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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”

  1. I just made this for the first time, and it’s fantastic. I didn’t use all the flour, so keep a good bit out at first, and I left it in the oven for another 5 or so minutes after I turned it up to 450 to get it golden brown on top.






  2. How far in advance do you recommend making? In the past it gets gobbled up immediately, but am trying to get ahead for our Memorial Day get together in 2 days and don’t want to spoil its deliciousness!






  3. Can you use instant yeast instead of regular active-dry yeast?

  4. This recipe was so good and so much easier than I expected. We are adding it to our rotation for sure!






  5. This is absolutely my favorite focaccia recipe! I have made it many times and every time it comes out amazing even when I think I messed up. I weigh out my dough with the conversion of 120 grams of flour per cup, so 420 grams total for this recipe. This time around I definitely held back on flour. I have typically put in more flour than the 420 grams + 1/4 cup because it was really sticky, but this time I stuck to that measurement and it came out amazing! Best it’s ever been!






  6. Love this recipe! Have made it several times. Today I used fresh Oregano since that is what I had on hand and it was still delicious.






  7. Excellent recipe. I’ve made this several times now and the base has never failed me. It goes great with rosemary, basil, tomatoes and even plain! It’s such an easy bread to make too, requires like 10 mins of effort.






  8. This recipe was straightforward and easy to follow. The bread turned out delicious and I like how there were steps for people who don’t have a mixer. Definitely going to make this one again!






  9. This bread is sooo good! Really very easy to make and is delicious!!! I used fresh rosemary from my garden and the sea salt on top is a must. Definitely a make again recipe!






  10. Followed the recipe pretty much to a tee and mine came out flat and dense. It tasted great but not the fluffy focaccia I expected. I would try the recipe again to give it another shot based on flavor of the bread alone.






  11. Hi, I would like to make this in a Round baking pan as your photos show throughout, yet in the recipe you call out either a sheet pan or a 9×13 inch baking disk. What size round do you suggest for this?

    • Here’s the maths: 9×13 =117 sq inches. Remember the π r squared formula for area of a circle and solve for 117 sq inches: radius is about 6″ therefore a 12 inch round pan.

  12. This is a great recipe to anyone with beginners hand. I proofed this dough for 15 hours!! If anyone wants to do an overnight dough, please do it. I’m an up coming chef and testing every recipe online to my kitchen to see what works and what doesn’t. This out of many, is definitely one of my favorites. I put my desired toppings and some tricks I have up my sleeve but the dough was 100% this recipe. Amazing job being organized and making sure that everyone can understand this.






    • Cristal, can you tell me whether you put the dough in the fridge for the longer rise time? How long was the second proof (assuming it would take a while for the dough to get to room temperature if it was refrigerated?) ? Thank you for sharing!

  13. the dough should be placed on the baking pan for the second rise so the difficult transfer is not necessary.

  14. Nice recipe and good bread. Thanks for information.






  15. We really enjoyed making this Rosemary Focaccia Bread and it was really very good. The directions were simple to follow. The next time we make it we will put the focaccia dough on the baking tray for the second rise. It was a challenge to get it off the floured counter onto the baking tray!






  16. This was my first time making bread so maybe I didn’t do it right; I followed the recipe very carefully but perhaps I still did something wrong because the end result was not good. The bread didn’t have a very focaccia-like texture. It was nice and fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside, so that part was fine. It tasted very much like flour, except for the top. I was expecting more flavor below the crust and much less of a flour-y texture. Focaccia tends to be more oily than how mine turned out. This recipe has so many stars, so maybe I made a noobie error somewhere along the line or my expectations were not aligned with others’






  17. I made the recipe and followed it perfectly, it rose beautifully, but it needs something. More salt? More rosemary?? It’s a little dry, and maybe next time, I’ll not cook it so long or reduce my oven temp.

  18. This recipe is my absolute favorite!! I make it all the time, it always gets rave reviews.






  19. First time making this recipe even though I had saved it in my favorites for a few years ?.. I used a food processor as well since I didn’t want to drag out the mixer. Perfect! Dipped into some olive oil and balsamic I will definitely be making this again!! Thank you so much!






  20. Perfect recipe I used oo flour as that’s all had I mixed in my mixer so easy worked like a dream, this is the recipe I shall use in future.






  21. Okay… so hubby got home and found this beautifully baked focaccia and thought I picked it up at the local
    bakery. He seriously does not believe that I made
    it! We aren’t big bread eaters, but between me, hubby and the kids there’s not a crumb to be found!






  22. Cooked this recipe for the first time today and it is amazing. So light and very easy to bake. Mine took 30 minutes so over the recipe time. Thanks so much for sharing !!






  23. First time making this yesterday. Followed directions exactly except instead of just using olive oil on top before it goes into oven, I used garlic olive oil. I brushed a liberal amount of this garlic oil again after it had baked, and it was very tasty. Does not make the crust overly oily neither does it sink in an compromise the fluffy interior.. I did find the rosemary flavor got a little lost in the baking process, perhaps I will mix some inside the dough too next time.






  24. Can this dough recipe be made in a bread machine?

  25. I made this exactly as stated. My dough did rise the first time, but not after rolling it out. It turned out more like a dry pizza crust texture than a focaccia. Not sure what I did wrong.






