Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia Bread

Rosemary parmesan focaccia bread is surprisingly simple to make, with a crispy crust and soft, chewy inside. It’s big on flavor and incredibly delicious. Use it as a side for soups, pastas or any dinner at home.

Focaccia is the perfect go-to bread recipe to keep on hand for any meal, especially when you want something a bit more special or impressive. What makes focaccia so delicious is its signature soft, chewy interior and a crisp, olive oil-crusted exterior. My recipe adds fragrant rosemary and savory parmesan to the bread for extra flavor and appeal.

Even though it sounds fancy, this rosemary parmesan focaccia is actually easy to make. You can make and bake it all in a single day, or prep it ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you’re ready.

Why make this rosemary parmesan focaccia

• It’s an easy recipe for bakers of all skill levels.
• You can make it all in one day (many other recipes recommend an overnight rest).
• The crispy crust and soft inside create the perfect texture.
• Fresh rosemary and parmesan add bold, delicious flavor.
• It pairs well with almost any meal or dish.

“I’ve made it twice, and love it! Thank you from Hawaii!” —from reader Misty

Ingredients you’ll need

• Bread flour (highly recommended): Its higher protein content helps develop stronger gluten. These gluten strands trap air bubbles, creating focaccia’s signature airy and chewy texture. You can sub with all-purpose flour if needed, but results won’t be quite the same.
• Active-dry yeast: You can also use instant/quick-rise yeast.
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Sugar: A small amount balances out the bold flavors of rosemary and parmesan, while also helping the yeast activity. Honey works too, if you prefer.
• Fresh rosemary
• Grated parmesan cheese

How to make rosemary parmesan focaccia

1. Make the wet dough by combining ingredients in a large bowl with a dough whisk or spatula until no dry bits remain. It’ll be very soft and shaggy.
2. Stretch and fold the dough every 15 minutes for the first hour. Gently grab one edge of the dough with wet fingers, stretch it up without tearing, then fold it back over the rest of the dough. Then repeat until you’ve gone around all of the edges.
3. Let the dough rise for an additional 1-2 hours until doubled.
4. Flatten the dough into the baking pan. Gently punch down the dough, then dump it into a 9×13-inch pan and stretch it to the edges.
5. Let it rise again for another 30-60 minutes until puffy, while you preheat the oven.
6. Dimple the dough and add toppings. You want to press all the way down into the dough with your fingers, then top with olive oil, rosemary and parmesan.
7. Bake at 450°F until golden brown.

Focaccia toppings

I love the combination of fresh rosemary and parmesan in this focaccia, but you can add almost anything, or even leave it plain. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Caramelized onions
• Olives
• Garlic
• Pesto
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Everything bagel seasoning
• Other cheeses like gruyere, feta or Romano
• Other herbs like basil, chives, dill, sage or thyme

More homemade bread recipes

• Rustic Multigrain Bread
• Apple Cranberry Bread
• 100% Whole Wheat Bread
• Sun-Dried Tomato Cheese Bread

Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia Bread

Servings: 12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Rise Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

A light and chewy bread baked with a topping of fresh rosemary, parmesan cheese, and coarse salt. Serve as a side to any meal, or even use to make sandwiches.

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Ingredients

 

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Bread dough:

• ▢ 1 ½ cup (340 grams) water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (12 grams) olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (6 grams) active dry yeast
• ▢ 3 cups (390 grams) bread flour (see Notes)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons (10 grams) salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (9 grams) granulated sugar , or honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon (15 grams) fresh chopped rosemary
• ▢ ¼ cup (15 grams) grated parmesan cheese

Topping:

• ▢ 4 tablespoons (48 grams) olive oil , divided
• ▢ 1 teaspoon (15 grams) fresh chopped rosemary
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons (8 grams) grated parmesan cheese , plus extra for sprinkling after baking
• ▢ Coarse or flaky salt , for sprinkling after baking

Equipment

Dough whisk

9×13-inch baking pan

Mixing bowls

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl combine water, olive oil, and yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
• Add flour, salt, sugar and cheese and stir to make a wet shaggy dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 2-3 hours depending on room temperature.
• (Optional, but recommended for best texture) During the first hour of rise time, stretch and fold the dough every 15 minutes (4 times total). Gently grab one edge of the dough with wet fingers to prevent sticking, stretch it up without tearing, then fold it back over the rest of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you’ve gone around all of the edges. When done, cover with plastic wrap for remaining rise time.
• Once dough is done rising, very gently punch down the dough and knead dough in the bowl a few times to release bubbles.
• Grease inside of a 9 x 13 pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Dump the dough into the center and use wet fingers to stretch it out to the edges as much as you can. Cover with the plastic wrap and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then stretch again (it's okay if the dough won't go all the way into the corners).
• Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise again while the oven preheats to 450°F, about 30-60 minutes.
• Drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over the top of the dough and use your fingers to dimple the dough thoroughly, pressing fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with rosemary and parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown on top. Brush with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Let cool completely before slicing. Sprinkle additional parmesan cheese on top of cooled bread, if you want.
• Focaccia is best consumed the day it is made, but will keep well wrapped at room temperature for a few days.

Notes

• Bread flour vs. all-purpose flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content so it will develop stronger gluten. These gluten strands trap air bubbles, creating focaccia’s signature airy and chewy texture. You can sub with all-purpose flour if needed, but results won’t be quite the same. You may need 3¼ – 3½ cups (163-190g) of all-purpose flour as bread flour is better at absorbing water.
• You can use instant/quick-rise yeast and decrease total rise time to 1 1/2-2 hours.
• Don’t skip the stretch and fold step! It takes the place of traditional kneading and encourages the formation of those gluten strands so they’ll hold as much bubbles as possible. It’s worth it!
• Flavor variations: Feel free to play around with toppings! Use other herbs or cheeses, or use olives, garlic, tomatoes, caramelized onions, everything bagel seasoning, etc. 

Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 434mg, Potassium: 41mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 23IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Cuisine: American, French, Italian, Mediterranean

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Side Dish, Snack

Author: Annalise Sandberg

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