Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia Bread
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.
Ingredients
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
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
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