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Roasted garlic-scented rosemary focaccia bread is perfect for pasta night or when you’ve got guests coming! If you’re looking for something new to make during the holidays, let this rosemary focaccia bread be it. Follow the step-by-step recipe and see how easy it is to make!
Friends, carb lovers, and soup enthusiasts, lend me your… eyes?
Okay, not too sure where I was going with that one. Maybe it’s the carbs talking? All I can presently think about is the way that roasted garlic smells when it’s mingling with rosemary and good olive oil. My heart does a little summersault as the focaccia bread bakes away unleashing the most delightful aroma.
Then when you pull it out of the oven, you can hear just the faintest sizzle of the olive oil as it gently bubbles and kisses the outer crust until it’s golden brown. You use a serrated knife to slice into a hunk and notice how light the bread is. Tender and fluffy on the inside, golden and flaked with sea salt on the outside. As you tear off that first piece, you see the swirls of steam escaping. The edges are crispy, chewy and the inside is buttery and delicate.
Bread is happiness.
I’ll be the first one to tell you, for a while I found bread making to be tedious and slightly, okay, let’s be honest, SUPER stressful. As I get older, I realize tasks like breadmaking are so calming. There’s something so relaxing about putting a few ingredients together and making something entirely from scratch. Flour, water, yeast, and salt. It’s almost magical when these ingredients get together in a bowl.
I love how the act of bread making allows you just to unplug from the world, roll up your sleeves, and get into the zone. Early morning baking with a little smooth jazz on in the background and a warm mug of coffee is how I’d choose to spend every day if it were up to me.
Homemade focaccia loaded with roasted garlic cloves and topped with flaky sea salt makes me fall in love with food all over again.
Focaccia bread, you’ve had it before, right?
It’s thick and a little chewy. I hear people comparing it to pizza dough quite a bit, but to be honest, I’ve never had pizza dough that was soft and chewy like this focaccia bread. Typically it’s made with freshly chopped herbs, flour, and quite a few glugs of olive oil. The olive oil is what gives focaccia bread it’s decadent flavor. And though I’ve only ever dreamt of having authentic Italian focaccia, I imagine every nonna teaching her granddaughter to add copious amounts of olive oil until it’s luscious and buttery just like all the nonnas before her made it.
Like traditional focaccia, today’s rosemary focaccia bread recipe has tons of rosemary in it. Usually, I err on the side of caution when it comes to rosemary because personally, I find it can go from adding earthy flavor to tasting like hand soap rather quickly. Maybe that’s just me. But even though we’re using a full tablespoon in today’s bread dough and then topping it with more rosemary, I have yet to make a batch that teetered on the verge of too much.
How to make the best roasted garlic focaccia bread:
- I wanted to make this recipe easy to make for everyone while keeping it to a small(ish) batch. We’re using a 9×13 baking pan to bake today’s focaccia as this is a size that’s most commonly found in most kitchens. You might know it as your brownie baking pan. Once you make focaccia bread, you may need to rename it. If you’ve got a glass dish, that will work too. Just be sure to oil it well before using.
- Yeast: This recipe requires fresh yeast. I usually buy a bottle of yeast from the store and keep it refrigerated. If you’re doing the same, you’ll need 2 1/4 teaspoons in total. If you’ve got the kind in a packet, you’ll need one pack. Make sure you use water that is lukewarm (or more specifically, 105-110ºF). You can test this using a thermometer or just by sticking a finger in the water and checking to make sure it’s warm to the touch.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: we’re using a generous 1/2 cup, and I know that does sound like a lot of oil but trust me, this recipe needs it. And not only that, you’ll also brush a little more on when the bread comes out of the oven and you what? This is a sometimes recipe, so sometimes, it’s okay to have olive oil soaked focaccia bread. The olive oil is divided into 2 parts, 1/4 cup goes into the bread itself, the rest is split (2 tablespoons each) go to greasing the pan. The last two for brushing on top before the bread goes in the oven.
