This Olive Focaccia recipe is a classic Italian bread known for its soft texture, airy crumb, and rich flavor from olive oil and olives baked right into the dough. Simple ingredients come together with herbs to create a bread that is both rustic and versatile.
This focaccia bread can be made at any time of the year and goes perfectly well with my Barbecue Back Ribs or my Dry Rub Chicken Wings.
Try my mom's pizza sauce perfect for my homemade pizza dough recipe.
Visit my recipe box for some more great recipe ideas inspired by Italian tradition!
Jump to:
- Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Ingredients
- Good to Know: Focaccia Bread vs. Pizza
- How to Make Olive Focaccia Bread with Black Olives and Rosemary
- Top Tips
- Substitutions and Variations
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- Side Dishes to Eat with Focaccia
- Recipe Details
- Top Tips
- PIN it for later here
- Food Safety
- Comments
Here's Why You'll Love this Dish
- Easy and Adaptable: Focaccia is super easy to make even for beginners and can be topped with rosemary, olives, tomatoes or garlic or any of your favorite deli items.
- Kid friendly food perfect for your kids and adults alike.
- Soft and Flavorful: Focaccia's airy interior and crispy crust, especially when brushed with olive oil is just so satisfying.
- Good as a Side or Base: Focaccia is great to pair with; with soups, as a sandwich base or just dipped in olive oil.
Looking for finger foods for game day hosting? Check out my collection of Finger Food Recipes to make for your next get together.
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Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients for this olive focaccia recipe: dry yeast, sugar, water, all purpose flour, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary, black olives, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
For exact measurement details and directions see recipe card...
Good to Know: Focaccia Bread vs. Pizza
Focaccia and pizza use similar dough, but focaccia is thicker, softer, and baked with more olive oil, giving it a light, airy texture. It's usually served as a bread or side with simple toppings like olives or herbs.
Pizza, on the other hand, is thinner, sturdier, and topped with sauce, cheese, and other ingredients, making it a complete meal.
How to Make Olive Focaccia Bread with Black Olives and Rosemary
Start off by placing warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl.
Mix and let stand for a few minutes until you see the yeast rising
Mix the yeast liquid with the flour, cover lightly and let rise.
After rising use your spatula to fold the dough adding in a bit of flour as you fold. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead focaccia, return to bowl adding olive oil and let rise again.
Once dough has risen again, turn it out onto a buttered baking sheet and using the tips of your fingers stretch to the edges of the baking sheet.
Use your fingers to made dimples in the dough. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of olive oil and chopped garlic. Brush the top of the focaccia with the olive oil mixture. Sprinkle the top of the focaccia with sea salt or course salt and the parmesan cheese. Place olives and rosemary leaves randomly on the focaccia dough pressing them into the dough. Add toppings pressing into dough.
Bake at 400F for about 20 to 25 minutes watching closely that the bottom does not burn. Remove from the oven and let cool, then use a knife or scissors to cut the focaccia. Serve immediately.
Storage: This black olive and rosemary focaccia bread stores well in an airtight container or wrapped in foil or plastic wrap for 2 to 3 days.
You can also place leftovers in the freezer for no longer than one month. Thaw and place in toaster oven for 5 minutes for best re-heating results.
Top Tips
To cut down on time, use instant yeast instead of traditional yeast.
If the dough is to sticky, add more flour until you are able to handle it with your hands and knead it.
If the dough is to dry add a little bit of water.
Using wet hands will make handling the dough slightly easier. You'll want a dough that is tacky but that you are able to handle.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some options if you want to make substitutions:
- Herbs - use dried oregano or fresh basil instead
- Sweet Onions - add caramelized onions to your focaccia for a sweet bite
- Spice - add some chili oil or chili flakes for a kick
- Tomato - add sundried tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you like to add something savory and sweet.
- Other options - drizzle honey on top before cutting and serving.
The perfect recipe isn't that far away. I'd love to know how you substituted ingredients to fit your dietary needs. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Focaccia is an Italian bread, similar to pizza but is light an airy and slightly thicker than pizza. Focaccia rarely has sauce and has minimal toppings unlike pizza.
Side dishes for focaccia might include deli meats and cheeses, olives and a nice tall glass of red or white wine.
The main difference between focaccia and ciabatta is that ciabatta bread is baked as a loaf, whereas focaccia is baked in a baking tray or pizza pan.
Side Dishes to Eat with Focaccia
Recipe Details
Black Olive and Rosemary Foccacia Bread Recipe
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caAffiliate Disclosure
This page contains affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you choose to purchase through links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 cups water
- 5½ cups all purpose flour approx.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt and pepper or course salt
Topping Ingredients
- 1 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3.5 oz black olives about 15 olives
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Start off by placing warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let stand for 5 mins, the yeast should bubble up to the top. (sometimes it doesn't, just make sure it's not expired)
- Add about 4 cups of the flour in the bowl. Begin adding the water and yeast mixture little by little turning with a spatula as you add more flour. Form into a ball using the spatula. Brush the top of the dough with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and cover lightly with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out. Let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size. (45 to 60 minutes)
- Remove plastic wrap and turn out onto a floured surface add more flour and knead until you have a dough that is smooth. About 10 turns. Return the ball of dough back to the bowl. Brush the top of the dough with 1 tbsp of olive oil then cover again lightly and let rise again.
- Butter a baking sheet, I used a 12" x 14", and turn out the dough into the center of the baking sheet. Using the tips of your fingers, spread the dough to the edges. Use your fingers to make dimples in the dough.
- In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of olive oil and chopped garlic. Brush the top of the focaccia with the olive oil mixture. Sprinkle the top of the focaccia with sea salt or course salt and the parmesan cheese. Place olives and rosemary leaves randomly on the focaccia dough pressing them into the dough.
- Place on the middle rack of a 400℉ oven for 20 to 25 minutes, watching closely that the bottom does not burn.
- Remove from oven and let cool, then use a knife or scissors to cut the focaccia bread and serve immediately.
Notes
Top Tips
To cut down on time, use instant yeast instead of traditional yeast. If the dough is to sticky, add more flour until you are able to handle it with your hands and knead it. If the dough is to dry add a little bit of water. Using wet hands will make handling the dough slightly easier. You'll want a dough that is tacky but that you are able to handle.Nutrition
PIN it for later here
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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