always loving the bread you make and this is no exception – rosemary is one of my favorite herbs too. I need to try this one! So nice that you can make it in the portion size that you need.
Thanks Jessica. I love having these in the freezer. They go perfectly with so many meals and they make an awesome grilled cheese!
Ooooo you have me swooning over these this morning! This bread is perfect for dipping in olive oil and balsamic… YUM!
Thanks Meghan. It’s was perfect bread for dipping!