Description
This Garlic Parmesan Focaccia recipe delivers a perfectly golden, airy, and crispy Italian bread infused with fragrant garlic, fresh herbs, and savory Parmesan cheese. Ideal as a side, snack, or appetizer, this step-by-step baking guide ensures a tender crumb with delightful dimples packed with a rich, olive oil and garlic topping. The recipe includes tips for kneading, rising, and baking to achieve a restaurant-quality focaccia at home.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 500g (about 4 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 10g (2 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
- 10g (2 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 15g (2 1/2 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 400ml (1 3/4 cups) lukewarm water (about 105-115°F)
- 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
Topping
- 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 100g (about 1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (optional, but highly recommended!)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for a little kick)
- Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, instant dry yeast, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, ensuring yeast and salt don’t directly contact each other to maintain yeast activity.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Pour lukewarm water and 60ml olive oil into dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- First Rise (Bulk Fermentation): Cover the bowl and let dough rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Stretch and Fold (Optional): After one hour, perform 4-5 stretch and folds by grabbing one side of the dough, stretching upwards, folding over, then rotating the bowl 90 degrees and repeating. Cover and let rise another 30 minutes.
- Infuse the Oil: While dough rises, heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and cook gently for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Combine Topping Ingredients: In a small bowl, mix cooled garlic-infused oil, grated Parmesan, fresh rosemary (optional), dried oregano, red pepper flakes (optional), and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Prepare the Baking Sheet: Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking sheet with olive oil.
- Transfer the Dough: Gently place risen dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Stretch and Dimple: Carefully stretch dough to fill the baking sheet and use fingertips to create deep dimples evenly across the surface.
- Second Rise (Proofing): Cover and let dough rise for 30-45 minutes, until puffy and dimples are well-defined.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Add the Topping: Drizzle garlic Parmesan topping evenly over the dimpled dough, pressing some topping into dimples. Sprinkle sea salt flakes generously over the surface.
- Bake: Bake focaccia for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top and bottom is crispy.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and cool a few minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Ensure yeast and salt do not touch before mixing to avoid inhibiting yeast activity.
- Stretch and folds during rising help develop gluten strength and improve texture.
- Garlic-infused oil should be cooked gently to avoid burning garlic, which would add bitterness.
- Allowing a second rise after shaping ensures a tender crumb and enhances the focaccia’s airy texture.
- Press topping into the dimples for maximum flavor in every bite.
- For extra herbaceous flavor, fresh rosemary is highly recommended but optional.
- Use a high-quality olive oil for best flavor in dough and topping.
- The focaccia is best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
