Nothing beats homemade yeast bread and this Rosemary Focaccia Yeast Bread is perfect side for any meal.
I have been experimenting with different yeast breads lately. Yeast is easier to work with than you think. Don’t be scared; if you have a stand mixer, with a dough hook, you are in business. This recipe lets the mixer do all the work kneading the dough.
This makes a very large loaf of Rosemary Focaccia Yeast Bread. I think I will try this again making 3 smaller loaves to get more of the yummy crunchy edges.
The recipe calls for a large amount of oil but it is needed to get the crunchy edges.
Rosemary Focaccia Bread goes great with my Lasagna or a hearty Bolognese sauce. The bread also freezes well.
“Blogger note…. I’ve made this recipe many times with great results. I was ready to post last week but couldn’t find my finished product pictures. Not fun, but it happens. So of course I had to make another batch last Friday. My neighbor “Amber” loves this bread, but I think she is going to kill me if I keep making it and giving her samples. She says I am trying to make her fat. No chance she is very thin. Now she can make Rosemary Focaccia Yeast Bread herself and stop blaming me. I will send her a sample of one of my new creation’s soon.”
Method:
Step 1:
Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm place until the yeast is bubbling, 10 – 15 minutes.
Step 2:
In a mixing bowl, fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the water/yeast mixture on low-speed. Once the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides, continue to let the mixer knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes, on a medium speed, until the dough becomes smooth and soft. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle with flour. (Be careful your stand mixer might walk away)
Step 3:
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by hand 1 or 2 times and form into a ball. Add dash of flour if really sticky.
Coat the inside of a large bowl lightly with olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step 4:
Coat a half sheet pan or large baking sheet, with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (It seems like a lot of oil but this is what gives the bread the crunchy, buttery edges and taste.)
Turn out dough onto half sheet pan and begin pressing and stretching it out to fit the size of the pan.
Flip dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. This is necessary to create the cracks and crevices for the finished bread.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, coated with cooking spray. Put dough in warm place for about an hour.
While the dough is rising a second time, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 5:
Remove plastic wrap and liberally sprinkle the top of the Focaccia bread with coarse sea salt, remaining rosemary and 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese . Lightly brush top with a little olive oil.
Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove Focaccia from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting. Serve warm or cold. Freeze for up to two months.
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- 1 3/4 cups warm water 105°-110° See my Quick Ciabatta Bread recipe about temperature for proper yeast proofing
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 package Fleischmann’s® active dry yeast
- 5 cups King Arthur Flour bread flour plus 1/4 cup. (Can substitute all-purpose flour if needed)
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp crushed dried rosemary
- 3 tbsp . parmesan cheese
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- Coarse sea salt (TIP substitute kosher salt if needed)
- 1/2 tbsp crushed dried rosemary
- 2 tbsp . parmesan cheese
-
Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm place until the yeast is bubbling, 10 - 15 minutes.
-
In a mixing bowl, fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. Kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the water/yeast mixture on low-speed.
-
Once the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides, continue to let the mixer knead the dough for 5 to 6 minutes, on a medium speed, until the dough becomes smooth and soft. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle with flour. (Be careful your stand mixer might walk away)
-
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by hand 1 or 2 times and form into a ball. Add dash of flour if really sticky.
-
Coat the inside of a large bowl lightly with olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl.
-
Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
-
Coat a half sheet pan or large baking sheet, with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (It seems like a lot of oil but this is what gives the bread the crunchy, buttery edges and taste.)
-
Turn out dough onto half sheet pan and begin pressing and stretching it out to fit the size of the pan.
-
Flip dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. This is necessary to create the cracks and crevices for the finished bread.
-
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, coated with cooking spray. Put dough in warm place for about an hour.
-
While the dough is rising a second time, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
-
Remove plastic wrap and liberally sprinkle the top of the Focaccia bread with coarse sea salt, remaining rosemary and 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese . Lightly brush top with a little olive oil.
-
Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
-
Remove Focaccia from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
-
Serve warm or cold. Freeze for up to two months.
I will be bringing my Rosemary Focaccia Yeast Bread recipe to Freedom Fridays, Friday Favorites, Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, What’s Cooking Wednesdays. Checkout my Link Parties page for other great places to find new recipes.
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“Quinn is the author, photographer and recipe designer over at DadWhats4Dinner. He enjoys cooking for family and friends and being creative in the kitchen. He makes ordinary everyday food extraordinary. He lives just north of Cincinnati with his wife of 24 years, three kids and three cats. His kids have well-developed palates and his youngest daughter is now working with him on the blog creating recipes for her own page “Cooking with Ella“. Follow him on: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.”