Crusty Garlic Focaccia Bread
An aromatic Italian flatbread with a shatteringly crisp crust, pillowy interior, and deep garlic-rosemary perfume. Perfect as a table bread, sandwich ...
1 half-sheet pan (about 10–12 servings)
Italian Cuisine
🟡Intermediate★★★☆☆
Jun 19, 2025
15 views
Ingredients
🌾
500 g
bread flour
preferably 12–13% protein; about 4 cups
💧
350 ml
warm water
38 °C / 100 °F
🫒
80 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
plus more for greasing; about 1/3 cup
🌶️
2 tbsp
fresh rosemary
needles stripped and roughly chopped
📦
2.5 tsp
active dry yeast
7 g (1 standard packet)
🥬
5
garlic cloves
finely minced
🌶️
10 g
kosher salt
1 ½ tsp; do not substitute table salt 1:1
🌶️
to taste
flaky sea salt
for finishing
Categories:🥩protein🥬vegetable🍎fruit🌾grain🥛dairy🌶️spice🫒oil💧liquid📦other
Instructions
Step 1
Bloom the active dry yeast by whisking it into the warm water with a pinch of the bread flour; let stand 5–8 minutes until a beige foam covers the surface. This confirms vitality and jump-starts fermentation.
Step 2
Combine the remaining bread flour and kosher salt in a large bowl, then pour in the foamy yeast mixture and 30 ml of the extra-virgin olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until no dry pockets remain; the dough will be shaggy and slightly sticky—ideal for open crumb development.
Step 3
Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop and perform a 5-minute slap-and-fold or vigorous knead until the surface is smooth and elastic. Oil your hands instead of flouring to avoid tightening the dough with excess starch.
Step 4
Coat a clean bowl with 10 ml extra-virgin olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover tightly. Bulk-ferment at warm room temperature (24–26 °C) until doubled, 60–75 minutes. A gentle finger poke should fill in slowly but leave a slight indentation when properly risen.
Step 5
While the dough rises, gently warm the remaining extra-virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat with the minced garlic cloves for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Cool completely; this garlic-infused oil will flavor the crumb without burning during baking.
Step 6
Grease a half-sheet pan (13×18 in) with 2 tbsp of the garlic-infused oil, making sure to coat the corners. Transfer the risen dough to the pan, flipping once so both sides are oiled. Let it rest 15 minutes to relax the gluten, then, using fingertips, press and stretch the dough to fill the pan. If it resists, pause 5 more minutes and continue—resting prevents tearing and preserves air pockets.
Step 7
Cover the pan loosely and proof 30–40 minutes until the dough is puffy and springs back halfway when gently tapped. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230 °C / 450 °F with a baking steel or inverted sheet pan on the middle rack for strong bottom heat.
Step 8
Just before baking, drizzle the remaining garlic-infused oil evenly over the surface. With oiled fingertips, dimple the dough deeply, reaching the pan without tearing; this redistributes gas and creates signature craters for oil pools. Scatter the chopped fresh rosemary into the dimples and finish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt.
Step 9
Bake on the preheated surface for 22–28 minutes until the top is deeply golden, the edges are crisp, and the internal temperature reaches 96 °C / 205 °F. Rotate the pan halfway for even coloration.
Step 10
Remove from the oven and immediately slide the focaccia onto a wire rack to preserve the crust. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing; the crumb finishes setting during this rest, preventing gumminess.
✨Chef's Tips
- ★For an even airier crumb, replace 10% of the bread flour with semolina or 00 flour—the lower ash content encourages larger, glistening alveoli.
- ★Cold retardation: After step 4, the dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. Slow fermentation amplifies flavor; allow 45 minutes at room temperature before shaping.
- ★If you lack a baking steel, preheat an empty heavy sheet pan and place the focaccia pan directly on it. The stored thermal mass jump-starts oven spring and yields a crisper underside.
- ★To re-crisp leftover slices, mist lightly with water and reheat at 200 °C / 400 °F for 5 minutes; steam revives the interior while heat restores crust.
- ★Pairing tip: The bread’s garlic and herb notes sing with a young, fruity Vermentino or a citrus-forward IPA—both cut the oil’s richness and refresh the palate.
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