Focaccia Bread is an Italian type of flatbread. “Focaccia al rosmarino” or simply rosemary focaccia bread is a very classic version of it. However, you can also add a variety of other ingredients, for example, sun dried tomatoes or cheese.
I also have a recipe of a tomato and mozzarella focaccia bread. You can check out the recipe for that here.
Perfect for a summer barbecue…
This home-made Rosemary Focaccia has become a family favourite. It´s perfect for the BBQ season. The bread´s fluffy texture makes it the perfect accompaniment and tastes great dipped in some sauce. I really like it with aioli (garlic mayonnaise), garlic sauce, tzatziki dip or my BBQ favourite: Heinz Curry Mango Sauce.
For more great barbecue recipes and accommpaniements, why not check out some of my other recipes?
- My Ultimate Guacamole Recipe
- Easy BBQ Lamb Kebabs
- Homemade Hummus Recipe (Dad´s Recipe)
- Colourful Quinoa Salad
- 7 Ways to Spice Up Your Salad
- Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread
- Caramelised Red Onion and Balsamic Soda Bread
Inspiration for this Rosemary Focaccia…
The inspiration for this rosemary focaccia bread came from a Hairy Biker´s recipe, when they went on a tour of Europe. I have put my own twist on this focaccia bread, by incorporating more seasoning and rosemary into the dough, for a more intense flavour.
Italian Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 500g plain flour
- 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast (or 25g fresh yeast)
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil, for the dough
- 300 ml warm water
- three large sprigs of rosemary
- flaked sea salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle on top
Method
- To make the dough, weigh the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a bowl and stir to mix the dry ingredients together. In a measuring jug, mix the water and 2 tbsp of olive oil before pouring it onto the flour mixture.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come together. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic.
Next, grease the bowl and some cling film with a little olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with the cling film and leave to prove in a warm space for about an hour, or until doubled in size. - Meanwhile, wash the sprigs of rosemary. Pick of some of the smaller end bits and sprigs and reserve for later. Take the remaining leaves off and chop them finely.
- Lightly grease a large baking tray or traybake tin with olive oil.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back with your knuckles (you are knocking some of the air out of the dough again, so that it can rise once again in the second prove).
- Sprinkle some sea salt, black pepper and 2/3 of the chopped rosemary over the dough and knead it, until all the herbs and spices are well incorporated.
- Place the dough onto the baking tray and ease it into a rectangular shape. Don´t worry if it doesn’t look perfect, it looks better if it’s a bit rustic anyway.
- Cover again with some lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes. After 30 minutes it should look nicely puffed up.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Before baking the focaccia, use your fingers to poke little dimples into the bread. Poke the reserved small rosemary sprigs into the dimples. Sprinkle the remaining chopped rosemary, the ground pepper and the sea salt flakes over the focaccia bread. Finally, drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, allowing it to seep into the dimples.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. When you take it out and tap the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow. Keep an eye on the bread during baking. If it looks like it is getting to dark but hasn’t finished baking yet, cover with some tin foil to avoid burning.
- Serve warm alongside a summer barbecue, a fresh green salad or some delicious roasted vegetables. Enjoy!
Recipe Tipps
If you have any left over (as if…), the focaccia bread can be frozen. Simply put it into a freezer bag and freeze for up to a month. When ready to eat it, defrost fully and then reheat in the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes.
Why not also try making this tomato and mozzarella focaccia bread at the same time? Simply split the dough into two after the first prove and then make both types at the same time for an extra special treat!
