DO NOT PREHEAT THE OVEN! It is crucial to this recipe that you start the bread in a cold oven.

Put a kettle of water on to boil. Line a half sheet pan with parchment or a silpat and set it aside.

Combine the flour, water, rosemary, yeast, sugar, kosher salt, and granulated garlic in a mixing bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead in a stand mixer for 4 minutes or by hand on a clean, lightly floured counter for 10 minutes.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise for 15 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto the counter. Divide into two equal portions.

Gently pat each portion out into a rough rectangle. Scatter about ½ cup of the Parmesan cubes over each rectangle and press them into the dough.

Fold both ends of each rectangle toward the center. Scatter the remaining Parmesan cubes (leaving ⅓ cup aside for garnish) over the dough.

Press the cheese into the dough, then fold both ends toward the center again.

Flip the dough over, seam side down, and gently form into rounds.

Cup your hands at an angle around the dough ball and gently turn it in a circle in one direction, gently pulling the top toward the counter as you do this to tighten the dough round.

Transfer the rounds to the prepared half sheet pan, leaving ample room between them for the bread to rise while it bakes.

Combine the olive oil and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Use a knife to roughly chop the remaining cubes of Parmesan. You want the pieces to be about the size of panko bread crumbs.

Combine the remaining minced rosemary with the coarse sea salt flakes, if using them. Set these three things to the side.

Gently press on each round to lightly flatten the top. Brush generously with the garlic olive oil.

Use a sharp knife to score an x in the top. Scatter the chopped Parmesan cheese and rosemary salt over the tops of the dough.

Place the sheet pan in the center third of the COLD oven. Position a cake pan on the rack below the bread and fill it with boiling water.

Close the oven door and set the temperature to 400ºF. Immediately start a timer set to 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.