This super easy Focaccia Bread recipe is a great party appetiser that will also makes a delicious dinner, when served with your favourite toppings!
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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.
Focaccia 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
Looking for more Homemade Bread Recipes?
Check out these ones:
Cinnamon Scrolls from Scratch
Easy Lemon Sweet Rolls
Chocolate Brioche Bread Wreath
Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Chocolate Raspberry Buns
Spinach and Ricotta Rolls
Easy Italian Focaccia Bread Recipe:
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 1/2 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.
Hi there, I'm Sylvie - a Belgian Expat living in Melbourne, Australia. I am addicted to baking and love to share my favourite recipes and tips. Join me on my Baking Journey! - Sylvie
Bread is my weakness, and I love it with rosemary. Thanks for sharing!
Mine too, I simply cannot resist anything bread haha!
Rosemary and Focaccia are just a match made in heaven! Delicious 🙂
So agree with you!
This looks so good! Have you ever tried using focaccia for a panini? It’s incredible! Of course, fresh focaccia like this is perfect just with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip, but it does still take any toasted sandwich to a whole new level!
I have never tried them as panini, but that sounds SO incredible!! I absolutely have to try that next time I make the recipe, thanks for the tip!
Focaccia AND rosemary? I’m loving this divine combo! Can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing, Sylvie!
It’s the best combo!
Its really hard to beat good bread and this focaccia looks delicious. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
So right, bread is everything!
Oh this just looks so homely and delicious! I would love it under some beautiful tomato bruschetta, or even just dipped in some olive oil…. there are so many things you could do with this, can’t wait to try!
That’s why I love this recipe, there are so many ways to enjoy them! We had them with cherry tomatoes, marinated artichokes and bresaola – SO good!
Love a good focaccia – can’t get over how easy it is to make too. The wife will be super happy when I make this later in the week
I know she will love it, its like the perfect mix between bread and a pizza 😉
I love making focaccia, it’s so easy to make. In fact I love making bread! This looks so delicious, and would be perfect simply dipped in olive oil with a great balsamic vinegar too.
Same here, love making bread! Happy you enjoyed the recipe, Louise 🙂
I have been having such a craving for homemade focaccia lately it’s like you read my mind! Can’t wait to give this a try 🙂 Thanks!
I know the feeling, the focaccia craving is real! Especially when the temperatures are starting to drop like now 🙂
Yum Sylvie!! I especially like the photo before it has been good as it is already so appealing and tasty!! What a great recipe. Can’t wait to try it out sometime. Cheers 🙂
Thanks Adrianne – it’s one of those recipes you wish you could eat raw because it looks so delish, even uncooked 😉
I am totally motivated to make this. it looks incredible and you make it sound so easy.
Glad to hear you want to make this recipe, Danielle – let me know how you go!
This is one of my favourite types of bread. Perfect with tomato soup.
Mine too!
Yum! I haven’t made bread for so long, and it’s one of my favourite things to make! I might have to do some Foccacia later now! Thanks for sharing! #CookBlogShare
Making bread is seriously the best!
It was really good and easy to make!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
So happy to hear that, Toni!
Such a beautiful classic dish! And it looks perfectly baked!! Absolutely love it! (:
Thank you Nicolas!
As a gluten intolerant, I got used to my condition and rarely crave for breads but this one has got my mouth water like it had not in a long time ! Amazing recipe, that focaccia looks absolutely divine!
That’s so nice to hear, Michelle!
This is the bread that gets me in trouble! It’s so good I can’t stop eating it!
Thanks Karly, it is super addictive, isn’t it!?
I love foccacia! This is such a nice recipe for it! Simple and efficient!
Thanks Michelle 🙂
I need to make focaccia for an event next week and this might just be the perfect recipe! Love the topping ideas. So many options! Thanks for sharing.
How perfect! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
I love making homemade bread! Rosemary addition to focaccia is a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Me too, homemade bread is the best!
What a beautiful and delicious bread! This recipe is complete perfection. Great side to include with any meal. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thanks Angela, it is a great side indeed!