Focaccia with Olive and Herbs

Is there anything more delightfully delicious than freshly baked, warm bread? Olive and herb Focaccia Bread recipe is easy to make, and tastes so rich and wonderful with the addition of fresh rosemary, olive oil, and garlic.

This homemade Focaccia has got a crisp outside and soft, fluffy inside. A totally classic Italian bread. This a flat oven baked bread that has texture and style similar to pizza dough.

The defining character of the bread is olive oil infused flavour, and delicious crispy crust. Use it as a side dish or as base for sandwiches. Or Just butter it up, and have a bite! Last Friday, we were the host for a a lovely pizza night gathering and this ultra-comforting rosemary focaccia bread was a sure hit. Goes perfectly well with Caesar salad and pizzas. I was so glad that everyone loved it.

There’s something extra magical about warm, comforting focaccia bread. Especially this recipe, which is kicked up with lots of rosemary, extra drizzles of olive oil, topped with olives and sprinkles of toasted garlic. You can top it up wit sun dried tomatoes, cheese, sesame seeds, nuts or pesto!

You know how I got the best flavour out of this bread? I let the dough sit in refrigerator overnight! You will love it! Best part is it just takes 6 ingredients.

How to make Focaccia with Olive and herbs?

MAKE THE DOUGH –

This is a yeast based bread. I used instant yeast for the recipe. First, let the yeast bloom. Dissolve sugar in a bowl of warm water (half of measured quantity), and let the yeast sit in it for couple of minutes.

Why? Yeast feeds on sugar. Warm water cuts down rise time. Make sure water is just warm, hot water kills yeast. Then add salt, remaining water and olive oil. I noticed that a lot of flavour comes to the bread through salt. So do not skimp on it.

Next, mix the dough part by part and knead for 3-5 minutes. You can add all the flour at once and mix it (needs a lot of hand strength). When I added the flour part by part it made kneading and mixing easier. Dough will be sticky, drizzle it down with olive oil. As the focaccia bakes, the oil is absorbed and helps form that delicious, crunchy crust. I added half quantity of olive oil first, and next half after 1st rise, and finally, drizzled on top.

LET THE DOUGH RISE

Once the dough is kneaded, place it in a greased bowl, cover and let it sit in room temperature for at-least 2 hours.

FLATTEN THE DOUGH

Punch down the risen dough and then add olive oil. stretch it out to flatten it on to a 12 * 17 baking pan. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes if it keeps shrinking back .

REST IN THE REFRIGERATOR

Cold temperature slows down the rise time, let it rest for at-least an hour. For extra flavour and fluffiness, let it rest overnight. You will not see dough rising much here.

DIMPLE THE DOUGH

Place the chilled dough in the counter while the oven is getting pre-heated. When the dough returns to normal temperature, use fingers to dimple the whole surface. This is the place all the toppings and oil goes.

ADD TOPPINGS AND BAKE

Mix of Rosemary and Thyme with olives, and garlic is what I opted for toppings. Feel free to add any toppings of your choice. Focaccia is like a blank canvas, you can add anything – like garlic and sea salt, caramelised onion, peppers, cheese, sun dried tomatoes etc. Just be sure to pre-cook vegetables, if you are using any, as bread takes only 20 minutes in the oven.

This is a kind of recipe where you get to make dough ahead and store in the refrigerator. Bonus is you get extra flavourful bread. Tastes awesome when served warm. Left overs keep well for few days, but the crispiness is lost with time. But, a few minutes in a preheated oven brings leftover focaccia back to life quickly!

Hope you like Focaccia It is –

• Soft
• Fluffy
• Crisp on the outside
• Olive oil infused
• rich
• delicious
• and a great accompaniment for a salad or pizza

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Focaccia with Olives and Herbs

Olive and herb Focaccia Bread recipe is easy to make, and tastes so rich and wonderful with the addition of fresh rosemary, olive oil, and garlic.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Rest Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 40 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Cornbread, Focaccia

Author: Eateries Delightful

Ingredients

• 1 +1/4 cups warm water between 38-43°C
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 + 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 1/4 cup 60ml extra virgin olive oil (plus more for topping and greasing)
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 + 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour plus more for hands
• 2 tbsp rosemary dried
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp chopped olives
• 2 tsp minced garlic

Instructions

• In a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup, add water. Microwave until lukewarm, 35 – 40 seconds.
• Add 3/4 cup of water to yeast in a large bowl along with sugar. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes or until frothy.
• Mix in salt and half of olive oil, remaining water and 2 cups of flour. Combine using hands. Add 1 more cup of flour and knead well. If the dough is sticky add 1/2 cup more and knead for 3-4 more minutes.
• If the dough is too sticky as you knead, add flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. The dough should still be a little soft, but shouldn’t stick your hands. if it bounces back slowly when you poke, the dough is ready to proof, else continue kneading.
• Cover and rest for 2 hours at room temperature. The dough will double its size.
• Punch the dough, and add remaining oil and stretch the dough and place it in a baking tray ( 12×17 inch baking pan )
• Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Longer it chills, better the taste. Overnight is preferred.
• Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. Meantime, let the dough sit on the counter at room temperature.
• make beautiful dimples all over the dough surface, and add toppings. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top so it pools in the indentation
• Bake for 21-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
• Let it come to room temperature before slicing and serving.

Notes

• Focaccia tastes wonderful when warm. Cover leftover focaccia and store at room temperature for 2 days.
• Left over slices can be heated on a microwave or preheat oven to 320 deg F, and let the slices warm for 3-5 mins.

Recipe adapted from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #eateriesdelightful

Happy cooking!