Seriously, what could be better than a homemade loaf of Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sourdough bread? This recipe makes one big sourdough-meets-garlic-bread loaf, with a crispy crackling cheese crust and plenty of garlic flavor throughout.
The loaf is loaded with whole melty cloves of roasted garlic and a fair amount of freshly grated parmesan. It’s intensely savory, a little salty, and a lot satisfying.
But wait – it gets better. This is an easy, beginner-friendly sourdough bread recipe. There’s no kneading or special equipment involved. As long as you have a healthy, active sourdough starter and an understanding of how to maintain that starter, you should be good to go. (A dutch oven will help, too!).
Why you’ll love this roasted garlic parmesan sourdough
- Packed with savory flavor. Sweet, mellow roasted garlic and salty parmesan melt right into the dough, giving each slice incredible depth of flavor.
- Crispy, cheesy crust. A final sprinkle of parmesan at the end of baking creates a golden, crispy top crust.
- Soft, chewy interior. Classic sourdough texture with just the right amount of tang.
- Make-ahead friendly. The overnight rest in the refrigerator means half of the work happens while you sleep.
- Versatile. Perfect alongside pasta, soup, or just torn apart and enjoyed warm with butter.
How to make garlic parmesan sourdough bread
This bread comes together over two days: Mix and stretch the dough on day one, then shape, fill, and bake on day two.
Day 1: Mix dough & roast garlic
- Make the dough
- In a large bowl, stir together active sourdough starter, water, salt, and olive oil.
- Add bread flour and mix until a rough, shaggy dough forms (it will look a bit dry—don’t worry).
- Cover and let rest for 45–60 minutes.
- Stretch & fold
- Stretch one side of the dough up and fold it back to the center.
- Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you’ve done all four sides.
- Cover and rest again.
- Roast the garlic
- Slice the top off a whole head of garlic. Place in foil with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast at 400°F for 45 minutes, until cloves are soft. Cool, then squeeze garlic into a bowl.
- Grate parmesan and set aside.
- Add garlic & parmesan
- On the second round of stretches, fold roasted garlic cloves and grated parmesan into the dough.
- Repeat stretch-and-fold every 45 minutes (about four rounds total). The dough should finish smooth, elastic, and full of tension.
- Rest overnight
- Cover and refrigerate dough overnight to ferment.
Day 2: Shape & proof
Shape the dough
- Remove from fridge and let the dough warm slightly.
- Line a bowl with a floured tea towel.
- Shape dough into a ball by pulling it towards you to build surface tension.
- Place seam-side up in the towel-lined bowl. Cover and let rise until puffy and bubbly (2–4+ hours).
Baking the bread
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Tip dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down. Score with a bread lame or sharp knife.
- Lower dough into a Dutch oven.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes.
- Uncover and bake another 18–25 minutes, until golden. In the last 5 minutes, sprinkle extra parmesan on top.
Sourdough baking tip
The best way to tell if bread is done is to take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Bread is done when the internal temp reaches 205–215°F.
Let your roasted garlic parmesan sourdough cool for about an hour before slicing into it. Then enjoy it fresh and warm, cut into thick slices with salted butter. Yum!
Variations & substitutions
Cheese variations: Try asiago, pecorino romano, smoked gouda, or even sharp cheddar in place of parmesan. Basically, any hard, aged cheese that you love will be delicious in this bread!
Herb addition: Add fresh chopped rosemary, thyme, or chives when folding the garlic and cheese into the dough.
Extra garlic: Use two heads of roasted garlic if you want to go hard on the garlic flavor.
How to store sourdough bread
Keep this loaf of garlic parmesan sourdough at room temperature for best texture. Wrap it tightly in plastic or seal it in a gallon-sized freezer bag.
The texture of the bread will be best for the first 2-3 days. Homemade sourdough should be fine at room temp for up to 5 days, but keep an eye out for any mold developing – especially if your kitchen is very warm.
Looking for more information? Find more sourdough baking tips here.
More savory sourdough recipes:
If you make this Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sourdough, let me know how it turned out! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. Thank you!
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sourdough
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
Sourdough Bread
- 150 grams active, bubbly sourdough starter
- 11 grams salt
- 20 grams olive oil
- 310 grams water
- 500 grams bread flour
Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Filling
- 1 whole head garlic
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, for top of bread
Instructions
Roasting the garlic:
- Cut the top off a whole head of garlic. Place in a piece of foil in a small oven-safe ramekin. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- Bake the garlic at 400° F for about 45 minutes, or until the cloves are super soft.
- Remove it from the oven and the foil and let it cool, then squeeze the cloves out into a small bowl and set aside.
For the sourdough (day 1):
- Stir together sourdough starter, salt, olive oil, and water in a large bowl. Add bread flour and mix until it starts to form a rough ball.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough sit for 45-60 minutes.
- To stretch and fold the dough: Pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, then fold dough back to the middle. Turn bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover the dough back up, and allow it to rest again.
- Over the next few hours, you’ll repeat this process of stretching and folding the dough about every 45 minutes or so. Plan to stretch and fold a total of four times.
- On the second round of stretches, fold the cooled roasted garlic cloves and grated parmesan into the dough.
- Once you’re done with all the dough stretching, place the covered dough in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight.
Day 2:
- Remove sourdough from refrigerator and let it warm up a bit at room temperature. Line a large bowl with a tea towel and dust it lightly with flour.
- Scrape dough out of its bowl onto a clean countertop. Shape dough into a rough ball, pulling it towards you to create tension. Flip dough over, placing seam side up in the towel-lined bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
- Let dough rise until puffy and bubbly, about 2-4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- Carefully tip dough out onto a piece of parchment, seam side down. Score dough with a bread lame or very sharp knife in any desired pattern.
- Lift parchment paper with sourdough, lowering it into dutch oven. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake, uncovered, for another 18-25 minutes, or until bread is golden and cooked through and internal temperature is 205 – 215° F. In the last five minutes or so of baking, sprinkle the additional parmesan on top.
- Let bread cool at least an hour before slicing into it.
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
This bread is so good!