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Rosemary Focaccia Bread

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This delicious Rosemary Focaccia Bread recipe is easy to make, and topped with fresh rosemary, olive oil and flaky sea salt.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread Recipe

Meet my all-time favorite focaccia bread recipe. ♡

It was actually one of the very first bread recipes that I learned to make years ago, and still continues to be a fave because it is so simple to make. And most importantly, it’s just so dang good.

It’s perfectly soft and fluffy and satisfyingly chewy. It’s sprinkled with lots of fresh rosemary and crunchy flaky sea salt, and drizzled with extra olive oil just before serving, which soaks perfectly into all of those little classic holes that you have poked in the bread. It’s easy to make by hand, or even easier to make with the help of a stand mixer. It also happens to be naturally vegan, and can be shaped into a free-form round or pressed into a rectangular baking dish. And best of all, it is just the ultimate cozy carbohydrate comfort food. I know you’re going to love it.

Also, if you happen to be new to working with yeast in bread, please don’t let that deter you from making focaccia! This recipe is a great place to begin when working with yeast, and I will walk you through each step of the process so that all of your questions are answered. You’ve got this.

Let’s make some rosemary focaccia!

Fresh Rosemary for Focaccia Bread

Rosemary Focaccia Bread Ingredients:

To make this rosemary focaccia bread recipe (pronounced “foh-kah-chah”, by the way), you will need:

  • Warm water: Since we are working with active dry yeast in this recipe, it’s important that we use warm water to dissolve it. I highly recommend using a cooking thermometer to double-check the temperature of the water if possible. (It should be around 110°F.)
  • Sugar or honey: Whichever you have on hand, to give the bread a hint of sweetness and help to activate the yeast.
  • Active dry yeast: You will need one packet (or 2.25 teaspoons) to make this focaccia bread.
  • Flour: Basic all-purpose flour will be great!
  • Olive oil: Some of which we will mix into the actual bread dough, plus extra for drizzling on top once the focaccia has baked.
  • Flaky sea salt: Some of which we will mix into the actual bread dough, plus extra for sprinkling on top of the dough before baking. If you don’t have flaky sea salt on hand, you can use fine sea salt, but be sure to reduce the amount by half so that the bread isn’t too salty.
  • Fresh rosemary: To sprinkle on top of the dough and add that delicious earthy rosemary flavor. (Feel free to finely chop the fresh rosemary if you would like smaller rosemary sprinkles.)

Easy Focaccia Bread Dough

How To Make Focaccia Bread:

Here are the basic steps to make this rosemary focaccia bread recipe (full instructions included in the recipe below, as always):

  1. Proof the yeast. In the warm water and sugar. (I highly recommend using a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water, so that it is not too hot or too cold.)
  2. Knead the dough*. Gradually add in the flour, olive oil and salt. Then knead for 5 minutes using the dough attachment or a stand mixer, or knead the dough by hand.
  3. First dough rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased mixing bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest in a warm location for 45-60 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
  4. Second dough rise.  Shape the dough into a large circle or rectangle until that the dough is about 1/2-inch thick*. Cover and let the dough continue to rise for another 20 minutes.
  5. Prepare the dough. Heat oven to 400°F. Transfer the dough to a large parchment-covered baking sheet (or press it into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish). Use your fingers to poke deep dents — like seriously, poke all the way down until you touch the baking sheet — all over the surface of the dough. Then drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil evenly all over the top of the dough, and sprinkle evenly with the fresh rosemary needles and sea salt.
  6. Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.
  7. Serve. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired. Slice, and serve warm.

*If you do not have a stand mixer, no prob! Just complete step 1 in a large mixing bowl. Gradually stir in the flour, olive oil and salt until a shaggy dough begins to form. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes until smooth, adding extra flour if the dough feels too sticky, and continue on with the recipe as directed.

How To Make Focaccia Bread with Rosemary

Possible Recipe Variations:

Want to customize this recipe? Feel free to…

  • Add garlic. Finely mince and mix a large clove of fresh garlic into the dough to give it some extra garlicky flavor.
  • Add Parmesan. This focaccia would also be delicious with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!
  • Use different fresh herbs. In place of (or in addition to) the fresh rosemary, feel free to use fresh tarragon or sage.
  • Use dried herbs. If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, you are welcome to use dried herbs instead (such as dried rosemary or Italian seasoning). If you use dried herbs, I recommend kneading them into the dough itself rather than sprinkling them on top so that they do not burn in the oven.