- Roasted garlic: I usually roast my own garlic accept when I’m in a huge hurry. So if you’d like, you can roast your own garlic at 375ºF for 1 hour. You would just chop off the tip of the garlic and peel off as much of the paper as possible. Then, drizzle with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap it up in foil and pop it in the oven and sit back as it makes your whole house smell like Thanksgiving. Roasted garlic is also sold in the deli section of most grocery stores (by the pound). You don’t need a whole lot, so that may be an option for you as well. If you’re not a fan of garlic, roughly chopped olives (green or kalamata) would be a great addition here. If you’re purists, just leave it out altogether.
Good rosemary focaccia bread is everything. The perfect companion to a bowl of soup, the Robin to your Batman when you need to mop clean homemade ragu, and the perfect base when you’re building a hearty eggplant parmigiana sandwich.
Seriously, everyone I shared this focaccia bread with, starting with Anees, family, and friends, has LOVED it.
Bread has a way of bringing people together at the table, so I urge you to share this little number with all those you love!
xx
Roasted Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup warm water 105-110ºF to be exact
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- .25 ounce packet instant yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 3 3/4 cup flour plus more (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for greasing
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus more
- 1/4 cup roasted garlic roughly chopped
- flaked sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast to a 2-cup measuring cup. Give it a stir and allow the yeast to bloom for 15 minutes. You'll see the yeast is foamy and bubbly near the end of the 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the flour, salt, 1/4 cup of olive oil, chopped rosemary, and roasted garlic to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on briefly to allow the ingredients to mix together. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture with the mixer running on low. Increase the speed to medium and let the mixer run for 4-5 minutes. Stop and scrape the dough if all the flour doesn’t incorporate fully. After 5 minutes, if the dough seems too sticky, use an additional 1-2 tablespoon of flour and form it into a ball using your hands.
- Transfer the dough into a large bowl that has been greased. Rub a dime size of olive oil on the surface of the dough and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours or until it’s nearly doubled in size. I usually do this in my dryer (see notes!)
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Using half of the remaining olive oil (2 tbsp), grease the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Remove the plastic wrap, and dump the dough into the prepared dish. Gently, using your fingers, push the dough out so that it fits the pan. Cover the dough with the plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto the dough. Using your fingers poke holes in the surface of the dough (seriously, poke all the way to the pan!) Sprinkle with additional rosemary, if desired and flaked sea salt.
- Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked all the way through. Remove from the oven, drizzle or brush with a little bit more olive oil and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving!
Notes
- You can use all AP flour for this recipe or what I find yields slightly better results is using 1 1/4 cup bread flour with 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. I suggest using the ‘spoon and level’ method when measuring out the flour. Here’s a video that shows you how to do that!
- A dryer is a great place for your bread dough to proof. Heat the dryer on high for 4-5 minutes, turn off the dryer. And place your bowl inside, and do not open the dryer for 1 hour.
- If you have a hand mixer with dough hook attachment, that will work just fine for this recipe. You can also use a bread dough machine to combine the dough or even just knead the dough with your own hands (about 12-14 minutes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Can I double this recipe?
I’m not sure what happened… Followed the recipe, but my focaccia was flattish and still doughy in the middle after 25 mins in the oven
Hi Mills! Sorry to hear the focaccia didn’t work out. Just based on what I’m reading, it could be that the yeast was expired. It should’ve risen quite a bit before going into the oven, and if even after baking, the focaccia was flat, I feel like the yeast may have been the culprit, unfortunately.
This is such a great recipe, came out great. I put sundried tomatoes on top and they burned so I just took them off. I guess any extra add in/ons should be in the dough? Correct?
Hi Diane! It depends on the add-on! If it’s something that contains moisture, such as olives, you can add whole olives to the top without the risk of burning. However, drier ingredients, such as sundried tomatoes (packed in or without oil) are better suited to be mixed into the dough! I hope that helps!
