Hey, there! I’m popping in today to share a favorite bread recipe that Jeff and I make frequently. Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia! It’s fluffy! Rich with olive oil! Speckled with bits of aromatic fresh rosemary and thyme, with a nip of heat from crushed red pepper! And the whole thing is finished off with a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil and crunchy flakes of sea salt!
If you’re feeling fancy, toss some crunchy walnut halves on top along with some herb sprigs!
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I think this will be a recipe you guys will enjoy! Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia is fantastic paired with an assortment of cheese, nuts, and sliced fruit as a casual Thanksgiving Eve dinner. It’s lovely combined with sourdough and rye bread for stuffing a turkey on the big feast day. And we also use it for cold turkey sandwiches and hot, crispy, melty cheese-filled turkey paninis. Perfect for using up all those leftovers!
If you’re new to bread-making…
You’ll want to check out my chewy pizza crust post for tips on kneading the dough.
Focaccia is super easy to knead, shape, and bake!.
The dough is forgiving due to a generous ratio of olive oil. The supple dough makes kneading a breeze!
There is no rolling or folding of the dough required to shape it! Pop the dough into a buttered and cornmeal-dusted metal pan. Let it rise. Dimple it with your fingertips. Pour more olive oil on top. Sprinkle with sea salt! Bake, and you’re done!
The focaccia will keep in a covered container on the counter for up to two days. If making the loaves ahead and freezing them, I omit the sprinkle of sea salt on top. The flaked sea salt grabs hold of any moisture in the air and begin to break down. It doesn’t affect the taste, but it does affect the appearance of the loaf. You can always sprinkle a bit over the bread before serving if you like!
That’s it for today! I’ll be back soon with another yummy recipe to share with you! Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Gobble until you wobble!
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Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 9 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia! Fluffy, rich olive oil yeast bread filled with fresh chopped rosemary, thyme, and crushed red pepper! Drizzled with olive oil and finished with crunchy flake sea salt. Perfect paired with pasta, use for paninis, or even in holiday stuffing!
Ingredients
2 1/2– 3 cups all-purpose flour + more for kneading
1 tsp instant yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided { 2 Tbsp. for the dough/ 3 Tbsp. for topping}
1 generous Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup warm {not hot} water
Flaked sea salt, for topping
Optional toppings:
Whole walnut halves
Fresh herb sprigs
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt, yeast, herbs, crushed red pepper, and sugar. Drizzle in 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil and whisk several times to incorporate into the flour. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto it. Knead by hand for several minutes until a smooth ball forms. Add up to half a cup of additional flour. The dough will be quite sticky starting, but as you gradually add the flour, it will stiffen and become easy to knead. The dough will become firm, smooth, and the dough will spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
When finished kneading, pop the dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled. Typically the rise time is about an hour. The time depends on how warm or cool your kitchen is. A warm kitchen will allow the dough to rise quickly; cooler temperatures will take longer to rise.
The dough is ready for its second rise when you lightly poke it with your fingertip, and it leaves an indent. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch metal baking pan that has been buttered and lightly dusted with cornmeal. Set aside until doubled in size.
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400°.
When the dough is ready to bake, use your fingertips to squish into the dough and create indentations. Drizzle with the remaining three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt. Add a few whole walnut halves and herb sprigs, if desired.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let the bread rest for 10 minutes. Turn the dough out of the pan to finish cooling.
Notes
- Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia will keep for two days on the counter. It freezes beautifully. If you would like to make a batch, cut it into squares and freeze for future use.
- Use for paninis, paired with eggs, or even in holiday stuffing.
- Left on the counter and went stale? Use the bread to make homemade croutons! Cube, toss with a bit of melted butter or olive oil, and minced garlic. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350° until golden brown and dried.
- Category: Yeast Bread
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: rosemary & thyme focaccia, herb focaccia, yeast bread, italian bread
This bread is phenomenal 😊
★★★★★
Thanks, Jeff!