Rosemary & Garlic Focaccia

Delicious italian olive oil bread with a garlic and rosemary topping

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Bread

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 25

Total Time 1 55

Servings

Calories 142kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the dough

500 g Strong white bread flour
7 g Sachet fast action yeast
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive oil
325 ml Lukewarm water

For the garlic butter topping

1 tbsp Fresh rosemary Finely chopped
1 tsp Coarse sea salt
1 Large garlic bulb
30 g Butter

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
Slice the top off the garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then wrap in foil and place in the oven on a baking tray for 1 hour
In a large bowl, add the bread flour, yeast and salt. Make sure to add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, then stir together
Add the water and olive oil to the flour mixture and bring it together into a dough
Knead by hand, or use an electric food mixer with the dough hook attachment, for 10 minutes
Put the kneaded dough into an oiled bowl covered with cling film, leave it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour
Knock the air out of the risen dough, then press it out using your fingers onto a lipped baking tray. I used a Wilton Non-Stick Cookie Pan which is 33.7 x 23.5 cm (13.25 x 9.25 inches)
Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the skin and mash them up with the butter, salt and rosemary
Spread the butter mixture over the dough and leave to rise for 30 minutes
Pre-heat your oven to 200C Fan/425F/Gas Mark 7
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden
Allow to cool, slice and serve, or serve warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It also freezes well

Notes

Strong bread flour is the best option for bread as it is high in protein which assists in the forming of gluten - a protein that creates the rise in bread, as well as creating the lovely bread texture that we all know and love. You can also make this recipe with regular plain flour, the bread may just rise a little less.
A good quality olive oil is the best kind of oil to use for focaccia, but you can also use vegetable oil or another plain oil that doesn't have a strong taste like canola or sunflower oil. If you do want to add some extra flavour to your bread you could try an infused oil, like garlic for example.
The water should be lukewarm or tepid, this essentially means room temperature water which is around 18C to 23C. It's important not to use hot water that's above 30C as this will most likely kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
If you are kneading the dough in your stand mixer, pop it into the bowl of your mixer and set it on a low speed with the dough hook attachment. Leave it to knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and supple, and comes away from the side of the bowl.
For more information on bread making, including a guide on how to knead by hand and lots of tips and tricks, check out my White Bread Loaf recipe.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition