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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.
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!
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.)
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):
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.
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.
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.
More Favorite Bread Recipes:
Interested in doing some more bread-baking? Here are a few of my favorite easy bread recipes on the blog:
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
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through.
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.
This focaccia is outstanding!!! If you love this you must try her one hour cinnamon rolls!!!!!!!!!! OMG. They are unbelievable and always a staple go to treat. ?????? Thanks for sharing these easy to follow, awesome delicious recipes.? ?
Surprisingly fantastic! I ran out of rosemary so it just became a salted focaccia but it was an awesome bread nonetheless. Perfect pairing for my Georgian lamb kebabs and dill cucumber salad.
Adanma —
I don’t have rosemary so I was not gonna attempt it but this gave me the reason to try so thanks!
What do you do with the dough on the 2nd rise? Put it back n the bowl after you create the rectangle or ball?
Thank you
jen —
I would just cover it loosely on the surface where you shaped it :)
Tony Kullen —
I tend to do second rise on the pan it will be baked in, so you can seal the wrap but still spread it out well. I do it on the lightly oiled pan and wrap tight; then lift, put down more oil, flip and set down. Stretch to corners and do the finger imprints then bake.
Hi. Thank you for the wonderful easy to follow recipe.
I made this for the first time tonight and it looked fabulous. When we are it it felt a little dense compared to a bought one! Do you think I did anything wrong? Or am I just so used to supermarket breads? I really would appreciate feedback. Thanks. First time on your blog and first time making bread?
Phill —
Honestly, super market bread has so much junk in it the softness will never quite be the same. However, there are techniques and subtleties that lend a hand in bread making that you learn as your continue baking. Many novice bakers don’t understand how to work with yeast well in the beginning, and that just takes time, and some online digging helps too. You’ll get there, and thankfully it’s a delicious and rewarding journey.
Totally awesome! It’s so easy to make and really delicious. I almost always have a loaf of this hanging around the house. It freezes well, although, it usually doesn’t even make it to the freezer. I put dried herbs in mine and use basil or rosemary infused olive oil for the top before baking. Thanks for the recipe!
Easy to follow recipe and turned out perfect! Definitely recommend this recipe!
Emily —
I make this as a part of homemade Shashuska, and it is the perfect pairing. I love how fast the bread is ready! I use my baking steel and pizza peel and it just seems perfect. Proofing the yeast is so helpful!
This turned out great. Light and delicious. Had to convince my hubby to share with the batchelor next door. After his first bite, he asked, how many loaves did you make? Easy to make with my kitchenaid mixer. Sea salt flakes are nice on the top too.
I am not a cook or a baker at all and made this tonight and it came out so good! I ended up using half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour because I ran out of the all purpose flour. I panicked about putting the dough in a warm sunny spot so it could rise because my house is cold and a bit dark. I read a trick about heating water in the microwave for three minutes to heat it up. After it was done I took the water out, put the dough in and the dough rose perfectly. I also added minced garlic on the top. It came out of the oven and I drizzled it with more oil and sprinkled a little parmasean cheese on top. It was so perfect and I can’t wait to make it again.
I’ve made this focaccia at least half a dozen times since finding this recipe earlier this year, and it’s always delicious! I usually just add whatever herbs I have on hand, sometimes even dried herbs and they all work. It’s super easy to make and hardly lasts more than a couple days before it’s all eaten :) This is now a staple in my house!
I just made this recipe early this morning, and it’s really good! So delicious. I knew when first mixing up the dough, adding the flour, salt, olive oil after the yeast foamed up, I thought how good it was to add the olive oil to the dough. I’m no expert at bread baking, so I don’t know if adding olive oil to doughs is the norm. But I feel that the olive oil was a great and key thing with this recipe. I never am able to roll out pie crusts, or bread doughs, into perfect circles or squares. That’s when I shine it on, leaving a free form shape, then I say “oh, that’s ARTISAN bread!” LOL.
Will keep this recipe and make again. VERY good!
