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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 409 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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734 comments on “Rosemary Focaccia Bread”

  1. What a nice recipe…that dough is perfect…it is baking now, I did sun dried tomatoes and ricotta salata on mine…with the olive oil and dried Italian seasoning…looks amazing!

  2. Just made my first yeast bread recipe in my new stand mixer! Your focaccia recipe is easy…my dough hardly raised…but the focaccia came out delectable! I want to find the flaky sea salt for next time. I used Pink Himalayan salt. The shape an uneven thickness in a rounded square. We liked the thinner portions. This Rosemary focaccia went nicely with a beef stew with very thick gravy. Thanx!






  3. Hi there just sitting here waiting to see is it really that easy.. iv 10 mins left in the oven.cant wait to taste it …thanks for the recipe.






  4. I just tried this and it’s DELICIOUS!!! It’s only the second bread I’ve ever made and it was pretty simple! :)






  5. Super easy and the result sooo impressive AND delish!!!






  6. Amazing recipe, wonderful tasting






  7. I’m a bit disappointed and I’m pretty sure it’s my fault :-)
    First, I messed up and forgot to add the oil while I was mixing it in the mixer so I had to add it later and knead it in.
    Then, it didn’t rise much on the second rise but I baked it anyway.
    Then I’m pretty sure I overbakee it because it’s crunchy.

    So — I will make this again :-) because the flavor was good but I’m pretty sure there was a lot of error on my part. That’s what I get for baking while distracted.

  8. Hi…tried this recipe with just one change…used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour and it came out yum. Thanks :)






    • I omitted the proof time (?) and rolling it out and oiling it after baking a bit so, you are not alone :)

  9. I have never seen flaked sea salt before. Does it have any other advantages other than how it looks?

  10. delicious bread! I don’t have a dough hook so I mixed and kneaded the dough by hand and it turned out so fluffy and moist! I oiled the board I kneaded it on and it didn’t stick too badly at all, although I did need to add a little extra flour. I added minced garlic on top which worked very well. This is my new go-to recipe for focaccia – it disappeared within minutes and everyone loved it!






  11. Hi there! I love this recipe, and have made it many times! I’m visiting friends in California nad want to make this (along with some fancy dinner) as a thank you for having us. However, one of our friends has an allergy to olive oil, so I was hoping you could recommend a swap that will still keep the bread as wonderful and delicious as the original version. Any help wold be great :D






  12. Wonderful! Good napping tome during the rising time!

  13. Just one quick question. I’m in the second rise but I have to leave the house. Can I leave it like that, and bake it when I come back? I want to take it somewhere later, and I would love to have it fresh from the oven.

    • I love this recipe! My husband is a bread fanatic. The first time i made it, he said there was too much rosemary. ( i didnt measure and probs went overboard) this time i left it out and its in the oven now! I actually let it rise the second time- so maybe it will be less dense! It takes a few times to perfect a recipe- but this recipe is sooo simple and easy ill have it memorized and perfected in no time! Love it!

  14. This is a splendid recipe. I don’t have mixer, so I had to do the kneading by hand. I mixed in a handful of herbs from the garden and a dozen chopped black olives. This is made to my wife’s taste. She says she’s never tasted better. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I’ll have to make it again next week for her – and probably for many weeks after. Truly easy and absolutely delicious! Thank you.






  15. Amazing! The bread has a gorgeously moist and delicate crumb, and both rises and bakes well in my somewhat dubious apartment kitchen.






  16. I made this two nights in a row and it was a big hit among friends and family. On the second day, I mixed chopped fresh rosemary and thyme before rolling out the dough into 2 balls, baked one and froze the other. This is an easy, delicious recipe that is dairy-free (important in our family) and can be adjusted to add toppings like olives or tomatoes. This will become our go-to recipe for now on – thanks for sharing!






  17. Excellent and easy! I had to bake longer than suggested but ovens vary so I expected that. This has replaced the recipe I was using from Anne Burrell!






  18. I made another focaccia on a famous chef’s website and it did not turn out. I decided to try yours and it was perfect!! The other recipe asked for bread flour and I found the dough too dense. The all purpose flour is the way to go. I think the temp of the water is super important for the proper rising so that may have been my issue on the last one. I like the olive oil added in with dough; made the dough very workable. This recipe is very easy and turns out perfectly.

  19. This is a favorite in my house. All four of our children and my husband love it as much as I do. The only change I make is to add some fresh rosemary into the dough. It’s so yummy and tastes like a difficult thing to make even though it’s easy peasy!






  20. Easy recipe used for sandwiches. Loved the results!






  21. I’m trying this now but mixed in chopped garlic and rosemary into the dough. Actually I may put cheese on it too. Easy to mix with my mixer and I love Focassia.






  22. Made this bread this afternoon, didn’t have any A.P. flour so sub’ 2 cups bread flour and 11/2 cups whole wheat flour. Added a tsp Italian seasoning and a little mozzarella/provolone sprinkle on top for last 5 minutes in the oven. Delicious, great recipe !!!! Enjoyed with a hot bowl of ham and potato soup.Mmmm ?






