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AI-generated photograph: Squares of golden rosemary focaccia stacked on a pale linen napkin on a dark slate board, glistening with olive oil, flakes of sea salt and green rosemary needles in the dimples

Home · Recipes · Rosemary and sea salt focaccia

Italian · Sides

Rosemary and sea salt focaccia

warm focaccia · rosemary · flaky sea salt

AI-generated photograph

A soft, bouncy Italian flatbread baked in a tin with plenty of olive oil, so the base fries to a crisp gold while the top dimples hold pools of oil, rosemary and flaky salt.

Contains: cereals containing gluten, as written. Of the 14 allergens, only gluten is in this recipe, from the wheat flour. The rest of the ingredients contain none of the 14.

Ingredients

  • 300g strong white bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon fast action dried yeast (about half a 7g sachet)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little for your hands
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 10g), leaves picked
  • Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt

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Let's cook

  1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Stir the yeast into one side and the salt into the other side, so the salt does not touch the yeast straight away.
  2. Pour in 240ml lukewarm water (it should feel just warm on your wrist, not hot) and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix with a spoon until there is no dry flour left. The dough will be wet and sticky: that is right for focaccia.
  3. Cover the bowl with a plate or a clean tea towel. Every 15 minutes for the first hour, wet your hand, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the middle. Turn the bowl and do this 4 times. This builds strength without kneading. Leave it until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour in total.
  4. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 20 x 30cm baking tin and spread it over the base and sides. Tip the dough in, oil your hands and gently press it towards the corners. If it springs back, leave it 10 minutes and press again.
  5. Cover the tin loosely and leave it in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dough is puffy and wobbles when you shake the tin. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan) while it rises.
  6. Oil your fingertips and press them straight down into the dough all over, right to the bottom of the tin, to make deep dimples. Drizzle over the last tablespoon of olive oil, scatter the rosemary leaves and sprinkle the flaky sea salt.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden on top. Lift a corner with a knife: the underside should be golden and crisp.
  8. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Tips

  • Wet dough makes a light, open focaccia, so resist adding extra flour.
  • Pressing the dimples right to the bottom stops the bread rising into one big dome.
  • Best on the day. Next day, warm it in a hot oven for 5 minutes to crisp it again.

Swaps

  • Cherry tomato and olive: press halved cherry tomatoes and pitted olives into the dimples with the rosemary.
  • No rosemary: use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or thin slices of red onion.

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