First time making bread, really disheartening. :( I must have done something wrong and I’m taking it so hard haha. As I’ve never made bread before, I wasn’t sure how to tell if the dough was smooth yet, not until I watched a video. And at that point I think I had already kneaded it enough. I also *thought* it doubled in size during the proof period but now I’m skeptical of everything.
Basically, the top of the loaf came out really smooth a medium brown, not like the golden, slightly-rough textures I’ve experienced form good focaccias I’ve had. And it was a bit dense. I basically made bread the quality of chain restaurant breadsticks. Did I underproof? Knead too much? It doesn’t look like focaccia at all and I’m so sad and this is a surprisingly hard thing to google.
i’ve yet to finish making the bread but i’ve noticed that after kneading the dough, it became super dry, kind of like play-do. is this right? or should it be more of a sticky consistency? i followed the recipe to a tee but i’m a bit lost.
Totally delighted with this recipe. I’m on my second loaf with more confidence. I was a little skimpy on the toppings. I’ve never used Salt Flakes and it does make a difference. I love it. I look forward to exploring more variations.
Mine is in the oven now. I added slow roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic inside the dough after the 2nd rise. Put caramelized onions on top w rosemary and salt and a few tom halves to make it pretty :) I can’t wait!!
I definitely give this recipe 5 stars, with one alteration..the first time I made this recipe,.I didn’t have flaky sea salt, so I followed your tip and used regular sea salt on top. It worked out fine for the top, and I am by no means a salt-aholic, but the actual bread underneath was missing something to my taste. That is when I realized that there was no salt at all in the actual bread dough. In my experience, that is a little unusual? So, the second time, I added 1.5 tsp of kosher salt to the dough, along with 2.5 tblsp of dried rosemary and italian herbs. The bread that came out with those alterations was PERFECTION to me!! We ate so much of it at the counter while preparing the rest of our meal that we just gave up and called the focaccia our dinner!! :-) Will be making again and again! Thank you!
Please delete my review about the recipe not having any salt in the dough!! I just realized that I misread the recipe in the beginning and thought the salt only went on top!! lol This is sheer perfection!
We make this weekly. We add red pepper flake, black ground pepper, dried thyme. Fresh Rosemary, fresh basil, minced onion, minced garlic and the slaked sea salt. It’s phenomenal. Best focaccia recipe I’ve ever tried.
While this recipe can be improved upon it’s one of the best foundations for a focaccia recipe that I have seen. I used a lot more oil than what it called for. I also gave the focaccia ahead start in the flavor dept.. Get yourself about 5 sprigs of rosemary and maybe 10 sprigs of thyme and pull off the leaves, against the grain, so to speak and discard the stems. Crush and dice about 7 cloves of garlic. Add your herbs and garlic to the oil and steep for 30 minutes on LOW. We aren’t trying to make tea at 190f but instead just a very slow simmer to extract the flavors of the herbs and garlic(also gets sweeter). When it asks for oil you can use what’s called for but use your infused oil instead. SO GOOD!!! I did skip the olive oil treatment when serving but instead I upped the oil in the dough and probably poured 1/4 cup of oil over the risen and pressed dough. and then I used my fingers to poke all those wonderful holes which presses the herbs, garlic and oil into the dough. Use that oil and spread some on your baking surface prior to spreading out your dough. I used a flat cookie sheet without sides.
What emerged from my oven was this golden brown pillowy focaccia bread that was so very tender. It isn’t kneaded as much as pizza so it doesn’t have so much chew, which I enjoyed.
This recipe is almost perfect, but the amount of four is way too high. A traditional focaccia dough should be very wet and absolutely stick to the sides of your bowl. You don’t knead it or roll it out, you dump it onto the pan you’re cooking it in and gently press it out to fit. I reduce the flour to 2 or 2.5 cups max when I make this and it creates a fantastic light texture with lots of air bubbles. You should also be mixing the salt and flour together in advance and add the oil to the wet ingredients (after yeast has proofed) before mixing the dry in. Hope this helps some of you who are ending up with a very dense final product!
