Four different types of bread in one week. Yup we are living the carb-heavy life over here right now and absolutely loving it. Easy rosemary garlic focaccia bread is so easy, requires no kneading and no second proofing, making it the perfect bread for beginners. It’s super garlicky, thick, and has a cake-like sponginess. It has the perfect golden and crispy texture on the outside, but soft, fluffy and tender inside. Just perfect.
Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread Ingredients
To make rosemary garlic focaccia bread, you will need to gather a few ingredients.
- extra virgin olive oil - this is what gives the bread it’s crispy outer texture and incredible flavour.
- garlic - lots of fresh garlic please! — I used 4 cloves.
- rosemary - fresh rosemary is best to obtain the most flavour.
- flour - I used all-purpose flour.
- yeast and water - active dry yeast and warm water to help the dough rise.
- sugar - a small amount of sugar helps speed up the yeast fermentation.
- salt - for flavour.
How to Make Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
There are just a few main steps in making a fresh batch of homemade focaccia bread.
- Prepare the rosemary garlic oil. Cook olive oil, garlic and rosemary in a small saucepan to infuse the flavours together.
- Prepare dough. Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water and mix together. Add flour and salt, and whisk to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Add rosemary garlic oil. Spread some rosemary garlic oil into a 8x8-inch baking pan. Transfer dough into the tray and spread it. Press the dough with your fingers to make dimples. Drizzle the remaining rosemary garlic oil on top. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
- Bake bread: Preheat oven to 425°F and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Tips for the Baking the Perfect Focaccia Bread
To get that perfect, fluffy focaccia bread, here are some tips to keep in mind.
- use unopened and unexpired yeast that was stored int a cool and dry area - make sure the yeast is in an original, unopened package, and that it has not expired (note that instant yeast has a relatively shorter shelf life).
- the yeast mixture should start to bubble - when mixing the yeast in lukewarm water, the mixture should start to bubble and develop a yeasty aroma.
- use oil during the transfer - focaccia bread dough is quite sticky to handle with 75% hydration (flour to water ratio). You can apply some of the rosemary garlic oil to your hands during the transfer if needed, to help with handling the dough.
Focaccia bread is best served fresh out of the oven. If you need to store it for more than a couple days, you can easily store it in the freezer for up to a month, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container. I like to slice up the bread first, then freeze and reheat it in the toaster oven.
How to Serve Focaccia Bread
Focaccia bread tastes kind of like a herby garlic bread so I can just eat this on its own. But it also pairs incredibly well with a creamy soup, and is so perfect for dunking. My favourite soups to serve with this are our roasted butternut squash soup or our roasted carrot and ginger soup.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Small Batch No Knead Bread
- Homemade No Knead French Baguettes
- Easy Small Batch Ciabatta Rolls
- Small Batch Sourdough Bread
- Easy Homemade Everything Bagels
- Pull-Apart Garlic Bread
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Recipe
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8x8-inch loaf of bread
- Diet: Vegan
Description
No knead, easy rosemary garlic focaccia bread is thick with a perfect golden and crispy texture on the outside, but soft, fluffy and tender inside.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 225 grams lukewarm water (1 cup)
- 300 grams all-purpose flour (2 + ½ cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add olive oil, garlic and rosemary, and cook over low heat. Stir to cook until garlic starts to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Do not overcook garlic, as it will turn brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water and stir to mix together. Add flour and salt, and whisk to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible). The mixture is very sticky and wet, with a 75% hydration (flour to water ratio).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Spread a tablespoon of the rosemary garlic oil into an 8x8-inch baking tray. Transfer the dough into the tray and spread it to cover the tray (The dough is quite sticky, so you can use some oil to help with handling the dough). Press the dough with your fingers to make dimples. Drizzle the remaining rosemary garlic oil on top. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 F and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Use a digital scale. For the most accurate measurements, I highly recommend investing in a digital scale.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (+2.5 hours rising time)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Tanvi says
Amazing recipe! Easy and perfect - crusty outside, spongy and soft inside. I was going by the “sticky” dough so didn’t add the last 1/4 cup of flour in half recipe (1-1/4 cups required). 1 cup made it sticky enough. 30 mins baking time was perfect. Thank you!
Ariana says
so great. this recipe changed my life!!!!! measured perfectly for the 8x8 😃
Jessica says
I made three batches of this for mother's day gifts and man were they a hit! I am not a bread maker as much as I wish to be. Every attempt up until this recipe was a failure. I believe the simplicity of this recipe is what makes it so great. I followed the recipe exactly for each batch and all came out the same even though I left some of the oil mixture unused. I would definitely recommend!
Marcey says
Hi there I'm making this for Easter and I'm not sure if I should make 2 batches or more ? Please help supposedly we will be having 40 people but I think a little more? I hope all is well 😊
Debby N Drew-Krajewski says
Love this recipe Easy , light , airy, fluffy and crisp on the outside. I live in Northern Ca and it's cold and dry this time of year. I added a bit more water to the dough and a 1/2 tsp more of salt. For the garlic oil, I had jarred garlic , and only had dry rosemary 1/2 tsp and added a bit of dried oregano as well to the oil. I checked the bread at 15 minutes and it was finished perfectly by 17 minutes with an internal temp of 192. Easy and just delicious.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you Debby! So happy you liked the recipe!
Marilou says
Hi! Can I leave the yeast to rise over night?
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Marilou, yes you can let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator for slow fermentation. The next day, let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes until it hits room temperature. If the dough has not doubled in size from when you first put it in the fridge the day before, then let it sit out until it doubles in size.