After I hand kneaded in couple tablespoons of flour it was still kind of sticky. Is that how it should be? I’ve made it before, it’s a great recipe but I am wondering if I am doing it right.
Just wondering if you ever use the Cold Proof method, where you leave the dough in the fridge overnight, then take it out an hour or two before baking to come to room temp, and finish rising? I’ve been doing that with bread doughs when I have advance notice and it comes out great.
Just baked this, and I have to say it was the absolute easiest recipe to follow! I love the clarity of what to do if sticky, and the note about the dryer! I can’t wait to update when I’ve tasted it.
**I roasted three garlic heads ahead of time, and put two full into the dough and then smeared the third across the top along with a little pepper!***
Sorry forgot….I made it a day b4 i needed it…..what is the best way to store it? Is it safe to leave out since it has roasted garlic in it?
Thx
1st time making this bread. Your recipe is great! I followed it exactly and used the dryer and it worked perfectly! I was so impressed how it turned out! Will def keep this recipe! Yum! Thx
I used it for art focaccia, looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful. And yes, I add the roasted garlic and fresh rosemary. It also comes together much faster than sourdough, but still tastes great! Even the grandkids want to make some. I have made it 4 times now, and it is becoming a favorite. My daughter likes it for sandwiches, but I really like it to accompany Italian food.
Do you know if avocado oil can be substituted for olive oil?
This is amazing focaccia bread! It has such a terrific WOW affect every time I make it!
It’s one of the few recipes that I follow to the letter, and it turns out perfect every time.
Easier to make than I expected and it came out delicious! Will definitely make again.
Hi – if I don’t have the option to use a dryer (live in a shared apartment complex) how long should I proof the bread for? Is it fine to sit in the open or should I keep it in the fridge? Please let me know. Thank you!
Hi Alyssa! If you leave it on the counter it’ll take anywhere from 2-2 ½ hours depending on the how cold it is, essentially you want the dough to double in size. You could also just warm up 2 cups of water in the microwave, remove the cup, and place the dough bowl inside and let it proof there. The warmth from the water heating up should help the dough rise quicker! Hope that helps!
This turned out perfectly! I used active yeast and did let the dough rise longer. I didn’t measure the garlic either….You can never really have too much IMO, so I roasted 2 heads and threw it all in for buttery goodness. I used dried rosemary, and just guessed- maybe a 1 tablespoon plus some sprinkled on top before baking. Thanks for this lovely recipe. I think next time I’ll leave out the garlic, up the sugar and top with figs for something a little different. I’ll certainly make this recipe as written again as well though! Thank you!
Turned out amazing the first time I made it! If I wanted to make two loaves, would I just double the whole recipe, or keep the 2.25 tsp yeast quantity and double everything else?
Thanks!
Even Gluten-Free it’s great! Imade this recipe with a mix of Pamela’s whole grain GF bread flour and Cup for Cup all purpose flour and it was a HUGE hit with the family — even the GF sceptics! Dough was pretty sticky though, next time I will add more flour. I want to try making a grilled panini with this delicious bread. Flavor was excellent — I may also experiment with baking it on a baking stone.
I made this bread and it didn’t turn out nearly as beautiful as yours, but it tastes good. I think I’m going to make a good pesto to dip it in. This bread seems like a really good choice to be served with pesto. Will make again until I perfect it. Thanks for the great recipe!
I don’t see where to add the sugar, I’m assuming into the yeast and water?
Hi Angela! Please see step 1.
This was amazing and tasted great! I used the bread to make a ham and melted white cheddar sandwich with butter and mango chutney. It was perfection.
Hi , can I prepare the dough and put it in the fridge and bake it in the morning and if yes at what stage please.? I’ve done this before and it turned out super yummy. Just this time I promised I take a focaccia to some friends and will need to leave home early. Thanks heaps