If I have said it once I have said it one hundred times,  there is nothing like home baked bread.  I’m fairly certain bread is my love language and Rosemary Focaccia is no exception.  Soft and fluffy on the inside with a slightly crisp outside and a beautiful chewiness in every bite, this bread is brilliant for sandwiches or even just dipping in soups or stews.  This focaccia will capture your heart with both it’s texture and it’s aroma and making it is surprisingly easy because it requires no special bread shaping skills at all!

This basic rosemary focaccia recipe is one of the easiest but yummiest bread recipes you can make.  If you haven’t used yeast before and are nervous, this is a fun one to start you on your yeast journey.  The key with yeast bakes, so they don’t seem like they are taking “all day” to make, is to plan the rise around other activities.  For example, I will mix up the dough for the first rise and then get ready for the day or work on another project while the dough is rising.  Most of the hands on time for bread making is just letting the yeast do it’s thing, and trust me, it’s worth the wait for the final product.

Once you feel comfortable with this basic recipe you can play around with flavors and toppings. Try adding chopped sundried tomatoes along with the rosemary or slicing cherry tomatoes in half and placing them all over the top with basil.  You could use sliced olives or sliced jalapenos with shredded cheese.  Crumbled goat or feta cheese, crumbled bacon, caramelized onions, roasted or finely chopped garlic, everything bagel seasoning, and pine nuts are all good options too.  The possibilities are really endless!

This recipe makes one 13×9 size pan of focaccia bread.  If you would like a thinner focaccia, use a bigger pan and start checking it a bit earlier.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3-1/2 to 4 cups bread flour (can substitute AP, will just be lighter, less chewy)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary and/or other fresh herbs
• Additional olive oil, and sea salt for drizzling/sprinkling over the top of the bread

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar.  Let stand for 3-4 minutes until starting to foam.
2. In your mixing bowl, whisk together 3-1/2 cups flour and the salt.  Add the yeast mixture and olive oil then start your mixer on low speed with the dough hook until the dough starts to come away from the sides.  (At this point you can add additional spoonful’s of flour, up to another 1/2 cup total if needed.  You don’t want the dough to be too sticky and you want it to form in to a ball.  You may not need any more!  I usually just end up needing a couple of spoonful’s, not the entire 1/2 cup.)
3. Let the mixer continue to knead the dough for 5 minutes.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil that you toss the ball around in.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Lightly grease a 13×9 pan.
6. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and stretch it in to the prepared baking dish as best you can using your knuckles and fingers.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 minutes.
8. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
9. Drizzle another tablespoon or two of olive oil over the top and using your fingers, poke dimples all over the top of the bread.
10. Sprinkle the bread with the fresh rosemary or other herbs and then sprinkle with some flakey sea salt, (I love Maldon Sea Salt Flakes!)
11. Bake at 400 for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
12. Remove from pan and let cool slightly on a cooling rack before slicing. You can drizzle with a little more olive oil before serving if desired.