  26. I’ve made this recipe many, many times and every time it comes out perfect! Thank you so much!






  27. My daughter liked this so much she wants it for her birthday dinner! Now I’m trying to figure out what to make with it – seems backwards. Having 10 people, so not wanting to pasta. Such a nice weekend we’d like to grill – any ideas?






    • Tried making this today and it turned out so amazing the taste and texture was good. This will be a must in my recipe list. Thanks

  28. Obsessed!! Follow the recipe exactly, however kneaded by hand. Going to have to try not to eat it all in the first day!!!






  29. This bread is very good. I always get messed up in step 5 where I have to move dough to baking sheet.
    My dough sticks to the counter and is to large to move.
    Any suggestions?

  30. How much yeast do you use if you’re using a jar of yeast?

  31. Delicious!! I had never made focaccia before but this recipe was perfect to follow. I will be making this again and again. Thank you!






  32. My whole family loved this bread. We went light on the rosemary, but should’ve loaded it on! Will definitely make it again!






  33. This was absolutely perfect! The recipe was very easy and I ended up with golden, crispy yet soft delicious focaccia. Best focaccia recipe.

  34. I have made this many times, it is delicious. I, too, hold back some flour until needed. I like fresh rosemary the best but oregano is wonderful, too. Baked with grape and cherry tomatoes, with basil sprinkled on top after baking is tasty also. A wonderful charcuterie board item






    • Hi Susan, Did you slice the tomatoes, or chop into small pieces? At what point did you add them to the top? (assuming after poking holes but before the oil is added?) Sounds delicious!

  35. Amazing i made it once and i love it😘

  36. This is my absolute favorite focaccia bread recipe, but like a few others my bread came out a little flat and dry the first time so I have found a few enhancements to make it better. I switched out the flaky salt for course ground pink Himalayan salt but kept the amount the same, I added an extra tablespoon of olive oil and I use bread flour instead of all purpose. I’m not a big rosemary fan so instead I put garlic powder, pepper, and dried basil directly in the dough and it comes out perfect!

  37. Oh my god! This is so, so good! Was my best so far🥰

  38. So I made this recipe to a T as I am not very good at baking. After 20 minutes it wasn’t anywhere near ready and still raw on the inside. Can anyone tell me what I did wrong?

  39. Perfect focaccia every time. I have made this a dozen times with fresh yeast and it’s always a huge hit!
    Thank you for the best focaccia recipe ever!






  40. I’ve made enough focaccia to know what’s food, what isn’t, what works, and what doesn’t—and this recipe is PHENOMENAL. I would highly recommend using Maldon salt both in the dough and on top before cooking. Absolutely incredible.






  41. I have sourdough starter discard I am trying to use up. Can I use it in this recipe? If so, how much flour and water should I remove from the original recipe?

  42. Our family loves this recipe so much!






  43. I made it with my grandson who loves focaccia. I turned out exactly like the picture but was much more dense than what I am used to and not as deep. Perhaps the second rise should have been longer…






  44. Can anyone tell me about how many tsp .25 oz is? I had an impossible time figuring it out with my scale… so I had to guess.

  45. So amazingly easy and delicious!!! My go to for sure. I usually half the recipe or I’d eat way too much!!!!!!

  46. Omg. I’ve never succeeded at making bread, ever, but this go-round was much different! I followed this recipe almost exactly. I realized when I was kneading the dough (by hand) that I wasn’t going to need the total amount of flour called for. I stopped adding flour when the dough was just slightly sticky but not enough to actually stick to any surfaces. The dough shouldn’t be too dry. I added some caramelized red onions and minced garlic on top, plus a sprinkle of regular table salt (didn’t have the flaky salt) before baking and boyyy it came out perfect. It took 25 minutes in the oven at 400°. Crispy outside, light fluffy inside. 10/10 would recommend this recipe to anyone!

    I didn’t have any rosemary so I added dried italian seasoning into the dough after the first rise. I just sprinkled it on top of the ball of dough before I used a rolling pin to roll it out. Nothing burned. I also used a pack of instant yeast. Andddd since I only had regular table salt, I put 1 tsp into the dough instead of the 2 called for. Worked perfect! Thank you!!






  47. I tried a no-knead focaccia recipe once and ended up with a soupy mixture… This is the first focaccia recipe I have tried after that and it tastes so good! Sliced some cherry tomatoes and pressed it into the dough before baking and it goes very well with the bread. Will definitely be making it again!






  48. I got into bread making during quarantine. I’ve made many types of bread but this was my first time making focaccia. I used my bread machine to do the kneading and rising then dumped the dough into a large rectangle Pyrex and let it rise a little more. It came out awesome. The inside is super light and fluffy and the outside is crisp and flavorful. The only thing I would change next time is less salt on top. (I also had to bake longer than 20 min). Thanks for the great recipe!






  49. This delicious focaccia was a total hit at our Thanksgiving dinner! Thank you, Jen

  50. This bread was so DELICIOUS 😋. I ate too much of it!!! The recipe is the best bread recipe ever. Thank you for sharing!!!