  23. If you split the dough in half after the first rise and put each half in a 9” round cake pan, they bake up into two perfectly formed rounds.
    I have made this a couple of times, and I love the addition of chopped sun dried tomatoes in the dough. Because of the extra oil, I cut back just a bit on the added olive oil and add in a couple extra tablespoons of flour if needed. It has never taken more than the optional 1/4 cup stated in the recipe.
    An excellent recipe, thanks!






  24. Great recipe! My family loves it and my daughter (5) enjoys poking the dough and pouring the olive oil :)

    Thanks and greetings from Munich






  25. This is so easy to make, and it tastes so good. I added some garlic powder and minced fresh garlic before baking. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe.






  26. Yum! We just made this for lunch with Black bean soup and I had to fight off my children, they were like vultures :)
    So good! Thank you!!






  27. No fail recipe! I make this weekly now and it gets so many compliments. People always ask for the recipe! There is rarely any left over when I make a DOUBLE batch of it. Tried other recipes before this and failed many times. Some variations to consider are oil, garlic and parmasean for a garlic bread. Adding herbs directly into the dough gives a nice aroma. I can thank-you enough for posting this recipe!






  28. I made this for my family on Valentine’s Day. It was my first time making any kind of bread, and it was so easy. But most importantly, it was delicious. I will be making this again!

  29. I had to modify the recipe since in Spain active-dry yeast isn’t in supermarkets and I used cake yeast, also my brother is a coeliac so I used gluten-free flour, and it came out great anyway! It lost its consistency really fast though (2-3 hours), but I guess it is because of the absence of gluten. So, thank you for your versatile recipe!






  30. Just tasted it I added some garlic to mine and it’s delicious! :)

  31. I’ll be making this again! Simple and so tasty!! I’ll be sprinkling some olives on top and sun dried tomatoes next time!! My 3 year old grand daughter loves it!!

  32. This has become one of my go to bread recipes!! It is so easy and quick to make! Perfect addition for salads and soups or just to devour on its own. The sea salt flakes really adds a nice touch, but you truly can customize this to suite your needs! Thanks did the fantastic recipe!!






  33. Great dough and had it with bolognese .






  34. Excellent recipe. Made it this morning topped with sauteed red pepper, onion, tomato and fresh rosemary. House smelled like a bakery and taste and texture were better than expected. Made it in a rectangle pan and made nice long slices. Thanks for sharing your recipe.






  35. My 4 year old has dubbed this “The cabin bread with the rosemary”, because i always make a loaf and wrap it in foil to bring to our off grid cabin up north and we warm it up on the fireplace. And bonus that it makes it smell like rosemary! The easiest bread recipe in the history of forever and it’s always my little mans answer when I ask what he wants for dinner….the cabin bread with the rosemary. SO so so so so extra so good! I’m from Alaska, but now live in MN, and this is the PERFECT use for the giant flaked sea salt some friends of mine built an empire around producing. A little taste of both homes. Thank you for this keeper!






  36. Made this tonight, first time making bread using the stand mixer. Came out ok, but the dough was too wet even after adding almost 2 extra 1/4 cups of flour. Any suggestions? Also curious how much extra salt should be used to sprinkle on top before baking? I was afraid to over-salt it but i think i went too light. Also didn’t have fresh rosemary so tried to use dried rosemary…again, curious how much to use as it seemed too light on the spice.






  37. Amazing!!!! Followed the instructions to a tee and it came out perfectly! Takes a little time but it’s easy with the mixer. The only problem is- now I can’t choose between these and the 1-hour dinner rolls as my favorite haha!






  38. LOVE this recipe! So soft and delicious.
    Subbed zahatar for rosemary and filled all the indents with about a tablespoon of olive oil each.

  39. Such an easy recipe!
    It turned out great!
    YUMMY!!!!






  40. Love this recipe! In South Africa we don’t have All Purpose Flour so I used 3 cups stone ground bread flour with 1/2 cup cake flour. Also used instant yeast 7g. This is the 4th time I’m making it and I made it thinner this time, we like it like that, but either way it is always delish!!






  41. LOVE this recipe. It’s a family favorite in our house hold. Thank you this recipe was perfect. I used Artisan Flour instead of all purpose.






  42. So easy to make and came out delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!






  43. Nice dough, used fresh oregano, rosemary and lemon thyme and cracked sea salt. Will pair nice with the corn, potato and poblano chowder that is simmering.






  44. Yum. Some modifications and delightful results.






  45. Oh. My. Goodness. Perfect recipe, easy to follow. This focaccia is TO DIE FOR!






  46. This recipe is easy to follow and delicious! Its my go to recipe EVERY time! I have changed up toppings to parmesan and garlic with red onion. Mmmm mmmm good!






  47. This is a fantastic recipe and super easy. I made it with spelt flour and my friends couldn’t tell the difference. I’m making it for the second time in a month. Thank you for sharing.

  48. Mine turned out kind of bland?! I even added roasted minced garlic to the top. The bread is light and fluffy and looks perfect, but I feel like it’s missing something :(






  49. This turned out amazing!!! Thank you for the recipe! I did cook mine in a cast iron pan instead of baking sheet…






  50. My first time making focaccia bread it turned out perfect, a simple but great recipe