Sourdough Roasted Garlic Bread
This roasted garlic sourdough bread is everything you want in a loaf: deeply flavorful, golden and crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and bursting with rich roasted garlic in every bite. It’s the kind of bread that turns even an everyday meal into something extra special—and it’s surprisingly easy to make.
This recipe is ideal for sourdough beginners and longtime bakers alike. It uses a lower hydration dough, which means it’s firmer, less sticky, and easier to work with—perfect if you’re just starting to build your confidence with shaping and proofing. And because the dough is a little denser, it holds mix-ins like roasted garlic (and optional rosemary!) beautifully without losing structure or turning gummy.
If you’ve never added roasted garlic to sourdough before, you’re in for a treat. The garlic mellows and sweetens in the oven, and then blends into the dough to infuse every bite with a rich, buttery flavor that’s totally crave-worthy.
This bread is amazing sliced and toasted with a smear of salted butter, turned into a next-level grilled cheese, or served alongside soup, stew, or a cozy Sunday roast. It also makes an incredible base for breakfast casseroles or strata!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Beginner-friendly method – Lower hydration dough is easier to handle and shape, even if you’re new to sourdough.
- Bold, cozy flavor – Roasted garlic and rosemary make this loaf perfect for savory meals and cold-weather comfort food.
- Incredibly versatile – Serve it with soup, use it for sandwiches, or eat it warm and slathered in butter—there’s no wrong way.
If you love sourdough loaves with big flavor, don’t stop at roasted garlic! Try my strawberry sourdough bread for a sweet twist that’s perfect for spring brunches or French toast. My rosemary sourdough is a cozy classic that pairs beautifully with hearty dinners. You can also explore bold flavors with sourdough cinnamon bread, chocolate sourdough, or even beer bread. These recipes are a fun way to experiment with mix-ins and discover just how versatile your sourdough starter can be.
How to make sourdough bread with roasted garlic
This is a simple, flavorful sourdough bread with just a few extra steps to roast the garlic and incorporate it into the dough. Here’s a quick overview of the process:
Step 1: Make the levain
Mix your sourdough starter, flour, and water. Let it ferment at room temperature overnight (about 8 hours).
Step 2: Roast the garlic
Slice the top off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 400°F for 1 hour. Let it cool, then squeeze the cloves into a bowl and mash with olive oil to form a paste. Add chopped rosemary if you’d like!
Step 3: Mix the dough
Combine the levain, flour, salt, and water in a mixer and knead until a smooth dough forms. Mix in the garlic paste. The dough will be soft, but it should have some strength and stretch.
Step 4: Stretch & fold
Let the dough rest, then perform a series of stretch and folds over 1 ½ hours to build gluten. Cover and let it finish bulk fermenting for another 2 ½ hours, or until puffy and risen.
Step 5: Shape & proof
Shape the dough into a round or oval loaf, place in a floured proofing basket, and let it rise at room temperature for 4 hours—or refrigerate overnight for added flavor.
Step 6: Bake
Preheat your oven and a Dutch oven to 425°F. Bake the loaf with steam (lid on) for 10 minutes, then uncovered for 25 more. For a softer crust, leave the lid on for an additional 10 minutes before removing.
Baker’s Schedule
Use this as a flexible guide depending on when you want your bread to be done:
- Levain: 8 hours (overnight)
- Roast Garlic: 1 hour (can be done during levain fermentation)
- Mixing & Folding: 2 hours
- Bulk Fermentation: 2 ½ hours
- Shaping & Final Proof: 4 hours at room temp or overnight in fridge
- Baking & Cooling: 1 hour total
Note: Proofing times may vary depending on the temperature of your home. Always watch your dough, not the clock!
How to use roasted garlic sourdough
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy this flavorful loaf:
Use it for elevated grilled cheese, slice it alongside soup or chili, turn it into garlic bread, or cube it for a savory bread pudding or stuffing. It’s also amazing as toast with a fried egg on top!
Storage Tips
Once cooled, store the bread at room temperature wrapped in a kitchen towel or in a bread bag. Avoid refrigerating—it’ll dry out the crumb. You can freeze leftover slices by wrapping them tightly and storing in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
Sourdough is better when shared
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below.
Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this recipe, please link to the post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thank you so much for supporting me. XOXO – Jenni
Sourdough Roasted Garlic Bread
This roasted garlic sourdough bread is soft, flavorful, and beginner-friendly. Made with mashed roasted garlic and optional rosemary, it’s perfect for toast, sandwiches, or soup.
- Prep Time: 17 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 18 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Levain:
- 22 g sourdough starter 100% hydration, fed and active
- 60 grams water
- 30 grams all purpose flour
- 30 grams whole wheat flour
Final Dough:
- 500 grams all purpose flour
- 390 grams water divided
- all of the above levain
- 12 g salt
Filling and Embellishment:
- 2 whole heads of garlic
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the levain until well incorporated.
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Cover and ferment at room temperature 8 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 400F.
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Remove the outer papery layers from the garlic, but leave the skins on.
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Place the garlic in a square of foil and drizzle 1 TBSP olive oil on top.
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Wrap the foil around the garlic and place the packet in the oven.
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Roast for 1 hour, or until soft and beginning to turn golden.
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Allow the garlic to cool enough to handle, then squeeze out the garlic cloves from their skins.
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Mush the garlic with a fork, and mix together with the remaining olive oil.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the fermented levain, the flour, salt, and about 85% of the water to start with. Mix on low speed until combined.
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Increase the speed to medium and mix until you get a medium level of gluten development.
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Add the remaining water and the garlic puree and mix until incorporated. The dough will be very soft and will not come together around the dough hook but it should have both strength and elasticity.
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Transfer the dough to a well lightly oiled bowl.
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Cover and allow to ferment for 4 hours at room temperature, with a fold at 30, 60, and 90 minutes.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and shape into a loose ball and allow to rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
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Turn the ball of dough over and gently round into a smooth ball..
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Dust the loaves with flour and place them, top side down, into a linen lined basket.
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Proof at room temperature, covered, for another 4 hours.
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Preheat the oven and a baking stone to 425F, as well as prepare for your method of steam.
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Turn the proofed loaf out onto a sheet of parchment paper and slash a circle about 1″ from the edge.
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Slide the parchment paper onto the baking stone and bake for 10 minutes with steam, and then 25 without, until the loaves are golden brown.
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Turn the oven off and leave the loaf in the oven, with the door cracked, for another 10 minutes.
