Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread
I feel like I’m introducing you to an old friend, as I write about this fabulous, easy focaccia bread. I’ve been making it all summer, despite the fact that it’s been a crazy couple of months as we packed up our home in Raleigh (after 37 years) and moved to the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville. Believe me, the only frequent-flyers in my kitchen this summer have been recipes that took minimal effort and (of course) were super delicious!
How to make the best focaccia bread that’s perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. This easy recipe is perfect for both beginners and seasoned bread bakers! Jump to the Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Recipe or read on to see how we make it.
Focaccia Bread, Our Favorite Yeast Bread To Make At Home
Focaccia is our favorite yeast-bread to make at home. It has a crisp outside and soft inside, and is perfect to serve with dinner, soups, stews, or even sliced in half and used for sandwiches. Thanks to the ingredients, it’s also naturally vegan.
This garlic focaccia bread recipe is very simple to make – no fancy equipment is needed at all. Here are the ingredients you will need:
The first time I made this easy focaccia bread I was thrilled with the results and knew that it had to go into our Café Ridiculously Easy Series. How does a recipe get labeled “ridiculously easy”? Well, here at The Café, it has to have certain characteristics to earn that prestigious label:
INGREDIENTS
BREAD:
TOPPING:
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTES
How to make the best focaccia bread that’s perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. This easy recipe is perfect for both beginners and seasoned bread bakers! Jump to the Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Recipe or read on to see how we make it.
Focaccia Bread, Our Favorite Yeast Bread To Make At Home
Focaccia is our favorite yeast-bread to make at home. It has a crisp outside and soft inside, and is perfect to serve with dinner, soups, stews, or even sliced in half and used for sandwiches. Thanks to the ingredients, it’s also naturally vegan.
This garlic focaccia bread recipe is very simple to make – no fancy equipment is needed at all. Here are the ingredients you will need:
The first time I made this easy focaccia bread I was thrilled with the results and knew that it had to go into our Café Ridiculously Easy Series. How does a recipe get labeled “ridiculously easy”? Well, here at The Café, it has to have certain characteristics to earn that prestigious label:
- A recipe that takes minimal effort and minimal hands-on time to put together. (Resting, rising or chilling time is not taken into consideration.)
- It’s also one that produces fabulous, super delicious results, ie, results that “appear” to have taken lots of time, talent, prowess and/or hard work.
- Ridiculously easy recipes have to work well on those busy days when time is short and expectations are high.
- And last, ridiculously easy recipes are perfect for entertaining, mostly because of the first two characteristics. They take the stress out of dinner parties and gatherings of families and/or friends and allow you more time to enjoy your guests. Bottom line? They are super simple, something anyone can do. (Shhhh! We’ll keep that part our secret.)
INGREDIENTS
BREAD:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for drizzling in pan)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
- 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour (see note for whole wheat flour)
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan, Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
TOPPING:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (more or less) dried herbs or Italian herb/seasoning blend
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan (I use a metal pan; if using a glass pan, you might want to decrease the oven temp to 350 degrees F - also commenters who have used a glass pan are reporting back that the bread sticks so consider also greasing with nonstick cooking spray and lining with parchment).
- In a large bowl, combine the water, olive oil, salt, yeast, flour and cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula (or handheld dough hook; see pictures in the post) until thoroughly combined and no dry spots remain. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
- Scrape the dough into the middle of the prepared pan. Grease your hands and press the dough into an even layer (it doesn't have to be perfect but try to get it mostly even). Gently press your fingertips into the top of the dough to create little dimples (you can do this and add the toppings after it rises if you want the holes to be more pronounced). Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with herb seasoning and top with 1/2 cup cheese.
- Cover the pan and let it rise until puffy, about an hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and baked through. Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan (turn it out onto a rack or platter), break or cut into pieces and serve.
NOTES
- For active dry yeast, use the same amount (1 tablespoon) and stir it into the 1 1/2 cups water and let it proof until it is bubbling (a couple minutes). Then add the other ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
- I've had great luck subbing in half whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat); I haven't tried it with 100% whole wheat flour. Also, if your seasonings/blend don't have added salt, I'd recommend sprinkling a little coarse, kosher salt over the dough with the dried herbs. Speaking of salt, if you use a less salty cheese, you might want to up the salt in the dough recipe a bit.
