Focaccia Bread is a popular Italian bread that is so soft texture and super tasty when you add the fresh rosemary and sea salt. It’s similar to a soft pizza dough texture that is best served warm. It can be enjoyed as a side, appetizer as shown here or made into sandwiches.
Focaccia bread has been around for almost 2,000 years, and it only takes 3 ingredients and water that we often have on hand to be able to create this comforting, delicious bread to make as a side, pizza or sandwich. When making this bread, you can shape into a rectangle or a circular shape.
Dry yeast: I use a quick rise or a active yeast, both will give you a light airy texture.
Sugar: is needed to active the yeast with the warm water.
Olive oil: I decided to infuse the olive oil with garlic to give it that additional flavour.
Coarse sea salt: adds the salty flavour that makes it so tasty.
Rosemary: that earthy pine-lemony flavour that gives it that pungent taste.
Roasted Veggie Focaccia Pizza
Take this recipe to the next level and create a delicious fun pizza! This recipe makes an ideal pizza dough, as long as you place the dough in a medium size baking pizza pan. Add the olive oil, and rosemary then allow it to rise for 20 minutes. Then add the roasted veggies and bake for 20 minutes or until golden in colour.
Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 package) active dry yeast
- 3 cup all purpose flour plus extra when kneading
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 4 tbsp infused garlic olive oil
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 sprig fresh rosemary
Roasted Veggie Focaccia Pizza:
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 1/4 coloured pepper, sliced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add warm water, (check with a thermometer) sugar and yeast, stir to combine with a fork. Set in a warm spot in the kitchen, and allow to rise for 5-10 minutes until you see the yeast starting to foam.
- Using electric mixer: Attach the dough hook to the electric mixer, then pour the warm water, and sprinkle the sugar and yeast in the mixing bowl. On low speed, gradually add the flour, and salt, then increase speed low to medium, and continue for about 5 minutes until dough comes together. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, knead the dough to form a ball.Mix by hand: Use a wooden spoon, mix in flour one-third at a time, and salt to the yeast bowl. Continue mixing the flour in, a third at a time with the spoon until the dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and begin kneading, working in the flour about 8-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, and air bubbles start forming. Shape in to a ball.
- Grease a large bowl with olive oil, add the dough and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm area,(sometimes, I turn on the oven to warm up my kitchen). Let the dough rise for 45-60 minutes until it’s doubled in size.
- Grease a 9”x 13” baking dish/pan or a medium pizza baking pan. Punch down the dough and place into the baking pan and press the dough into an even layer of 1/2 inch thickness. Create indentations with your fingers into the dough, and brush the dough with infused olive oil, drizzle some olive oil in the indentations, sprinkle evenly with rosemary leaves and sea salt. Cover with towel, and allow to rise for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through. Serve warm and enjoy it as a side with soup or sandwich.
Roasted Veggie Focaccia Pizza
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the veggies with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool before adding to the pizza.
- Once the dough is pressed into a pizza pan, create indentations, add olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt. Allow to rise for 20 minutes, then arrange the veggies on the pizza dough, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden in colour.
- Enjoy warm.
Nutrition
Yeast starter: Once the warm water, sugar and yeast have started to activate and becomes foamy, start adding the flour one-third at a time. Stir to combine, about halfway add the salt, and once you have added 3 cups, and the dough is coming together. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface, and start kneading. If the dough starts to get sticky, add a little flour at a time. You want the dough to come together.
Kneading and rest the dough: To avoid adding too much flour and causing the dough to get too dry, I add flour in the palm of my hands when I notice the dough is still sticky. That way you have more control of the amount of flour you are adding. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, once you see the dough getting elastic (stretchy) and smoothing out, and you should hear air bubbles forming. Place the dough into a large bowl that has been lightly grease with olive oil. Allow to rest in a warm area covered with a damp towel for about 45-60 minutes. Sometimes I will turn on the oven, and then turn it off and open the door. The dough should be double in size, as shown in the photo on the right.
Rising time: Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it for a couple of minutes, and then place it in a large greased baking pan or dish, then using your fingers to press it into an even layer of 1/2 inch thickness. Then using your fingers to press rows of indentations into the surface of the focaccia dough. Brush with the infused olive oil and pour the extra into the indentations. Sprinkle with the coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary leaves. Allow to rise for about 20 minutes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden colour and baked through.
Roasted Veggie Focaccia Pizza
Follow the same recipe, the only difference is I roasted cherry tomatoes, red onion and coloured pepper. Then preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and tossed the veggies with olive oil, added salt and pepper then baked them for only 10 minutes. Remove and allow them to cool before adding to the dough.
I placed the focaccia dough into a large pizza pan, and this was the result, a thinner crust. I would also, take it out of the oven 5 minutes sooner. The next time I do this, I will use a smaller pan just to achieve a softer and a little thicker crust. Just the same, it was a delicious lunch.
Toss the vegetables with about 2 olive oil, garlic powder, and salt, then add to a baking sheet, and roast them for about 10 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to cool, then arrange them on the focaccia bread. Bake for 20-30 minutes, and once golden in colour and baked, remove from baking pan, and allow to cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy!
