Homemade Focaccia Bread
with Rosemary and Spanish Onions
A light and airy focaccia bread dotted with rosemary and red onions is the perfect companion to any main course. Serve it with balsamic vinegar for a quick appetizer. The recipe is simple and easy, which makes it perfect for serving when you have guests.
This Italian classic is as popular as pizza. I doubt there is anyone that does not know pizza and focaccia. The dough is very similar, and yet, not the same. Often, we make a focaccia pizza at home using this dough.
My mom would say, one of the most prominent features of focaccia, is the oil wells you have on top of the bread. You make these with your fingers so the oil can seep in and infuse the bread with all its deliciousness. The olive oil on the top forms a nice delicate crust, but seeps into the soft bread on the inside making it more chewy and juicy.
About this Focaccia Bread Recipe
If you love bread, then focaccia is an absolute treat. You will enjoy it on its own. Making the dough is easier than bread dough. The real trick to making a good light and airy focaccia is to keep the dough soft, loose and sticky. It sounds difficult to work with, but if you look at the video you will see it's easy peasy.
Often, simple toppings like rosemary, red onion, and garlic are all it takes to add flavor. You can, of course, take it one step further and add some mozzarella and pepperoni too. Yup! You must try a good focaccia pizza.
I absolutely love this focaccia. We usually enjoy it with pasta. The tomato sauce left from the pasta on the plate taste even more delicious with good bread doesn't it? Any leftovers make amazing focaccia sandwiches. My kids' favorite is a tomato and cheese focaccia sandwich.
Can you see that texture on this bread? It's light and airy. That's is a good focaccia bread!! My mom would be so proud.
Useful tools and tips
- Use a small mixing bowl or measuring cup to activate the yeast. I prefer to use glass over metal. If the metal is cold, it can lower the temperature of the liquid ingredients.
- I like mixing bread dough by hand. It's quite therapeutic. But, bread dough can be difficult to handle. Not just because it needs more kneading, but also because it's often a soft, sticky mess. So, I highly recommend using a stand mixer such as Kenwood, or kitchen-aid. (recommended read - which stand-mixer is good for home bakers)
- Baking bread is a science. So, measuring ingredients correctly is important. Also, do not wing the measurements. Use a measuring cup for liquid ingredients and measuring spoons for dry ingredients.
- And, a good baking tray is as important to bread baking as it is to other baking. Therefore, buy a good quality baking tray that's not too thin. The thick ones will prevent the bread from burning on the bottom. Sometimes you can even add a second tray on the bottom to prevent it from getting burnt.
- Every oven works differently. So, the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of bread, a hollow sound on the bottom of the bread is a great indication. If the bread bakes too quick or too slow, compared to the time given, it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration.
- Also, an oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do is adjust the temperature accordingly.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Bread flour - I always use AP flour for all my bread dough but not for my pizza and focaccia. I like using bread flour. It gives a nice light and airy texture to the dough.
- Olive oil - A good olive oil is like good wine and can make a huge difference to focaccia bread. It does not just enhance the flavor but also the texture and the crust.
- Honey - I like the flavor of honey, and yet sugar works just as well.
- Toppings - I love using rosemary, red onion for its sweetness and garlic for its pungent flavor. I have tried many different versions - rosemary, onions, mushrooms, cheese, chilly flakes,... the list goes on.
- Onions - If you choose to use onions, I highly recommend using the red onions. They are sweeter and add a nice caramelized sweetness to the focaccia.
How to make homemade rosemary focaccia bread (save/pin)
Prepare the Dough
- Combine warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil.
- Let rest at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes.
- The yeast mixture will get foamy.
- Tip - you can add active yeast directly to the flour but this method ensures that the yeast is activated.
- Place the flour in a mixer bowl with a dough attachment.
- Pour in the yeast mixture.
- Combine the flour and yeast on medium-low speed scraping the sides of the bowl until all the dry flour is incorporated.
- Continue to knead on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid the temptation to add more flour - The dough will be smooth, soft, and elastic but still quite sticky - and that's ok.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl, coat the dough with a little olive oil and cover with a clean kitchen cloth.
- Leave to rise until doubled in volume - about an hour or more.
Form the Focaccia Bread
- Once the dough is double in size.
- Spread olive oil in a 9 x 13 sheet pan.
- Spread the dough with your fingertips into the pan as evenly as possible.