Fox —
I will try this. I make a ciabatta recipe that has 2 cups of flour per loaf (two loaves, four cups total) and it is much “holier”. This was too dense, your holiness. The yeast foamed great, it rose well, I did everything per the recipe, used a Kitchen Aide mixer, all by the book, and I was surprised by it not having a more karsty interior. Too dense.
BUT, I do love the timing from start to finish, the flavor is good but light, and this is definitely a keeper if your tweak(s) work for me. I usually mix the salt and flour before adding, and I did not on this.
It looked so beautiful when it came out of the oven but it was gummy so it was underproved. Will make it again but will let it prove longer than 20 minutes the second rise. ?
Was really easy ; it ended up i had to wait / let it rest in the refrigerator overnight when dinner plan changed. Let it get to room temp / about 1.5 hr, then punched it down, rolled it out and completed the recipe. Turned out great!
Is it possible to use instant yeast? Does it change the recipe or measurement in any way?
Erin Konicki —
I used instant yeast and used about 2 teaspoons instead of the full pack. I did not make any other adjustments to the recipe/protocol and it is currently in the oven looking fantastic!
This is a spectacular recipe. My family loves it. Wouldn’t change a thing. We have huge rosemary bushes in our backyard – so all ingredients are either from the pantry or garden.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Ali, can this be made ahead (day before) and then baked?
Oil the tip of a wooden spoon to press the holes in the top of the bread. You can google how to tell if your bread has overproofed and how to repair it. Infused oil with extra salt adds a great flavor to the bread and it is essential to put lots of olive oil on top when you bake it. I am looking for a breat that is a good three inches high if anyone knows how to do this.
Followed the recipe to a tee but the dough was super dry by the time it finished kneading. Any suggestions? I read and watched other recipes that all say that Foccacia has a high hydration percentage and should be sticky?
made this again tonight and it came out perfect. Love the oil and rosemary, but this time i did freshly made garlic butter and it came out great. I will be trying more combinations.
I’m glad everyone else found this easy, but this was an impossibly frustrating recipe for me. I followed the recipe to a T (even measuring the temp of the water) and it was super sticky from the start. I added more flour, but it wasn’t helping. After letting it rise the 2nd time, I couldn’t even remove the paper towel from it as it was stuck to the dough. I had to trash the whole thing after an hour and a half of effort. I have no idea what I did wrong.
Becky jo Koivisto —
Hi Jackie that is really frustrating. My guess is you may have accidentally added double oil or water. I have had a 5 gal bench mixer in my kitchen for years. I baked for farm market for years. Here are a few hints on breads.
1. Bread flour for bread. I use it for every thing even spritz cookies no problem.
2. Yeast I use lukewarm water I don’t take its temperature. The deal is you WILL KILL yeast when water is to hot. You will NOT KILL your yeast with warm or cold water if you activate it separately from your bowl. Feed it with 1/4 tsp. of sugar. Salt can deture yeast activation so add to mixing bowl after yeast is incorporated.
3. Always incorporate about 1/2 if the flour before adding oil, shortening, butter. This method makes for a tender & moist bread.
4. For me the flour required in a bread recipe is just a guide to what one might use. More or less depends on moisture content of your flour sitting in the bag. I add flour not by measure but by feel.
5. The best way to explain the texture of finished bread dough. Buy a new can of playdough play with it. This is what you need your dough to feel like. Two much flour makes tough bread & dry. To little flour and a loaf of say french bread will look like a flat tire out of the oven.
6. If you are not using a machine where you can knead to finish with the machine. A hand kneading start in a bowl with your favorite mixing tool. Even a hand mixer, eventually turn it out on floured surface to finish. Adding flour slowly kneading working to that playdough feel.
Hope I have been of help. Happy Baking.
This was my first time making focaccia (or I think any) bread. I literally just pulled it out of the oven and took a hot bite… I love it. This could be trouble. With so much 2020 craziness, I developed a sweet tooth – thankfully not my norm, but I’ve got to strike that bad habit before it’s too late.
