Whenever our family went to Macaroni Grill, the bread was always our favorite thing we ate! Now you can enjoy it anytime by making it at home with our Macaroni Grill bread recipe!
If you love baking bread at home, try our black pepper focaccia and pane bianco.
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Ingredients
You don't need anything fancy to make this Macaroni Grill bread recipe! Let's talk about the most important ingredients you'll need to make it.
- Bread Flour: This type of flour has a higher protein content than regular all-purpose, which creates more gluten in the dough, making the bread rise higher, have a better crust, and have a fluffier texture.
- Olive Oil: It's important to use a good quality olive oil in your copycat Macaroni Grill bread recipe and for serving. Macaroni Grill uses the Genesio olive oil imported from Italy, which is delicious!
- Rosemary: Crush dried rosemary into smaller pieces, then mix it into the dough for extra flavor. Sprinkle a little extra on the crust before baking if you'd like.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients for our Macaroni Grill bread recipe: bread flour, salt, yeast, sugar, olive oil, dried rosemary, and water.
- Sift the flour once before you begin. This step helps the bread develop a thin, crisp crust when it bakes. Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir each one into the flour, making sure that the salt doesn't touch the yeast directly, or it will kill the yeast.
- Add the sugar, dried rosemary, olive oil, and half of the water. Begin mixing with your hand or the paddle attachment of a mixer to form a dough.
3. Gradually add more water as needed until a somewhat sticky dough has formed and all the flour is picked up from the bowl.
4. Kneading is up next, and it's one of the most important parts of this copycat Macaroni Grill recipe. Be sure to knead until the dough is no longer sticking to your hands. You should be able to stretch a lump of dough so thin that you can read through it.
Another indication of a well-kneaded dough is seeing air bubbles in the skin. Look closely at the center of the dough below, and you can see a large air bubble. This is air incorporated during the kneading process and is not from the yeast's fermentation.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a warm damp towel, and let the dough rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size. This will take about 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled, smack its top to deflate it with the back of your hand, then fold the dough over itself 4 times. Re-cover and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Divide the risen dough into two pieces, then shape each one into a tight ball. Place on a cookie sheet and cover with a dry clean tea towel. Let the loaves prove until they spring back slowly to the touch, about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 F and put a baking stone and heavy metal dish in the oven to preheat.
Just before baking, you can slash the top if you want. Use a baker's lame or a sharp serrated knife to do this.
7. Lower oven temperature to 400 F just before putting the bread in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the steam pan and place the loaves on the hot stone. Turn the temperature to 425 F and bake for another 20 minutes. The loaves should be well browned and have an internal temperature of at least 190 F.
8. As soon as you remove it from the oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and dried rosemary. The crust should crack, making for an interesting finish. Let your copycat Macaroni Grill bread cool for 1 hour before serving to allow it to finish cooking.
Recipe FAQs
Our recipe contains 325 calories and 17g of carbs in one-quarter of a loaf. In moderation, it can be a part of a healthy diet. It contains healthy fats from olive oil, and a good bit of protein and fiber to give you energy and keep you full. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe card below to see the full nutrition facts.
Yes, this casual Italian restaurant in the United States is so popular in part due to its amazing rosemary bread. At Macaroni Grill the loaves are served as a free appetizer when you order an entree. Some people are so dedicated to this bread that they are willing to buy loaves for $1 a piece to take home. Fortunately, you don't have to go to Macaroni Grill to enjoy it; just follow our recipe, and you'll get two small yummy loaves to enjoy with family and friends!
First, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil. Then bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes, or until warm. Serve immediately with a dish of extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper.
We recommend choosing a quality extra virgin olive oil to dip bread into. This olive oil is less refined than other varieties of olive oil which gives it a much brighter and flavorful taste that works best for dipping.
Serve
- Olive oil dipping sauce. This is by far our favorite way to eat it and they serve it at Macaroni Grill! Just dip your piece into extra virgin olive oil mixed with freshly cracked black pepper.
- An antipasto board. An array of Italian meats and cheeses would perfectly accompany this recipe. Try proscuitto and provolone with some pepperoncinis.
- Pasta salad or olive salad. All the great zesty flavors of Italian pasta salad or olive salad would taste amazing with this on the side.
- Salted butter. It might be plain jane, but butter always makes everything better!
- A bowl of hot soup. Zuppa Toscana, Pasta e Fagioli, sausage and gnocchi, or minestrone would all be good choices. These are soups on our blog; just search for the recipe in the search bar.
Store
- Leftovers: Seal the Macaroni Grill bread in a zip-top bag and store it at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as this will make it go stale quickly. If you're not eating all of it within 24 hours, it's best to freeze it.
- Freeze: Seal in a zip-top freezer bag and press all the extra air out of the bag. Place in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
Expert Tips
- Always use bread flour. It has a higher protein content than all-purpose, making a loaf that's more chewy and rises higher.