- Tip - If the dough is not stretching let it rest for 10 minutes then spread again. Letting the dough rest helps the gluten in the bread relax.
- Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and rest for about 15 minutes.
Prepare for Baking
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 390 F.
- Make holes on the top of the focaccia with your fingers.
- Sprinkle olive oil on the rosemary, onions, and garlic.
- Tip - Coating the rosemary and onion with oil will prevent it from burning in the oven.
- Dot the bread with rosemary and sliced garlic. Sprinkle the sliced onions. Pour any leftover olive oil over the bread as well.
- Let rest another 10 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
- Tip - I like to take the Focaccia out of the sheet pan after 15 minutes so the bottom gets crisp as well.
- Transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Description
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1 ½ cup (350 ml) Warm water 110 F
- 4 cups (500 g) Bread flour
- 2 ¼ tsp (9 g) Active yeast (1 packet)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Honey or sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup (60 g) Bread flour for kneading
FOR THE TOPPING
- 2 sprigs Rosemary fresh
- ¼ cup Red onions sliced
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 1 Garlic sliced (optional)
Instructions
Dough
- Combine warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil.
- Let rest at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes.
- The yeast mixture will get foamy.
- Tip – you can add active yeast directly to the flour but this method ensures that the yeast is activated.
- Place the flour in a mixer bowl with a dough attachment.
- Pour in the yeast mixture.
- Combine the flour and yeast on medium-low speed scraping the sides of the bowl until all the dry flour is incorporated.
- Continue to knead on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid the temptation to add more flour – The dough will be smooth, soft, and elastic but still quite sticky – and that’s ok.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl, coat the dough with a little olive oil and cover with a clean kitchen cloth.
- Leave to rise until doubled in volume - about an hour or more.
Shape
- Once the dough is double in size.
- Spread olive oil in a 9 x 13 sheet pan.
- Spread the dough with your fingertips into the pan as evenly as possible.
- Tip – If the dough is not stretching let it rest for 10 minutes then spread again. Letting the dough rest helps the gluten in the bread relax.
- Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and rest for about 15 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 392 F.
- Make holes on the top of the focaccia with your fingers.
- Sprinkle olive oil on the rosemary, onions, and garlic.
- Tip – Coating the rosemary and onion with oil will prevent it from burning in the oven.
- Dot the bread with rosemary and sliced garlic. Sprinkle the sliced onions. Pour any leftover olive oil over the bread as well.
- Let rest another 10 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
- Tip – I like to take the Focaccia out of the sheet pan after 15 minutes so the bottom gets crisp as well.
- Transfer to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
10 tips for making perfect bread every single time
- Measure all ingredients ahead of time, so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
- For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
- The liquid (milk or water) must be warm (not hot) - about 110F. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Similarly, if the liquid is too cold, it will not activate the yeast.
- Though instant dry yeast has a long shelf life, it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go. If not, it's best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
- Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine salt with the flour then add the yeast mixture.
- A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing. Often, it will give you a soft puffy bread. So, don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
- Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (30 C / 75 F- not hotter) oven this will expedite the rise.
- Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
- Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.
Frequently asked questions
If stored properly, this bread will stay for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can also be frozen for a month or more. Never store bread in the fridge as it dries out.
You want to keep bread covered in an airtight container or ziplock bag to prevent air from drying them out. I like to use my reusable silicone bags to keep bread fresh.
The best way to keep homemade bread soft is to contain the steam within the bread. So, while they are still hot, place a clean kitchen cloth over them and let them rest for 10 minutes. Keeping these dinner rolls covered will also keep them from drying out.
For make-ahead or freezer-friendly focaccia, bake the bread as instructed in this recipe. Let it cool completely. Once cooled place the bread in an airtight freezer-safe ziplock bag. For best results, thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or more as needed.
Focaccia goes well with any Italian meal.
Soup, salad and homemade bread (often focaccia) are a complete meal in our home.
This bread is also perfect to soak up the gravy in slow-cooked lamb, beef or chicken dishes.
My kids love lamb stew with this bread too.
The toppings are endless, you can tray any fresh herbs you like such as thyme, basil, as well as oregano. Add sliced veggies such as tomatoes. Sprinkle on some cheese such as Parmesan. You can even make a focaccia pizza with tomato sauce and fresh Mozzarella.
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