5 from 1 vote

Italians know food, and their bread is no exception. This foccacia bread recipe is perfect for soaking up any leftover sauce from your pasta or for making a delicious hearty sandwich. The texture is firm and just tough enough, it's deliciously flavored from the herbs and the parmesan, and it's insanely easy to make. If you don't have a lot of time, but love fresh baked bread - this is the one for you.

📋 Recipe

Focaccia with Herbs and Parmesan

Italians know food, and their bread is no exception. This foccacia bread recipe is perfect for soaking up any leftover sauce from your pasta or for making a delicious hearty sandwich.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Baking, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: Servings

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Ben Rayl

Ingredients

1 cup water - warm
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast - or 25g fresh
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano - dried
½ teaspoon thyme - dried
½ teaspoon basil - dried
2 tablespoon olive oil - separated
¼ cup parmesan cheese - finely grated
fresh herbs - oregano or rosemary, finely chopped optional

Instructions

Put the water in a small bowl, stir in the yeast and sugar and let sit until bubbly, about 5 - 6 minutes.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, pepper and herbs.
Make a well in the center of the flour, pour in the yeast mixture and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir together with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic - about 8 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball, put in a clean large bowl and drizzle a little oil on top. Roll the ball around to cover completely with oil, then cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 425 F (220 C) and cover a baking sheet with baking paper, then spray or grease the paper.
Punch the dough down, then turn out onto the baking paper and pat into a large ½ " (1 cm) rectangle.
Use your fingers to gently poke the dough, making indentations all over the bread, then prick gently with a fork.
Brush the top of the bread with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle on the parmesan and fresh herbs, if using.
Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.