Focaccia Recipe

More Favorite Bread Recipes:

Interested in doing some more bread-baking? Here are a few of my favorite easy bread recipes on the blog:

Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe

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Rosemary Focaccia Bread Recipe

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 408 reviews
  • Prep Time: 75 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 95 minutes
  • Yield: 8 -12 servings 1x

Description

This Rosemary Focaccia Bread recipe is ultra-comforting and delicious, and kicked up a notch with the addition of lots of fresh rosemary and flaked sea salt.  See optional instructions below for how to mix the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/3 cup warm water (about 110°F)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
  • 1 (0.25 ounce) package active-dry yeast
  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling*
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions

  1. Proof the yeast. Add warm water (about 110°F, which you can measure with a thermometer if you want to be sure it’s the right temp) and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough attachment, and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.  Give the yeast a quick stir to mix it in with the water.  Then let it sit for 5-10 minute until the yeast is foamy.
  2. Knead the dough.  (See alterate instructions below to knead by hand.) Set the mixer to low speed, and add gradually flour, olive oil and salt.  Increase speed to medium-low, and continue mixing the dough for 5 minutes.  (If the dough is too sticky and isn’t pulling away from the sides of the bowl, add in an extra 1/4 cup flour while it is mixing.)
  3. First dough rise. Remove dough from the mixing bowl, and use your hands to shape it into a ball.  Grease the mixing bowl (or a separate bowl) with olive oil or cooking spray, then place the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a damp towel.  Place in a warm location (I set mine by a sunny window) and let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes, or until it has nearly doubled in size.
  4. Second dough rise.  Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and roll it out into a large circle or rectangle until that the dough is about 1/2-inch thick*.  Cover the dough again with the damp towel, and let the dough continue to rise for another 20 minutes.
  5. Prepare the dough. Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer the dough to a large parchment-covered baking sheet (or press it into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish).  Use your fingers to poke deep dents (seriously, poke all the way down to the baking sheet!) all over the surface of the dough.  Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil evenly all over the top of the dough, and sprinkle evenly with the fresh rosemary needles and sea salt.
  6. Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.
  7. Serve. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired. Slice, and serve warm.

Notes

Flaky vs. fine sea salt: If you do not have flaky sea salt on hand, no worries, you can definitely sub in fine sea salt.  Just be sure to use about half the amount of salt (if using fine sea salt) so that the bread is not too salty.

To knead the dough by hand: Complete step 1 in a large mixing bowl.  Gradually stir in the flour, olive oil and salt until a shaggy dough begins to form.  Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes until smooth, adding extra flour if the dough feels too sticky.  Continue on with the recipe as directed.

Bread thickness: I like my focaccia to be a bit on the thicker side.  But if you prefer yours thinner, just roll it out a little more.  It will rise up considerably while baking.

 

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733 comments on “Rosemary Focaccia Bread”

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  1. Sounds like your friends had great fun and really enjoyed your recipe! :)

    Charmaine Ng

  2. I love cooking and love your blog, baking, on the other side ALWAYS scares me. Baking is more of a science, cooking is playing with food :).
    This totally looks easy, I might just have to try it.

    • Thank you, Tanya! And we hear you, baking can be scary, but this recipe is actually easier than you would think — we hope you can give it a try! :)

  3. I’m currently drinking a green smoothie, yet WISHING I had this focaccia bread instead. ?

  4. Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try this one.

    Just a quick question/request – could you add ingredient amounts in grams along with the cup/spoon measurements? 3 and 1/2 cups of flour could vary a lot based on how you scoop it, for instance. Just a tiny suggestion! :)

    • Hi Kate! For metric conversions, we love this site: https://www.epicurious.com/tools/conversions We hope it helps!

  5. Focaccia is one of my favorite breads to have around the house, and I’ve never thought about making it on my own until now. Thanks for this recipe! Can’t wait to give it a go!

    • You’re welcome, Josh — we hope you enjoy it!

    • This recipe is so easy and so delicious! I didn’t have enough all purpose flour, so I substituted it with bread flour. Turned out great! Never knew focaccia could be this easy! Can’t wait to try experimenting with other toppings with this recipe. Your recipes are always amazing! So many of your recipes have become staples in our house 😁






  6. Focaccia always reminds me of my grandmother!!  She made it almost weekly growing up.  Rosemary is the best kind in my opinion.  Although my husband discovered pizza focaccia in the Cinque Terre and always wants to know where the sauce and cheese are;) 

    • That’s awesome, Maria! And we agree, we think rosemary focaccia is the best kind. :)

  7. OH MAN. This looks amazing!!!!!!!!

  8. Your recipe says to use a baking sheet, but your photo is round.  Can you tell me what size my round pan needs to be in order to look like yours?  Thanks!

    • Hi Tomas! This is the baking sheet we used…

    • Hi! Currently in the bowl rising! I couldn’t see your response on what you used to bake it. How did you get that beautiful round shape?

