Homemade Rosemary Fennel Herb Focaccia Bread Recipe
A soft, fluffy focaccia recipe infused with fresh herbs like rosemary, fennel seed, and black pepper. If you’ve never made bread before this is a great place to start!
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I originally published this recipe in 2022 and have since added a step-by-step video.
Do you find bread recipes intimidating? I hope not. I absolutely love making homemade bread. There are few things more rewarding and there’s nothing like the smell of a fresh baked loaf.
When my husband Armando was in graduate school in Montana, I worked at a local wood-fired bakery. My job was to show up at 2am, get the fire started in the oven and create all the different bread doughs. By the time everyone else arrived I had filled dozens of large plastic tubs with heaps of rising dough ready to be shaped into different loaves.
Burying my hands in floury pillows of dough is still something that takes me to my happy place. This focaccia recipe is one of my favorites when I want a quick hit of bread-baking magic. Plus it is an instant way to make dinner extra special. Serve it with any of these high-protein dinner recipes.
FYI: This also makes excellent pizza dough if you like a deep-dish style pizza. Just top with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings instead of the rosemary and bake as directed. Or swap for the artisan bread in this breakfast bruschetta recipe.
Focaccia Recipe Ingredients
- Active dry yeast not fast-acting instant yeast.
- Extra virgin olive oil: used inside the dough and to drizzle over the top of the dough before and after baking.
- Kosher salt: gives flavor to the focaccia dough.
- Freshly ground black pepper: I love the warmth it gives this homemade focaccia recipe.
- Bread flour: The best type of flour to use when making pizza or bread doughs.
- Fennel seeds: Adds that special touch to this wonderful recipe.
- Fresh rosemary: Makes this a true herbed focaccia bread with that distinctive Italian flavor but you could use other fresh herbs or a combination of basil and rosemary like we do with our porchetta recipe.
This focaccia is an amazing game day recipe. Serve warm slices as an appetizer with my blue cheese bacon dip for dunking.
How To Make It!
step one
Mix the dough. Like we do with our poppy seed kolaches recipe, we’re going to start out by combining the yeast with warm water (it should feel warm to the touch but not hot, between 85°F-95°F) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk to dissolve then let sit until the yeast mixture starts to get cloudy and foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Once the yeast has activated, add 2 cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel seeds, and the black pepper. Place the dough hook attachment on the mixer and start mixing the dough on low speed.
After all the ingredients are incorporated, continue mixing until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Keep adding more flour (1/2 cup at a time), letting the flour mix in before adding more. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still be sticky and soft at the bottom. You may not use all 4 cups of flour.
Raise the speed of the mixer to medium and continue mixing for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes you should have a springy, slightly sticky dough. It is better for the dough to be more wet than dry.
step two
First rise. This bread doesn’t take as long to rise as my no-knead green olive bread, but you will still want to give yourself a couple of hours.
Oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Turn so the dough is coated in oil. Cover in plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is double in size, about 1-2 hours depending on how warm the room is.
step three
Second rise. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to the baking sheet and gently nudge the dough to fill the baking sheet while still maintaining as many air pockets as possible. It’s okay if it doesn’t reach the edges. Grease one side of a piece of plastic wrap then cover with plastic wrap, grease-side-down and let rise again in a warm, draft-free place until slightly puffed, another 30 minutes or up to an hour.
step four
Bake. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and press fingers all over dough to create indentations. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and salt then sprinkle rosemary leaves and remaining fennel seeds over the dough before baking. Bake focaccia in the middle of the oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
step five
Cool and serve. Remove focaccia from the pan and place on a rack to cool. Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Focaccia will keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Focaccia isn’t just a dinner-food, make a batch for special occasion breakfasts and brunch celebrations like Valentine’s Day or Easter.
What Makes This The Best Focaccia Recipe?
- A porous crumb studded with flavorful bits of black pepper, rosemary, and crushed fennel seed.
- It is super adaptable. Don’t like fennel? Use caraway seed or red chili flakes or minced garlic. The same goes for the rosemary, it can be swapped for thyme or sage or even caramelized onion. Have fun with it!
- Ready in half the time. Many focaccia recipes have you proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight. This focaccia is ready in 3 hours.
- Basically foolproof. The worst that can happen is the dough overproofs, meaning it won’t rise as much as it should. Don’t worry, it will still tastes good. Just call it flatbread.
- Makes an excellent addition to Mediterranean-themed holiday menus.
Focaccia Recipe FAQ’s
Can I use a different baking pan? Sure, if you want to use other baking dishes besides the regular sheet pan, you can divide the dough in two pieces and use 2 (9-inch) round baking pans.
Have you ever used all purpose flour instead of bread flour? Yes, it will work but the bread won’t be as chewy. It will have a more crumbly texture. It will still taste good though. You might also have to use more flour if using all purpose.
I have fancy flaky sea salt. Can I use that here? Absolutely! Top the dough with the flaky salt instead of the remaining kosher salt after it comes out of the oven.
Can I freeze it? Yep. Just make sure to wrap it really tightly in plastic wrap then put it in a freezer bag so it doesn’t get freezer burnt. It will last 3 months in the freezer. To defrost, bake from frozen at 425°F for 15 minutes or until warm.
Find Your Next Favorite Bread Recipe
- For a quick and easy bread recipe, try this delicious, slightly sweet cornbread.
- And of course we have a lot of sweet bread recipes. Try my nutty carrot apple bread or my vegan zucchini bread recipe.
Try One Of The Best Focaccia Bread Recipes Around
Making homemade focaccia is simply one of the most rewarding baking projects you can attempt. When you try it, let me know how it goes by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @katesbestrecipes so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)!
Rosemary-Fennel Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water, 85°F to 95°F
- 1 (7-ounce) package active dry yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 4 cups bread flour, divided
- 5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (plus more for garnish)
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, divided
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Mix dough. Whisk together 2 cups warm water and package of yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit 5-10 minutes until creamy and beginning to foam.
- Add 2 cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the salt. Chop the fennel seeds with a sharp knife or crush them using a mortar and pestle. Measure out 1/2 teaspoon of the fennel and add that to the flour mixture along with the black pepper.
- Using the dough hook attachment, begin mixing on low. Once the ingredients are well combined, add remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, sticky dough is formed (you may not use all the flour). The dough should not cling to the sides of the bowl but will still be soft and sticky at the bottom of the bowl. It is better for the dough to be too wet, then too dry. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 8 minutes.
- First rise. Oil a large bowl and transfer dough to oiled bowl. Turn the dough so it is covered in oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Press into baking sheet. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper, (the smaller your baking sheet the thicker the focaccia will be). Oil the parchment paper well. Using oiled hands, slide dough onto baking sheet preserving as many air pockets as possible. Gently pull and stretch dough to the edges of baking sheet (oil hands again if they get sticky).
- Spray one side of plastic wrap with baking spray. Cover pan loosely with the plastic wrap, oiled side down and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 450°F and arrange rack in the middle. Press fingertips all over dough to form indentations. Drizzle top of dough with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary. Let bread continue to rise while you wait for the oven to come to temperature.
- Bake focaccia until firm to the touch and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
- Cool and serve. Remove focaccia from the baking sheet, transfer to a rack and drizzle with another tablespoon or so of olive oil if you'd like. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