Today I was filled with more hope and thought what else can I bake? Bread. I used dried rosemary since I didn’t have fresh and I also worked fresh minced garlic into the dough as one of the recommendations you gave. I sprinkled parmesan over half of one side about 1/2 way through cooking.
I don’t have a fancy mixer so I think my little engine that could had to work hard on the dough and perhaps I could benefit from 1. a better mixer and/or 2. less time mixing. Still though – I’m a satisfied guest and appreciate you sharing this recipe. I intend to try this again, next time with the education from this first time, fresh rosemary, same amount (1 clove) of garlic… maybe even mix in some parmesan during the kneading phase if I’m feeling crazy.
I saw a recommendation for your 1-hour cinnamon rolls in this comment section, too. When the inevitable sweet tooth comes back, I’m looking forward to trying those!
Thank you!
Does the finished bread freeze well? I’m hoping to make it ahead of time and then thaw on the day I need it.
Larissa —
Hi Maria,
I’ve done this recipe about three times now and have frozen it twice. It freezes extremely well! I cut the bread into equal portions and then wrap them separately in tinfoil and pop them into a Ziplock freezer bag. All you do is take out as many portions as you want, pop them in the preheated oven at 350 for 10 minutes on a baking sheet–yes, even from frozen–and they’re ready to eat. So delicious! I haven’t needed to thaw mine at all. I hope this helps!
My focaccia was really dense and hard after baking even though after kneading the dough was double.What could be the reason ???
I made and is so delicious!!! I
As a beginner baker, i stumbled across this recipe and have made it three times — each time a huge success! Can’t believe how simple + amazing it is.
This focaccia is outstanding!!! If you love this you must try her one hour cinnamon rolls!!!!!!!!!! OMG. They are unbelievable and always a staple go to treat. ?????? Thanks for sharing these easy to follow, awesome delicious recipes.? ?
I made this last night and it was my first time baking bread. It was good but a bit dry, any suggestions? I would LOVE to make it again.
Try adding some water to the dough
Surprisingly fantastic! I ran out of rosemary so it just became a salted focaccia but it was an awesome bread nonetheless. Perfect pairing for my Georgian lamb kebabs and dill cucumber salad.
I don’t have rosemary so I was not gonna attempt it but this gave me the reason to try so thanks!
What do you do with the dough on the 2nd rise? Put it back n the bowl after you create the rectangle or ball?
Thank you
I would just cover it loosely on the surface where you shaped it :)
I tend to do second rise on the pan it will be baked in, so you can seal the wrap but still spread it out well. I do it on the lightly oiled pan and wrap tight; then lift, put down more oil, flip and set down. Stretch to corners and do the finger imprints then bake.
Hi. Thank you for the wonderful easy to follow recipe.
I made this for the first time tonight and it looked fabulous. When we are it it felt a little dense compared to a bought one! Do you think I did anything wrong? Or am I just so used to supermarket breads? I really would appreciate feedback. Thanks. First time on your blog and first time making bread?
Honestly, super market bread has so much junk in it the softness will never quite be the same. However, there are techniques and subtleties that lend a hand in bread making that you learn as your continue baking. Many novice bakers don’t understand how to work with yeast well in the beginning, and that just takes time, and some online digging helps too. You’ll get there, and thankfully it’s a delicious and rewarding journey.
Totally awesome! It’s so easy to make and really delicious. I almost always have a loaf of this hanging around the house. It freezes well, although, it usually doesn’t even make it to the freezer. I put dried herbs in mine and use basil or rosemary infused olive oil for the top before baking. Thanks for the recipe!
Really enjoyed the bread. Easy recipe to follow with great results.
Thanks so much.
This is my second time making this bread and my family loves it! We are having it with some vegan red
Sauce pasta for diner tonight. Thank you.
it looks nice one, I am going to give it a go for tomorrow dinner.
I have a sourdough starter, can I use it for this recipe?
Easy to follow recipe and turned out perfect! Definitely recommend this recipe!
