This super easy Focaccia Bread recipe is a great party appetiser that will also makes a delicious dinner, when served with your favourite toppings!
What is a Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is a traditional yeast-based Italian Flat Bread made with Olive Oil. Baked on a sheet pan, a Focaccia is recognisable by the small holes poked throughout the dough.
You will find many recipes and topping options in different region of Italy, but the one most commonly found outside of Italy is made with Fresh Rosemary.
Focaccia Dough is very similar to Pizza Dough in both texture and taste. Just like another traditional Italian Bread - the Ciabatta - a Focaccia can be served with many toppings but is also absolutely delicious on its own!
Rosemary Focaccia Ingredients
To make a Focaccia Bread Dough, you will need:
- Lukewarm Water
- Instant Yeast Powder
- Caster Sugar
- Plain, All-Purpose Flour (or even better with Bread Flour)
- Table Salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Optional: Ground Rosemary or Italian Seasoning
After proving and when ready to bake, a few ingredients will be added to the flatten dough:
- a little bit more Olive Oil
- Fresh Rosemary
- Sea Salt
How to make a Focaccia
Making Focaccia Bread is very similar to making any other bread, with the exception of the added Olive Oil.
Here are the steps to making the Italian Flat Bread:
- Mix the lukewarm Water, Yeast and Sugar. Leave for 5 to 10 minutes or until bubbly/foamy.
- Place the Plain Flour, Salt and Ground Rosemary in the bowl of your mixer. Pour the Yeast Water and Olive Oil over the dry ingredients and knead on low to medium speed for about 5 minutes. If the dough does not seem completely smooth and elastic, keep kneading for another couple of minutes.
- Cover with a Tea Towel and leave to prove for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven on 180'C/350'F and line a sheet pan with baking paper or a baking mat. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it, using your fingers or a rolling pin.
- Transfer the flat dough on the baking tray and poke small holes all over it with your fingers. Brush the Olive Oil over the dough, then sprinkle the Sea Salt and Fresh Rosemary over. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Toppings Ideas
The bread will be delicious served on its own with the Sea Salt and Rosemary. Served plain, Focaccia makes a great party appetiser.
To make a meal out of it, you can also top the flat bread with your choice of condiment, vegetables, marinated food or cured meat. Going for 'Mediterranean' ingredients like Tomatoes or Olives will always work great with Focaccia.
Here are a few ideas:
- Thinly Sliced Potatoes and Rosemary
- Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Leaves
- Olives and Garlic
- Anchovies and Capers
- like a Pizza with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella
- Marinated Vegetables like Mushrooms, Artichokes, Capsicum or Eggplant
- with an Italian Cured Meat like Bresaola
More Homemade Bread Recipes:
- Cinnamon Scrolls from Scratch
- Easy Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Chocolate Brioche Bread Wreath
- Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
- Chocolate Raspberry Buns
- Spinach and Ricotta Rolls
- Sweet Potato Buns
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Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
Focaccia Bread
- 2/3 cup (150ml) Lukewarm Water
- 3 teasp. (10 gr) Instant Yeast Powder
- 1 tbsp (12 gr) Caster Sugar
- 1 1/3 cup (250 gr) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teasp. (6gr) Table Salt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teasp. Ground Rosemary or Italian Seasoning (optional)
Toppings
- 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt - to taste
- Fresh Rosemary Leaves - to taste
Instructions
Focaccia Bread
- Combine the Warm Water, Caster Sugar and Instant Yeast Powder in a small bowl. Whisk together then leave for 5 to 10 minutes - the top of the liquid should be bubbly/foamy.
- Place the All Purpose Flour, Ground Rosemary (optional) and Table Salt in the bowl of your mixer. Make a well and pour in the Water/Yeast liquid as well as the Olive Oil.
- With a dough hook, knead for about 5 minutes, slowly increasing the speed to medium. The dough should be completely smooth and elastic. If it is still breaking apart or does not look smooth and elastic, knead for another couple of minutes.
- Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place to prove for about an hour, or until the focaccia dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven on 180'C / 350'F. Line a large sheet pan with baking paper or baking mat.
- Remove the tea towel from the bowl and punch the air out of the dough, then transfer on a lightly floured surface. Use your fingers or a rolling pin to spread the dough into a large rectangle, about the size of your sheet pan. Try not to spread the dough too thinly.
- Place the flatten dough onto the sheet pan. Carefully poke the dough with your fingers to create small holes (you can poke it quite deeply but be careful not to cut trough the entire dough).
Toppings
- Brush the olive oil over the flattened bread, then sprinkle the Sea Salt and Rosemary leaves. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve warm as is or with your choice of extra toppings.
