Prerequisites

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Tools

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• Oven
• Cooktop
• Clean work surface
• Stand mixer w/ dough hook
• Dutch oven
• Kitchen towel xor plastic wrap
• Kitchen thermometer or eerily accurate ability to gauge exact water temperature.
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

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• 500g bread flour
• 125g parmesan cheese¹ (divided 100g + 25g)
• 5g chopped fresh rosemary (divided 4g + 1g)
• 6g kosher salt
• 15mL olive oil (+ extra for brushing)
• 320mL warm water (~40° ± 2°)
• 15g unsalted butter - melted but cool
• 7g active dry yeast (standard packet)

Additional items

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• Flour for dusting your work surface.
• ~1.5g coarse sea salt for topping.

Make dough

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1. Combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl or measuring jug. Give it 5-10 minutes until it’s foamy on top — this is how you know your yeast is alive.
2. Add flour, 100g of the parmesan, 4g rosemary, and salt to the stand mixer bowl. Run on low for a moment to combine the dry ingredients.
3. Pour in the yeast-water mixture and the olive oil. Mix with the dough hook on low until it begins to come together (~3 mins).
4. Increase speed to medium. After ~5 minutes of kneading, add the melted butter in a slow drizzle while the mixer runs — this lets the gluten develop before the fat coats the flour. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic (~10 mins total). You’ll know it’s done when you can pinch off a small piece and stretch it thin enough to see light through without it tearing (the windowpane test).
5. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot. Let rise for 1 hour or until roughly doubled.

Shape and proof

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6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and fold it over on itself a few times to knock back the gas. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes — this relaxes the gluten and makes shaping easier.
7. Line the Dutch oven with parchment paper.
8. Shape the dough into a boule: tuck the edges underneath, rotating the ball against the work surface to build tension on top. Transfer seam-side down into the Dutch oven. Cover and proof for a second hour.
9. About 40 minutes into the second proof, preheat your oven to 230°. The dough is in the Dutch oven so this is a cold-start bake — you’re just getting the oven itself up to temperature.

Bake

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10. Once proofed, use a sharp knife or lame to score the top of the dough — a single slash or a cross, about 1cm deep. Brush the surface with olive oil and sprinkle with the coarse sea salt.
11. Cover with the Dutch oven lid and bake for 30 minutes. The lid traps steam, which is what gives you the thick crust.
12. Remove the lid, brush the top with a little more olive oil, and scatter on the remaining 25g parmesan and 1g rosemary. Return to the oven uncovered and bake until the top is deep golden-brown (~10 mins).
13. Pull it out and let it rest on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The inside is still cooking — cutting too early lets all the steam out and you get a gummy crumb.