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Last Updated on February 9, 2026 by Melanie
Whole Wheat Rosemary Olive Oil Bread – Delicious whole wheat yeast bread recipe made with fresh rosemary, olive oil and herbs. This easy loaf is a perfect addition to every meal or as an appetizer.
It’s Monday. That means bread is baking in Melanie’s kitchen. This is one of my favorites. OK. Don’t even begin to believe me when I say that.
Probably every time I post a bread recipe I’ll say that it’s my favorite. I have shared this particular one with friends before and they really liked it too. I took it up a notch this time though with fresh rosemary. I decided to plant herbs this year for the first time. Only regret is that I should have done it a long time ago.
The fresh herbs are just so awesome. I love to walk by and just sniff them. They smell so wonderful.
So now I finally get to make this bread with fresh rosemary and it just enhances the flavor.
This recipe is really simple too. Don’t let the yeast and rising times fool you. You can do this! I, for one will be so proud of you. Let me know if you attempt it.
P.S. You may not want to share this with anyone but you can’t fool those you live with. They will smell this baking. 🙂
Love and blessings,
Melanie
Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (100-110 F)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried))
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or pinch of each ground garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg (whisked)
- 1 tablespoon water
- additional dried rosemary for the top
Instructions
- Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a 2 cup measuring cup. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to proof. It will get frothy, and the surface will swell.
- Stir together white wheat flour, 1 cup of bread flour, salt, rosemary, seasoning, pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in yeast mixture.
- Mix with wooden spoon until shaggy. Add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough can be handled.
- Dump onto a floured surface. Knead for about 8-10 minutes or until dough is a smooth round ball.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl; cover; and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and form it into a round loaf. Dust a pizza peel or parchment paper with some cornmeal or a nice sprinkling of flour. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven and baking stone (if you have one) to 400 F. When the dough has risen, gently brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with rosemary.
- Slide the dough onto a preheated baking stone and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
Notes
If you do not have a pizza stone this recipe will still work you just won’t get as nice of a crust.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Rise Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
Recipe adapted from Hint of Honey
This bread turned out great, even with my one mistake. I added 2 eggs to the recipe. I guess I am just used to putting eggs in my bread, oops.
I will definally make this bread again. It paired well with the vegetable beef soup I made.
In the future I will also make the recipe as written so I can experience the original recipe. Thank you!
Thanks for the wonderful review Linny! So glad it turned out great! Blessings.
Do you think a kitchenaid mixer with dough attachment could help with the mixing?
Yes, I frequently use my Kitchenaid mixer with dough attachment for much easier mixing. Sometimes I like to knead by hand because I appreciate feeling the dough but the choice is up to you. Enjoy bread baking!
I’m excited to try this recipe! I’ve made bread similar to this in the past w/o a bread maker and those recipes called for a Dutch oven. Could I use my Dutch oven instead of a pizza stone (currently don’t own one!)? Thanks so much!!
That should work! I hope it turns out well and delicious for you!
Excited to make this! Can I only use whole wheat flour and no bread flour? If so, would I need to modify the recipe? Thank you so much for the recipe!!
I personally have not tried it with only wheat flour. If you give it a try let us know if you had success!
I normally suck at baking bread, my mother was a pro and I thought I would have enough time to learn from her. I’ve tried several times to make bread and failed always coming out tough and tasteless. But I wanted to try learning to bake bread myself again and this recipe stuck out to me, it has turned out perfect each time I’ve made it. Our family loves it so much I use fresh rosemary from our backyard for it. It always comes out soft, flavorful and never enough for the next day. The only thing I change is I bake it in a cast iron skillet with a tray of water in the bottom rack for steam. (Ty The Bear) This recipe is simple but delicious great for someone wanting to try making bread again.
Jin, that’s great! I’m so glad this recipe has been a success for you. I love having homemade bread and it’s a wonderful addition to our table. Thanks for being here!