Focaccia bread brings the complex taste of Italy into your kitchen and serves as a delicious alternative to garlic bread, while still hitting the same familiar, savory beats.
Learning how to make this kind of bread is a straightforward process; it is the customizing process which brings out the real fun.
The dough is similar to pizza dough, but the taste can be individualized, and you can make loaves of bread alongside well-spiced breadsticks or knots, depending on your craving.
Your home kitchen has everything you need to make use of this focaccia bread recipe, though it may surprise you. The loaf requires kneading, but you do not need a mixer or a dough hook in order to get it all mixed to the proper consistency.
Let yourself sink into the process of making this loaf from scratch, and in an hour, you will be able to serve up fresh bread alongside your evening’s pasta, pizza, or favorite meal.
Our focaccia bread recipe will help establish a foundation for making your own bread, but you will be able to alter the recipe to your preferred taste as you go.
Want to add more cheese to the mix? Want to move away from the loaf and practice your artful bread braiding? Make the final result your own while we help you get started.
How to Make Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Pinch of garlic salt and dried rosemary, optional
- Pinches of salt and pepper
Process
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, add water (warmed to 110 degrees Fahrenheit) and 1 tbsp of sugar.
Once well mixed, add your dry yeast, and let the mixture sit for ten minutes or until a sponge has formed.
Combine the flour and spices – including the salt and pepper – together with the sponge, stirring until the mixture is uniform. Add the vegetable oil and stir until the bread dough has come together in a ball.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead the ball of dough for ten minutes or until it becomes silky to the touch.
Then, place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, thinly coating the dough with oil as well. Place a damp cloth over the dough and let the dough sit at room temperature for twenty to twenty-five minutes.
Remove the cloth from the dough and press it down to deflate it. Cover the bread again with a different, dry cloth and let the dough rise again for thirty minutes.
Grease a baking sheet. Remove the dough from its bowl and shape it into a loaf or whatever shape you desire. Place the shaped dough on the baking sheet, then gently coat the top of the loaf with olive oil.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, garlic salt, and dried rosemary on top of the loaf until you’re satisfied.
Bake the loaf for twelve to fifteen minutes, or until the cheese on top of the loaf has melted and gently browned.
Focaccia Bread Alternatives
This rosemary focaccia bread recipe is an excellent place to start, but you can customize the loaf as well.
Simple things, like including Parmesan cheese with the mozzarella sprinkle on top of your loaf, can add new flavor to the experience. You can also include some of the cheese mixture in the loaf itself in order to play with the texture.
If you’re in the mood for garlic, press some fresh garlic cloves and mince until you can sprinkle them through the dough. Alternatively, skip the garlic salt on the loaf’s top and go straight for garlic powder instead, so as to enjoy a more powerful punch of flavor.
Taking the dough and moving away from the log-loaf shape isn’t difficult, either. If you’re in the mood, divide your focaccia dough up into twelve parts and roll them between your hands until you have breadsticks.
Here’s a video showing how to make focaccia bread with wild garlic.
If you want to take things a step further, you can fold these divided pieces of dough over one another in order to form a plait, or you can tie a piece around itself in order to form a knot. No matter what, you’ll come away from the baking process with a delicious treat that you’ve made all your own.
Making focaccia bread in your home is a great way to bring all of the taste of Italy to you without having to fall back on your garlic bread standby.
This variety is delicious, well-textured, and a great side dish to have along all of your favorite meals. Give yourself an hour in a kitchen, and you’ll have a whole loaf at your disposal, just the way you want it.
Have you tried making focaccia bread? Let us know!