Sundried Tomato, Garlic, and Rosemary Dutch Oven Bread

Bread is patient. It doesn’t rush, doesn’t demand, doesn’t overcomplicate itself. It waits, it grows, it fills the kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people wander in, hands in pockets, looking for butter. This sundried tomato, garlic, and rosemary Dutch oven bread started as a simple thing, something to pass the time, but soon became a regular request at events and a gift that’s hard to top.

It’s a bread that knows how to play well with others—whipped feta, salted butter, a hot bowl of soup—but it’s just as good torn apart in warm, uneven pieces, standing over the counter. The trick to a flaky crust? A few ice cubes tossed into the Dutch oven right before baking. The secret to a better flavor? More garlic than you think you need and rosemary that clings to your fingertips as you chop.

And while this version is a favorite, the real beauty of bread is that it belongs to no one and everyone all at once. Swap sundried tomatoes for cinnamon and raisins, or go bold with pepperjack and jalapeños. Just don’t keep it to yourself—bread is meant to be shared.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• ½ cup sundried tomatoes (these are my favorite)
• A handful of garlic cloves, finely diced
• At least one sprig of rosemary, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Fold in the sundried tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary.
2. Let it rise: Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12–18 hours. It should be doubled in size and full of bubbles.
3. Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 450°F. Place a Dutch oven inside to heat for at least 30 minutes.
4. Shape the dough: Turn the dough onto a floured surface, shape it into a rough ball, and let it rest for 30 minutes while the oven heats.
5. Bake with steam: Carefully place the dough into the hot Dutch oven. For an extra flaky crust, drop a few ice cubes inside before placing the lid on. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
6. Finish baking: Remove the lid and bake for another 10–15 minutes until golden brown.
7. Cool (if you can wait): Let the bread rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

A good loaf of bread doesn’t need much—just time, good ingredients, and a little care. But when it’s done right, it turns an ordinary afternoon into something worth remembering. The smell drifts through the house, rich and familiar, the kind that makes people slow down, wander into the kitchen, and hover nearby, pretending they have a reason to be there. The crust crackles faintly as it cools and settles in, getting comfortable. The first slice never makes it to the table—it’s torn off, passed around, eaten standing up. And for a little while, everything feels just as it should. Bread has a way of making a place feel lived in, of turning a meal into a gathering, of reminding us that the simplest things are often the best.