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
Leslie says
For the amount of flavor you get eating this bread, it should not have been so easy! As we live in England, the only change I made was to use 00 flour as our plain flour is different than American all purpose flour. It was perfect the night it was made and just as good the next day! Thank you for the recipe!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
This might be the best comment ever! Thank you so much Leslie. SO happy you liked the focaccia as much as we do. 🙂
tatiana says
This focaccia was so good, Sam! It matched lovely with the chicken soup I had for lunch, and was super quick to put together. Only problem: I can't stop eating it!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Heheh, that's a good problem to have! Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Amanda says
I just love the flavor the rosemary and garlic add! The texture of the focaccia is also perfect. Can't wait to make this one again!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks, Amanda! So glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Candice says
This focaccia is perfection! It was so easy to make... so much easier than I thought it would be. And having the smell of fresh bread in the oven was so wonderful... only followed by delicious devouring of this fantastic bread!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks, Candice! I have to agree with all of this! 🙂
veenaazmanov says
Best homemade bread option. Delicious and a must try one.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂
Bernice Hill says
Yes! We are all about the carbs over here too. I love how beautiful the texture of this focaccia looks, really stunning and I want to whip some up right now!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! You totally should, it's so easy to make! Let me know if you do 🙂