Rosemary Focaccia Bread is a recipe I love to make when I’m craving comfort food. This olive oil yeast bread has a slightly crisp crust and a pillowy soft inside. I love mine filled with herbs and topped with slices of fresh tomatoes from our garden. We actually created this recipe because we had to use up an abundance of our garden tomatoes. This recipe is very versatile so if you don’t like herbs and tomatoes, leave them out! It’s your call.
Other Possible Focaccia Toppings
The possibilities are endless when it comes to focaccia toppings. The following are some of our favorites:
- Sliced onions
- Lemons, thinly sliced
- Goat Cheese, crumbled
- Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
- Olives, pitted
- Parmesan, mozzarella, or pecorino cheese
- Anchovies
- Sausage
- Mushrooms, sautéed
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Yeast – Warm water makes yeast happy and activates it. The water should be between 110-115° F (use a thermometer to be sure). Sugar provides food for the yeast and enhances the bread flavor. As yeast is proofing, you will see foamy bubbles form on top. Proofing typically takes 10-15 minutes.
- Kneading dough – When dough is kneaded, gluten is formed which gives the bread its structure. You may use a stand mixer with the dough attachment to do this or knead by hand. Kneading by hand typically takes a little longer than the mixer but also helps to ensure you do not overknead the bread. Overkneaded dough is hard to stretch and will result in a tough, chewy bread. Properly kneaded dough will have a smooth texture and dough will spring back if gently poked with your finger.
Why Make Dimples in Focaccia Bread?
The dimples you see in focaccia bread aren’t there just for fun. They actually serve a purpose! Right before baking, use either your finger or the end of a wooden spoon to make deep dimples in the bread. This helps to release air so that the bread does not rise too quickly when baking. It also creates pockets where the olive oil can puddle.
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Baker’s Half Sheet – to bake focaccia
- Thermometer – measure temperature of water
- Stand Mixer – to mix dough
- Pizza Cutter – to cut focaccia
Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Rosemary Focaccia Bread is an olive oil yeast bread that has a slightly crisp crust and a pillowy soft inside. This recipe is highly versatile!
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup warm water (110° F)
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 4 cups (480 g) bread flour
- ¼ cup olive oil plus extra for top
- 1 ½ tsp salt plus sea salt for top
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried rosemary plus extra for top
- Parmesan cheese (grated) for topping (optional)
- Cherry tomatoes (sliced) for topping (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Pour warm water (take temperature – should be 110°-115° F) into mixing bowl along with sugar and stir for a few seconds to dissolve. Add yeast on top of water and stir again just to combine (about 30 seconds). Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
- Step 2 Slowly, add flour, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary to the bowl. Beat on low speed until combined. Then, increase speed to medium-low and mix for about 5 minutes. Dough will be sticky. If the dough isn’t coming together, add a little more flour (1 Tbsp at a time) until it does.
- Step 3 Grease a mixing bowl with olive oil. With floured hands, form dough into ball and place in greased bowl, rotating to cover dough in olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm location to rise for 1 hour (until doubled in size).
- Step 4 Turn dough onto floured surface and cut into quarters. Pour a thin coating of olive oil into four 8-inch cake pans (or do not cut dough and use a baker’s half sheet lined with a thin coat of olive oil). Transfer dough to pan(s), cover with towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for another hour or until dough looks puffy.
- Step 5 Preheat oven to 450° F. Use your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon to poke deep dimples all over the surface of the dough. Generously, drizzle olive oil all over the top of the dough. Then, sprinkle sea salt and a little more dried rosemary. Slice cherry tomatoes and place over top of dough (optional). Finally, sprinkle as much Parmesan cheese as you’d like on top (optional) along with any other toppings.
- Step 6 Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until dough is turning golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Thank You for sharing your time with us
Thank you for visiting. I truly hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you tried it, please share a comment below and let us know what you think or share a picture on Instagram. Tag @the_kelly_kitchen and hashtag it #the_kelly_kitchen
If you would like to know when we post new recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. For video updates, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Have a wonderful day!