    • Hi Kimberly! We just baked it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The beautiful round shape is just thanks to some good, fresh yeast and a good rise! :) We hope you enjoy!

    • I think what you asking is this. How do you get your dough in a round configuration?
      It is as simple as playdough used to be. Simply form it in a round ball, then flatten it with your hands. As it rises for 1/2 an hour you THEN put your dimples in your dough for it to catch the olive oil and salt. Doesn’t require a special pan, just a flat baking sheet or one with sides, but you can make it any shape you wish. Hope this helps, it didn’t sound like your question was answered

  9. Ali,

    Friends like Cammie are precious and a total treasure. Love this recipe and can’t wait to try it.

  10. This bread looks to die for. Salty, chewy, crispy…yummm

  11. I love Focaccia bread and this one looks so beautiful and very inviting!

  12. I love having a recipe now for making focaccia.  I’ve been baking my own bread for many years (when I’m not too lazy), so the yeast is not a problem.  Thanks for posting this.

  13. This looks so good!  This is probably a dumb question, but do you use a dough hook or a paddle attachment when mixing this up?

    • Thank you, Kim, we hope you enjoy it! And that’s not a dumb question at all — we use a dough hook. :)

  14. Tried this tonight and LOVED it! I added a bit more flour because it was a tad bit too sticky while it was in the stand mixer, but it turned out absolutely perfect. Served it on the side of some beans & greens and smashed potatoes. Thanks so much!

  15. Thanks! Can’t wait to try this! It looks delicious

  16. That looks sooooooo good! Cant wait to try!

  17. Do you have tips for those of us who are stand-mixer-less? This looks amazing and I want to have at it! Thanks!

    • Hi Amanda! Another reader made this the other day (sans mixer), and this is what she wrote: “For anyone else who doesn’t, just stir it (i used a wooden spoon) and then once it comes together, knead it for about 5 mins! if you’re not sure how to knead dough, I’m sure youtube has videos.” You shouldn’t have to knead it too long. We hope this helps and that you enjoy the focaccia! :)

  18. oh my gosh, made this today and it is SO. GOOD. i love focaccia and this was so simple! i don’t have a dough hook for my kitchenmaid – for anyone else who doesn’t, just stir it (i used a wooden spoon) and then once it comes together, knead it for about 5 mins! if you’re not sure how to knead dough, i’m sure youtube has videos.

    • Thanks for sharing with us, Courtney — we’re so happy you loved it and that you were able to make do without the KitchenAid! :)

  19. Focaccia is THE BEST!! Seriously drooling just looking at these pics! Need to give this baby a try!!

  20. I always assumed this was so hard to make, thank you for sharing this recipe! I would love to try it sometime!

    x Annabelle

  21. I made this today…Easy to make!! Was so good!! I made a big pot of white bean turkey chili, and it went perfect with it!!!

  22. I made this for the first time today, and my hubby – a self-proclaimed bread aficionado and fairly picky eater – couldn’t stop raving about it! He said I need to make this bread every time I make spaghetti from now on, which is about once a week in our house! This was so easy, and our two girls enjoyed helping, especially with the poking holes part! Thank you!

    • Thanks for sharing with us, Jenny — we’re so happy you and your family enjoyed it! :)

  23. This looks incredible, I love focaccia and think the addition of rosemary is perfect!

  24. I make this but add sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and halved pitted black olives..!This is a good recipe.

  25. I may be a bit dense here but it wasn’t clear when you say to cover the dough with plastic wrap after it’s been rolled whether you meant that we should just cover the dough where it lays (after rolling) with plastic OR to wrap it up in plastic. Could you clarify for the slower among us? Thanks.

    • Good question! Just lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough where it lays after rolling — you don’t need to wrap it in plastic all the way around. Sorry for the confusion! :)

  26. This was my first time making yeast bread and it turned out DELICIOUS! Other focaccia bread  I’ve had at restaurants tend to be a little more airey and light…anything I can chnage in the mixing/baking process to get a lighter bread? 

    • So glad you enjoyed it! Hmmmm, to get a lighter dough, I’ve always heard to knead the bread a bit longer and let it rise a bit longer, but I’m afraid I’m not a super bread-baking pro. Let me know if you find anything that lightens it up more for you! :)

  27. I’ve made this bread twice this week already, it’s so good and so easy! The first time I used fresh rosemary, the second time dried rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano. Both were delicious! This is by far the tastiest bread I’ve ever baked and I think I’ll be making it a lot more often. Thanks for the recipe!

  28. Dying to make this today-can it be doubled or should I make just 2 separate batches ?

    • We would make two separate batches. We hope you love it as much as we do! :)

  29. If I am using regular salt would the measurement be the same?

  30. Made this today. Was a huge hit!  Very accessible recipe for those of us that are new to working with yeast. The results came out excellent. I rolled out my dough on a pizza stone and let it rise there before putting it in the oven. 

