This garlic herb sourdough is about as simple as it gets. There’s no kneading involved, no machine required, and you can let it sit overnight so that in the morning, all you gotta do is roll it up, let it rise, and bake it.
What makes this bread special
This is a great recipe if you’re new to bread baking or new to working with sourdough. You don’t need any special equipment. Just mix all the ingredients together, stretch it a few times, and give it plenty of time to rest.
To make things extra delicious, the sourdough is filled with a garlic herb butter and a sprinkle of cheese that gives it a savory element. The final bread is cheesy but only lightly cheesy. This isn’t a full-on cheese bread, but rather an herby sourdough with little cheesy pockets and crusty bits peppered throughout the crust.
This bread is delicious enough to eat all on its own! It also makes a great companion to any number of soups and stews.
How to make garlic herb sourdough
Mix your sourdough the day before you want to bake your bread. Simply mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a rough ball. Then, let the dough sit for 45-60 minutes. After that, you’ll begin a series of stretching and folding the dough to help develop the gluten.
To stretch the dough, pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, then fold the dough back to the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover dough back up, and allow to rest again.
Over the next few hours, give the dough a stretch and fold about every 45 minutes or so. Plan to stretch and fold a total of four times. Once you’re done with all the dough stretching, place the covered dough in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight.
Shaping the dough
The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a rough ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow to rise until doubled, about two hours. Then, it’s ready to shape.
Start by rolling the sourdough into a rectangle. Spread the soft garlic herb butter all over it, then sprinkle it with cheese.
Roll the whole thing up into a tight log, just like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls.
Next, slice the roll in half lengthwise almost to the top, leaving a couple inches of dough connected at the top so the roll is still one piece.
Gently twist the two sides of the roll around each other to make a simple braid, tucking the end under.
Place one end of the twist down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Swirl the twist around itself, making a simple spiral, and tuck the end under.
Now, cover the sourdough twist with a damp kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 2-4 hours, or until the dough rises and gets puffy. Then it’s time to bake!
Tips for making sourdough bread
The best way to make sourdough bread at home is to use a dutch oven with a lid. Leaving the lid on for the first half of bake time allows it to steam in the beginning, helping the bread to develop those beautiful crust bubbles and leaving it perfectly golden brown.
You’ll also need an active, lively sourdough starter that’s been fed and has doubled in size. If you’re new to working with sourdough, check out these tips for taking care of your starter.
Variations
You can choose your favorite herbs and cheese for this bread. I used provolone with thyme and rosemary. It would also be great with chives. Nearly any hard cheese would be great – think parmesan, gruyere, gouda, asiago… you can’t really go wrong.
If you’re into herby sourdough, you will absolutely love my Rosemary Sea Salt Sourdough – it’s my most popular recipe for a reason!
Enjoy this delicious bread on its own or alongside your favorite soup. My favorite way to eat it is to dunk thick slices of it into steaming bowls of tomato soup. Magic!
Garlic & Herb Sourdough
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
Sourdough
- 150 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 330 grams warm water
- 9 grams fine sea salt
- 500 grams bread flour
Garlic & Herb Butter
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, soft
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, (I used thyme and rosemary)
- 4 slices provolone, chopped into small pieces, or 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
For the overnight sourdough:
- Combine sourdough starter, water and salt. Whisk to combine. Add flour; stir into starter mixture.
- Finish mixing by hand, folding mixture until it forms a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rest 45-60 minutes.
- Over the next few hours, give the dough a stretch & fold about every 45 minutes or so. Plan to stretch & fold four times total. To stretch the dough, pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, folding the dough back to the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover dough back up, and allow to rest again until the next stretch & fold.
- Once you've completed all the stretches, put the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to sit overnight.
For the garlic herb filling:
- Combine soft butter, garlic, and herbs together in a small bowl. Have your cheese ready in a separate bowl.
To assemble:
- The next morning, pull your dough out of the fridge and allow it to warm up a bit, about an hour depending on the temperature of your house. This is a good time to prepare the filling.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that's roughly 12 x 18 inches. Spread with garlic butter, leaving about 1/2 inch space around all the edges. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Starting on one of the long sides, roll the dough up just like you would a cinnamon roll. Start from the center and work out to the edges as you go, making sure to keep it fairly tight. Once fully rolled, pinch the seams together.
- Using a sharp chef's knife or a bench scraper, slice the roll in half lengthwise almost to the top, exposing the interior swirl. Leave about an inch at the top so the roll is still one piece. Gently twist the two sides of the roll around each other to make a simple braid, tucking the end under.
- Place one end of the twist down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Swirl the twist around itself, making a simple spiral, and tuck the end under. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest about 2 hours. Dough should rise and get puffy.
- Place your dutch oven and lid in the oven and preheat oven to 450° F. When oven comes to temperature, carefully lift your parchment paper with your sourdough twist and lower it into the hot dutch oven. Cut away any excess parchment paper, put the lid back on, and bake covered for 25 minutes.
- Remove lid from dutch oven and continue to bake uncovered for another 25 minutes, or until bread is golden and cooked through. The best way to tell if bread is done is to take its temperature with a meat thermometer – it should be about 205 – 215° F.
- Remove from oven and gently lift bread out of dutch oven, using the parchment paper as handles. Allow to cool completely before slicing – if you slice into it too early, you could end up with a gummy texture!
Did you try this recipe?
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