Rosemary Focaccia
A soft, airy Italian flatbread baked in a sheet pan with plenty of olive oil, dimpled and topped with fresh rosemary and flaky salt until golden and crisp. Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan.
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Focaccia is the olive oil flatbread of Liguria, soft and airy inside with a crisp, golden bottom. The dough is wet and needs no kneading; time does the work while it rises.
Before baking, press deep dimples into the dough with your fingers so pools of olive oil form, then scatter on rosemary and flaky salt.
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Mix. Stir the flour, salt and yeast together, add the water and stir until no dry flour remains. The dough will be very wet.
- First rise. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over the dough, cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours, stretching and folding the dough over itself 3 times in the first hour.
- Pan. Pour 1/4 cup oil into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Turn the dough into it and gently stretch it toward the corners. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy. Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Dimple and top. Drizzle with the remaining oil, press deep dimples all over with oiled fingers, and scatter with rosemary and flaky salt.
- Bake. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until deep golden. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then move to a rack.
Tips
- For more flavor, let the dough rise covered in the refrigerator overnight after the first rise.
- Top with cherry tomatoes, olives or thin onion slices instead of rosemary.
Questions about this recipe
- Why is focaccia dough so wet?
- The high water content gives focaccia its open, airy crumb.
- How do I store focaccia?
- Wrap at room temperature for a day, or freeze and reheat in a hot oven.
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