  31. Could this be made with whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose?

    • Hi Brittani! We haven’t tried that, but you’re welcome to experiment! However, we’d suggest starting with a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat flour (using whole wheat flour exclusively will really change the texture of the focaccia — it will be sturdier and not quite a soft and chewy. We hope this helps!

  32. So good! I’ve been craving rosemary focaccia bread since I had it at the Hillside Supper Club in San Francisco. This recipe really hit the spot. (I really love rosemary, so I added some into the dough as well. No such thing as too much!).






  33. Do you need a stand mixer to make this recipe? It sounds really good and very simple to make – wish I had one of those cool mixers!

    • Hi Chris! We find it’s much easier with a stand mixer, but you can do it by hand if you need to (it’ll just require more time and muscle)! :)

  34. Followed recipe exactly except just mixed by hand. Turned out absolutely incredibly awesome. It literally disappeared before my eyes since my four teenage grandchildren and one friend were waiting for it to come out of the oven!! Will definitely make often. I wish I would have snapped a picture because it was also beautiful!






    • Thanks for sharing, Mary — we’re so glad you and your grandchildren enjoyed it! :)

  35. Can i make the dough in my bread machine?

    • Hi Joye! We think you probably could, but we haven’t tried this with a bread machine, so it’s hard to say for sure. It’s worth a try though! If you give it a shot, let us know how it turns out! :)

  36. I tried this recipe without the Kitchen Aid. We just loved it. I changed the toppings to Cherry tomatoes and Olives though as rosemary was not at hand. Thank you so much.

    • Thanks for sharing, Smita, we’re so glad you enjoyed it, and we love that you made this with cherry tomatoes and olives — yummy!

  37. I love loaves of bread with rosemary and I love focaccia! This is perfect!

  38. I have family in town for the holiday and made this bread yesterday to go with the skillet lasagna recipe for dinner and it was fantastic! I made two batches of the bread and they were both gone by the end of the night. I did serve a little olive oil and balsamic on the side for dipping and needless to say everything was a huge hit. Super easy with minimal ingredients and I’m already thinking of little variations to change it up a bit depending on what I’m serving. Will definitely be making this again in the near future :)






  39. I just made a gluten-free version of this for my kids. We recently returned from Tuscany and wanted our kids, who all have celiac disease, to experience an authentic Italian meal, complete with focaccia and olive oil. This is the best success we’ve had with converting a bread recipe for gluten free.

    To convert, just replace the regular flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour containing xanthan gum. Follow the directions for mixing, but don’t beat for five minutes, that will make it tough. At the very end, add one lightly beaten egg and a teaspoon of baking powder. Also, don’t bother with allowing the dough to rise. GF doughs don’t rise well. The baking powder will assist with rising, but only if it’s baked immediately.






    • Thank you so much for sharing, Theresa! We are happy to hear you and your kiddos enjoyed this and that you were able to make it GF — that’s awesome! :)

  40. I made this to go today to go along with our grilled chicken salad. Oh my word that is dangerous! I don’t have a mixer so I kneaded by hand…about 5 minutes. I baked it on my pizza stone and it came out just beautiful!! Next time I make it I’ll have to invite friends over to share so we don’t gorge on it all of it ourselves! Thank you!!!!!






  41. This was so good! Simple yet delicious flavor! Thanks!






  42. Recien hice la receta y quedo deliciosa…y es muy facil! Gracias.






  43. Love the recipe. Just made it, the bread is super most and perfect texture thanks a ton. The best ever foccacia if I might say






  44. Amazing recipe just baked it ! Yumm perfection is the word I’m looking for






  45. how do I store my focaccia bread if I made it ahead of time? Thanks!






  46. The recipe turned out well on my first try. I have one important change I’ll make for a better result. In step 4, I will do the second proof on the baking sheet next time. I didn’t do this when making it yesterday and the result was difficulty in transferring the bread from the counter to the baking sheet. As a result I had to manipulate it quite a bit back into proper shape. It thankfully turned out well, but a little more dense as a result. With that change, I expect a great second bake!






  47. Just made the focaccia….. came out super delicious….moist n perfect as it should be. Thanks for the recipe ?






  48. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I have tried it and was amazed with the results. Definitely a keeper. I made it sandwich with Chicken waldorf filling,next day I just dipped it with beef stew. Phewww…






  49. Turned out awesome. I will definitely make it again.






  50. This is too good. I will take the rest to work tomorrow because if I don’t I will eat it all by myself. I poked cured black olives into it before I baked it and it was deadly. Yummmmmm. Thanks for this.