- Be careful to add the right amount of water. Too little water, and it will be dense, tough, and dry; too much water, the dough will be super sticky and will spread as it rises.
- Knead, knead, knead. I cannot stress this enough! Kneading is one of the most important steps, so don't cut it short. Follow our tips in the recipe card below to see if your dough is sufficiently kneaded.
- Shape the loaves in a tight ball. A taut shape makes the loaf rise upwards instead of spreading out as it proves.
- Put a pan of water in the oven while the loaves bake. A steamy baking environment allows the bread to rise higher and develop a lovely crunchy crust.
- Use a thermometer to check if it is cooked. It's very difficult to tell otherwise. It should have a minimum internal temperature of 190 F.
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Recipe
Macaroni Grill Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bread Dough
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour, 500g
- 3 teaspoons fast-action yeast, 10g
- 2 teaspoons salt, 10g
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 12g
- 8 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed (11g)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, 75 ml
- 1 ⅓ to 1 ½ cups water, 325-350 ml
For the Decoration
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
Making the Dough (45 min + 1 ½ hrs proving)
- Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir each one in with your finger.
- Dump in the sugar, dried rosemary, olive oil, and half of the water. Begin mixing the ingredients together with your hand to form a dough. Gradually add more water you mix until a somewhat sticky dough has formed and all the flour has been picked up from the bottom of the bowl. You may not need all of the water.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 20-30 minutes, adding more flour as needed. This is a longer kneading time than most breads, but is a crucial step. If you're getting tired, dump the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on speed 3. Don't use a mixer for the whole time, however, or it may overheat.
- The dough is done kneading when it meets the following criteria. The dough no longer leaves sticky residue on the work surface or your hands and is tacky to the touch. It should be gloriously smooth and stretchy. When shaped into a taut ball, there should be a couple of air bubbles right under the skin. Most importantly, you should be able to stretch a lump of dough so thin that you can read through it. This means that the gluten is properly developed.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, and cover with a clean, hot, damp tea towel. Leave at room temperature until at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Lightly smack the top of the proved dough with the back of your hand; it should slowly deflate. Fold the dough over on itself four times, then cover with the same damp towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
Shaping the Loaves (10 min + 40 min proving)
- Flip the risen dough onto a clean work surface. Do not punch down the dough; we want to keep the air inside of it. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. using a bench scraper.
- Lightly press down each piece into a rough circle. Fold the edges of the circle into the center to start forming a ball, then pinch the ends together. Flip the loaf over, cup your hands around it, and use your thumbs to pull the dough even tighter. Squeeze together any flaps of dough under the loaf. Repeat with the other piece of dough.
- Place the two loaves on an ungreased 11x17-inch cookie sheet and cover with a dry tea towel. Let the loaves prove at room temperature. The loaves are ready to bake when the dough slowly springs back when prodded with a fingertip, about 40 minutes.
- About 10 minutes before the loaves are done proving, place a large rectangular baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven. Put a heavy metal pan on the bottom shelf, and measure out 1 ½ cups of tap water. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Baking the Loaves (40 min + 1 hr cooling)
- Uncover the loaves. If desired, slash the top with a baker's lame or a very sharp serrated knife.
- Place the cookie sheet on top of the preheated stone. Quickly pour the 1 ½ cups of water into the preheated metal dish and immediately shut the oven door.
- Lower the oven temperature to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the pan of steamy water and place the loaves directly on the baking stone.
- Raise the temperature to 425 F and bake for another 20 minutes. The bread should be well browned and should have a minimum internal temperature of 190 F.
- As soon as the loaves are removed from the oven, brush the top and sides with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and dried rosemary.
- Let the loaves cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving. Slice or tear into pieces and dip in extra virgin olive oil mixed with freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Use bread flour. It has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, ensuring a chewy, high-rising loaf.
- Knead until the dough passes the test as described in the instructions above. Don't skimp on this.
- Shape the loaves tightly. This encourages the bread to rise upwards, not spread outwards.
- Bake with steam. Putting a pan of water in the oven as it bakes will ensure a crispy crust on your homemade Macaroni Grill loaves.
- Macaroni Grill bread is baked when it has an internal temperature of 190 F.
- Be careful to add the right amount of water. Too little water, and it will be dense, tough, and dry; too much water, the dough will be super sticky and will spread as it rises.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Our Macaroni Grill bread recipe was originally published on July 15, 2019.
Janet Mclean
Can this be done in a bread machine?
Thanks
Emma
I've never made it in a bread machine, but feel free to try and let me know how it goes. Just realize that you won't get the same crackly crust in a bread machine as you will in the oven. Happy baking, Janet!
Beth
I always enjoyed eating Macaroni Grill's amazing bread, so I was naturally sad when the nearest location closed. Now, I get to eat this bread again! As far as I can remember, this recipe tastes the same as the restaurant bread.😊😍
Emma
That's quite a compliment, Beth! Thank you.