I make this as a part of homemade Shashuska, and it is the perfect pairing. I love how fast the bread is ready! I use my baking steel and pizza peel and it just seems perfect. Proofing the yeast is so helpful!
This turned out great. Light and delicious. Had to convince my hubby to share with the batchelor next door. After his first bite, he asked, how many loaves did you make? Easy to make with my kitchenaid mixer. Sea salt flakes are nice on the top too.
I am not a cook or a baker at all and made this tonight and it came out so good! I ended up using half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour because I ran out of the all purpose flour. I panicked about putting the dough in a warm sunny spot so it could rise because my house is cold and a bit dark. I read a trick about heating water in the microwave for three minutes to heat it up. After it was done I took the water out, put the dough in and the dough rose perfectly. I also added minced garlic on the top. It came out of the oven and I drizzled it with more oil and sprinkled a little parmasean cheese on top. It was so perfect and I can’t wait to make it again.
is it bad that my focaccia bread cracked? i think it should’ve been rolled out a bit more..
Olive oil! Use a lot! Almoat deown it. :)
I’ve made this focaccia at least half a dozen times since finding this recipe earlier this year, and it’s always delicious! I usually just add whatever herbs I have on hand, sometimes even dried herbs and they all work. It’s super easy to make and hardly lasts more than a couple days before it’s all eaten :) This is now a staple in my house!
I just made this recipe early this morning, and it’s really good! So delicious. I knew when first mixing up the dough, adding the flour, salt, olive oil after the yeast foamed up, I thought how good it was to add the olive oil to the dough. I’m no expert at bread baking, so I don’t know if adding olive oil to doughs is the norm. But I feel that the olive oil was a great and key thing with this recipe. I never am able to roll out pie crusts, or bread doughs, into perfect circles or squares. That’s when I shine it on, leaving a free form shape, then I say “oh, that’s ARTISAN bread!” LOL.
Will keep this recipe and make again. VERY good!
First time making bread, really disheartening. :( I must have done something wrong and I’m taking it so hard haha. As I’ve never made bread before, I wasn’t sure how to tell if the dough was smooth yet, not until I watched a video. And at that point I think I had already kneaded it enough. I also *thought* it doubled in size during the proof period but now I’m skeptical of everything.
Basically, the top of the loaf came out really smooth a medium brown, not like the golden, slightly-rough textures I’ve experienced form good focaccias I’ve had. And it was a bit dense. I basically made bread the quality of chain restaurant breadsticks. Did I underproof? Knead too much? It doesn’t look like focaccia at all and I’m so sad and this is a surprisingly hard thing to google.
ANYONE, PLEASE, HELP.
i’ve yet to finish making the bread but i’ve noticed that after kneading the dough, it became super dry, kind of like play-do. is this right? or should it be more of a sticky consistency? i followed the recipe to a tee but i’m a bit lost.
Love this recipe!! Quick, easy & delish!!!
Totally delighted with this recipe. I’m on my second loaf with more confidence. I was a little skimpy on the toppings. I’ve never used Salt Flakes and it does make a difference. I love it. I look forward to exploring more variations.
Mine is in the oven now. I added slow roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic inside the dough after the 2nd rise. Put caramelized onions on top w rosemary and salt and a few tom halves to make it pretty :) I can’t wait!!
I definitely give this recipe 5 stars, with one alteration..the first time I made this recipe,.I didn’t have flaky sea salt, so I followed your tip and used regular sea salt on top. It worked out fine for the top, and I am by no means a salt-aholic, but the actual bread underneath was missing something to my taste. That is when I realized that there was no salt at all in the actual bread dough. In my experience, that is a little unusual? So, the second time, I added 1.5 tsp of kosher salt to the dough, along with 2.5 tblsp of dried rosemary and italian herbs. The bread that came out with those alterations was PERFECTION to me!! We ate so much of it at the counter while preparing the rest of our meal that we just gave up and called the focaccia our dinner!! :-) Will be making again and again! Thank you!
Please delete my review about the recipe not having any salt in the dough!! I just realized that I misread the recipe in the beginning and thought the salt only went on top!! lol This is sheer perfection!
