Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread

We all know focaccia bread as that crispy yet fluffy bread served at Italian restaurants. Overflowing baskets (yet seemingly never enough) of bread and small plates of oil and herbs are presented to us. I have such great memories of dredging my focaccia bread in the oil, dripping it all over myself, but savoring the texture and flavor of the bread and oil. Now you can make this bread and recreate the experience yourself! Our rosemary focaccia bread recipe is easy to make, it’s customizable, and it’s downright delicious.

Focaccia Topping Ideas

Cheese- sprinkle cheese such as parmesan cheese or Gruyere as your focaccia is baking for a savory twist. Tomatoes- whether they are fresh, such as cherry tomatoes, or sundried from a jar, these would make a great addition. The texture and flavor would add a brightness and sweet flavor. Olives- add whichever type of olives are your favorite, but be sure to remove the pit. You can keep them whole, even creating a design on top of the bread, or chop them up small and scatter them across the top. Caramelized onions- create a smoky sweetness with these. Caramelize the onions ahead of time, and then lay them across the top of your loaf. Flaky sea salt- always delicious, different from kosher salt, the larger pieces of salt melt in your mouth as you eat the pieces of bread. Fresh herbs- any herbs you want or have such as thyme, basil, dill, or anything you can imagine. Cut and scatter on your bread.

How to Make Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread

This focaccia dough is easy to put together. To begin, you first make a yeast mixture. You do this by adding warm water to a bowl and sprinkling yeast over the top of it. You can let this sit for fifteen minutes, and as it does, the yeast should become a little foamy. In a separate, large bowl, you will mix flour and salt. Because this is a focaccia recipe, you are going to use bread flour. Now you will add the yeast/water mixture to this large bowl. Stir it together to combine the ingredients. Drizzle the top of the dough ball with olive oil, enough oil to cover the entire thing. Cover this and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, line a 9×13 rectangle shaped dish with parchment paper. Take the dough from the bowl and place it on the 9×13 dish. It will sit here for 2-4 hours at room temperature and the dough should slowly grow to the edges of the pan. You want to allow the dough to rise. In a large skillet, you are going to infuse olive oil by adding the extra-virgin olive to the skillet, and then the garlic and the rosemary. Stir this mixture for a minute or two and then remove it from the heat. Preheat the oven to 425℉. Looking back to the dough in the pan, use your fingers to add dimples into the dough. Pour the infused olive oil over the top of the dough, just enough for a light coating. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack. Finally you can slice and serve.

What to Serve with Rosemary Focaccia Bread

This Rosemary Focaccia Bread is as versatile as it is tasty. When looking for ways to serve it, start with soup. Cut the bread into long, thin pieces, perfect for dipping into soup, and enjoy. What’s soup without salad? Have squares of your focaccia on the side of an Italian salad full of fresh greens, ripe tomatoes, and a slightly sour dressing. Perfect for pasta, use the bread to sop up extra pasta sauce and enjoy the flavors of the marinara on the focaccia. Another idea, cut the focaccia into sandwich bread by slicing the bread into little bricks and then cutting them open. These make a flavorful sandwich. A final idea, assemble a pizza on top of the focaccia. Whatever toppings you like!