Focaccia is an Italian flatbread that is similar in texture to pizza dough, typically seasoned only with olive oil and salt. We love the light and airy texture and that we can make it from start to finish in one afternoon, as opposed to most other bread recipes that require prepping the day before. We created this version with rosemary and garlic because it is perfect to serve as an appetizer along with some good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or honestly to just eat warm out of the oven!
The ingredients are pretty simple, but having good olive oil is key! There are SO many olive oils at the supermarket that are actually mixed with other oils or are just poor quality. We were lucky to discover Terra Medi oils and vinegars this week. They make 100% all natural products with no additives or preservatives that focus on quality ingredients from Greece. We used their Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this recipe, and the flavor was perfect!
If you’ve never made bread before, this is perfect introductory recipe! It only needs a few hours to rise and about 40 minutes to cook, so you can take care of it one afternoon and have warm bread on the table for dinner. We like to make it in our Lodge cast iron skillet, it makes clean up a breeze. If you don’t have this work horse in your kitchen, you need one ASAP.
Hope you enjoy our focaccia recipe! Trust us when we say, you’re family and friends will be so impressed with this bread.
Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 0.75 oz Packet Active Dry Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 3 Cloves Garlic Very thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary chopped
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.25 cups warm water
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients (reserve 1/2 teaspoon rosemary) together into a large mixing bowl, including the garlic and rosemary. Mix until combined with whisk.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 cup of warm water. Using an electric stand mixer with hook attachment, begin mixing on low speed.
- Scrape sides of the bowl down and continue adding remaining water until dough starts to stick to itself but no longer sticks to the bowl. If the dough is too wet, you can add additional flour to achieve the right consistency.
- Coat the inside of a 10.25 inch cast iron skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Form a ball with the dough and place in the center of the skillet. Gently pat to flatten slightly, but still allowing space for the dough to spread and rise.
- Spread a small amount of olive oil over the top of the dough to prevent it from drying out. Completely cover with plastic wrap.
- Allow to rest for at least 1 hour in a warm place - i.e. on top of a warm stove; until dough has at least doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Carefully remove plastic wrap and using a finger, poke holes across the dough. Drizzle remaining olive oil, approximately 1/4 cup, over the dough. Ensure each hole is filled with olive oil.
- Sprinkle reserved 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary over the top.
- Bake at 400F for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and most of the olive oil has been absorbed.