We make this weekly. We add red pepper flake, black ground pepper, dried thyme. Fresh Rosemary, fresh basil, minced onion, minced garlic and the slaked sea salt. It’s phenomenal. Best focaccia recipe I’ve ever tried.
It turned out great! Exactly the way I expected it! Very good recipe!
So good! made it for the first time and could not be easier to understand!
While this recipe can be improved upon it’s one of the best foundations for a focaccia recipe that I have seen. I used a lot more oil than what it called for. I also gave the focaccia ahead start in the flavor dept.. Get yourself about 5 sprigs of rosemary and maybe 10 sprigs of thyme and pull off the leaves, against the grain, so to speak and discard the stems. Crush and dice about 7 cloves of garlic. Add your herbs and garlic to the oil and steep for 30 minutes on LOW. We aren’t trying to make tea at 190f but instead just a very slow simmer to extract the flavors of the herbs and garlic(also gets sweeter). When it asks for oil you can use what’s called for but use your infused oil instead. SO GOOD!!! I did skip the olive oil treatment when serving but instead I upped the oil in the dough and probably poured 1/4 cup of oil over the risen and pressed dough. and then I used my fingers to poke all those wonderful holes which presses the herbs, garlic and oil into the dough. Use that oil and spread some on your baking surface prior to spreading out your dough. I used a flat cookie sheet without sides.
What emerged from my oven was this golden brown pillowy focaccia bread that was so very tender. It isn’t kneaded as much as pizza so it doesn’t have so much chew, which I enjoyed.
super great! tastes amazing
Super easy and amazing!
This recipe is almost perfect, but the amount of four is way too high. A traditional focaccia dough should be very wet and absolutely stick to the sides of your bowl. You don’t knead it or roll it out, you dump it onto the pan you’re cooking it in and gently press it out to fit. I reduce the flour to 2 or 2.5 cups max when I make this and it creates a fantastic light texture with lots of air bubbles. You should also be mixing the salt and flour together in advance and add the oil to the wet ingredients (after yeast has proofed) before mixing the dry in. Hope this helps some of you who are ending up with a very dense final product!
I will try this. I make a ciabatta recipe that has 2 cups of flour per loaf (two loaves, four cups total) and it is much “holier”. This was too dense, your holiness. The yeast foamed great, it rose well, I did everything per the recipe, used a Kitchen Aide mixer, all by the book, and I was surprised by it not having a more karsty interior. Too dense.
BUT, I do love the timing from start to finish, the flavor is good but light, and this is definitely a keeper if your tweak(s) work for me. I usually mix the salt and flour before adding, and I did not on this.
It looked so beautiful when it came out of the oven but it was gummy so it was underproved. Will make it again but will let it prove longer than 20 minutes the second rise. ?
Was really easy ; it ended up i had to wait / let it rest in the refrigerator overnight when dinner plan changed. Let it get to room temp / about 1.5 hr, then punched it down, rolled it out and completed the recipe. Turned out great!
I’ve made this bread quite a few times. It is now my favorite. Nice outer crust and soft and moist on the inside.
First time I’ve ever made bread. Brought to dinner party and even my Italian friend (who is an amazing cook) was impressed!
Delicious! I will be using this recipe often. Thank you?
Is it possible to use instant yeast? Does it change the recipe or measurement in any way?
I used instant yeast and used about 2 teaspoons instead of the full pack. I did not make any other adjustments to the recipe/protocol and it is currently in the oven looking fantastic!
So goood and so easy!
This is a spectacular recipe. My family loves it. Wouldn’t change a thing. We have huge rosemary bushes in our backyard – so all ingredients are either from the pantry or garden.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Ali, can this be made ahead (day before) and then baked?
Very nice, tender bread. I will be making it again!
Oil the tip of a wooden spoon to press the holes in the top of the bread. You can google how to tell if your bread has overproofed and how to repair it. Infused oil with extra salt adds a great flavor to the bread and it is essential to put lots of olive oil on top when you bake it. I am looking for a breat that is a good three inches high if anyone knows how to do this.
