This yeasted Italian fresh herb focaccia bread combines fluffy and bubbly focaccia with fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Focaccia is truly the best bread, and it's at its best when flavored with fresh herbs!
Why you will love this recipe:
I fell in love with focaccia when I was studying abroad in Florence. I would see all these amazing focaccia bread with every topping imaginable through the windows of bakeries, lunch shops, and groceries around Florence. There was focaccia with roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, veggies, and all types of cheese, and they were all so beautiful. This brown butter, sage, and caramelized onion focaccia is also delicious.
The recipe I originally based mine on was Nancy Silverton's (the Los Angeles queen of bread and the creator of La Brea Bakery and Pizzeria Mozza), but it has evolved into this thing of beauty. I've made the recipe simpler and upped the water and oil to make it more flavorful.
Key ingredients:
Yeast: This is a yeasted bread, which means that the yeast is the rising agent, and it creates all those fantastic focaccia bubbles. This recipe also uses a starter or a biga, and this fermented starter gives the dough a deeper and often more nutty flavor.
Water: the amount of hydration is extremely important in bread making, how much water is in the dough determines how open the dough is. In focaccia, we want a very open crumb.
Bread Flour: you can substitute for all-purpose flour, but bread flour has more protein, which develops more gluten, making a chewier texture.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: oil is the fat in the bread and helps keep it moist, provides flavor and gives the bread its delightful crunchy crust.
Herbs: you can top focaccia with anything but, fresh herbs are classic and my favorite. You can use dried, but dried herbs have a more robust flavor, so if used, reduce the amount by about 1/3.
How to make this recipe:
- It's all starts with the biga. The biga is the starter for the dough. You combine 1/16 tsp of active dry yeast and warm water (about 105 degrees is perfect) and a little bit of flour and let it ferment overnight (12-24 hours).
- The next day you add in your remaining yeast, flour, and olive oil. Mix it until it's well kneaded and has developed a good amount of gluten.
- Then let it rise until it's doubled in size. Stretch the dough and then let it rise again.
- Then you move it to a pan or pans covered in olive oil, let it rise again, and your topping and let it rise one final time and bake!
Looking for other bread recipes? Check these out!
Fresh Herb Focaccia
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 9 inch loafs 1x
- Category: bread
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: italian
Description
This yeasted Italian fresh herb focaccia bread combines fluffy and bubbly focaccia with fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano. Focaccia is truly the best bread, and it's at its best when flavored with fresh herbs!
Ingredients
- 1 A packet of active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (about 105 degrees)
- 1/2 cup bread flour for that biga and 3 1/4 cups for the dough
- 1 + 1/4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil for the dough and 1/2 cup to pour in the baking pans
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons freshly torn sage leaves
- Leaves from 5-6 fresh rosemary stems
- Pinch of sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the sponge by combining 1/2 cup warm water and 1/16 teaspoon of active dry yeast in a mixing bowl and give it a few minutes for the yeast to dissolve. Once the yeast has fully combined with the water add in the 1/2 cup flour. Mix to combine. Cover the blow with plastic wrap and leave 12-24 hours to ferment. Once done the sponge will be bubbly and look like pancake batter.
- Once the sponge is ready, put the sponge in a bowl fitted to a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the 1 and 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup olive oil, and the rest of the yeast and mix well. While on low speed, slowly mix in the 3 1/4 cups flour until fully combined.
- Add the salt and all the herbs except the rosemary and turn the speed up to medium and beat the dough until it pulls away from the bowl. About 5-10 minutes. The dough won’t totally clean the bowl but it will get pretty close.
- Let the dough rise by placing it a large bowl greased with olive oil. Cover with two layers of plastic wrap and leave it for 1 1/2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, pour it out onto a floured surface and stretch the dough by pulling each side of the dough and folding it to the center. Put the dough back into the bowl folded side down and cover with plastic wrap and let it prove for 1 more hour.
- Pour 1/2 cup olive oil into 2 10″ baking tins and push it around to fully coat the pans. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and place each piece into a tin. Gently stretch the dough to the sides of the tins being careful to not deflate the dough. Cover the pans with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 3o minutes.
- Once rested put the rosemary and sea salt on top of each tin of dough. Gently press the pieces into the dough so that it all becomes well dispersed. Cover and let it rest for 45 minutes more. While it rests preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Bake the dough for 30-40 minutes until crust is golden and very crispy. Brush baked focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with more sea salt.
Notes
- Make sure your water is warm but not hot, to hot will kill the yeast
- Rest the dough in a warm place, I rest it in the sun
Keywords: fresh herb focaccia
Can you please clarify the amount of water used? The recipe states 1 1/4 cup tablespoons water. I really want to try and bake this at it looks so delicious.
Of course and thanks so much for thinking it looks delicious! It’s 1 + 1/4 cups water ☺️
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★★★★★