Hi! I am excited to try this. I actually just ran out of olive oil, do you think I can substitute it with butter?
Followed the recipe to a tee but the dough was super dry by the time it finished kneading. Any suggestions? I read and watched other recipes that all say that Foccacia has a high hydration percentage and should be sticky?
made this again tonight and it came out perfect. Love the oil and rosemary, but this time i did freshly made garlic butter and it came out great. I will be trying more combinations.
Has anyone tried this recipe with GF flour – either Bob’s Red Mill or Thomas Keller’s Cup 4 Cup?
I’m glad everyone else found this easy, but this was an impossibly frustrating recipe for me. I followed the recipe to a T (even measuring the temp of the water) and it was super sticky from the start. I added more flour, but it wasn’t helping. After letting it rise the 2nd time, I couldn’t even remove the paper towel from it as it was stuck to the dough. I had to trash the whole thing after an hour and a half of effort. I have no idea what I did wrong.
Hi Jackie that is really frustrating. My guess is you may have accidentally added double oil or water. I have had a 5 gal bench mixer in my kitchen for years. I baked for farm market for years. Here are a few hints on breads.
1. Bread flour for bread. I use it for every thing even spritz cookies no problem.
2. Yeast I use lukewarm water I don’t take its temperature. The deal is you WILL KILL yeast when water is to hot. You will NOT KILL your yeast with warm or cold water if you activate it separately from your bowl. Feed it with 1/4 tsp. of sugar. Salt can deture yeast activation so add to mixing bowl after yeast is incorporated.
3. Always incorporate about 1/2 if the flour before adding oil, shortening, butter. This method makes for a tender & moist bread.
4. For me the flour required in a bread recipe is just a guide to what one might use. More or less depends on moisture content of your flour sitting in the bag. I add flour not by measure but by feel.
5. The best way to explain the texture of finished bread dough. Buy a new can of playdough play with it. This is what you need your dough to feel like. Two much flour makes tough bread & dry. To little flour and a loaf of say french bread will look like a flat tire out of the oven.
6. If you are not using a machine where you can knead to finish with the machine. A hand kneading start in a bowl with your favorite mixing tool. Even a hand mixer, eventually turn it out on floured surface to finish. Adding flour slowly kneading working to that playdough feel.
Hope I have been of help. Happy Baking.
This was my first time making focaccia (or I think any) bread. I literally just pulled it out of the oven and took a hot bite… I love it. This could be trouble. With so much 2020 craziness, I developed a sweet tooth – thankfully not my norm, but I’ve got to strike that bad habit before it’s too late.
Today I was filled with more hope and thought what else can I bake? Bread. I used dried rosemary since I didn’t have fresh and I also worked fresh minced garlic into the dough as one of the recommendations you gave. I sprinkled parmesan over half of one side about 1/2 way through cooking.
I don’t have a fancy mixer so I think my little engine that could had to work hard on the dough and perhaps I could benefit from 1. a better mixer and/or 2. less time mixing. Still though – I’m a satisfied guest and appreciate you sharing this recipe. I intend to try this again, next time with the education from this first time, fresh rosemary, same amount (1 clove) of garlic… maybe even mix in some parmesan during the kneading phase if I’m feeling crazy.
I saw a recommendation for your 1-hour cinnamon rolls in this comment section, too. When the inevitable sweet tooth comes back, I’m looking forward to trying those!
Thank you!
Does the finished bread freeze well? I’m hoping to make it ahead of time and then thaw on the day I need it.
Hi Maria,
I’ve done this recipe about three times now and have frozen it twice. It freezes extremely well! I cut the bread into equal portions and then wrap them separately in tinfoil and pop them into a Ziplock freezer bag. All you do is take out as many portions as you want, pop them in the preheated oven at 350 for 10 minutes on a baking sheet–yes, even from frozen–and they’re ready to eat. So delicious! I haven’t needed to thaw mine at all. I hope this helps!