Olive and Rosemary Focaccia
Dimpled, golden, drenched in good oil and studded with olives and rosemary, focaccia is the bread that celebrates olive oil rather than concealing it. It is also forgiving — a wet dough and a hot oven do most of the work.
Focaccia is really a vehicle for olive oil: the dough drinks it, the dimples hold pools of it, and it is brushed with more on the way out of the oven. Which means the oil is not a detail here — it is half the flavour. Use an oil you would happily dip bread into, because that is exactly what you are about to do, and do not be shy with it.
What you need
For one large tray: 500 g strong bread flour, about 400 g water (a high, roughly 80% hydration is what gives the open, tender crumb), 10 g fine salt, 7 g instant yeast, and a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil — a good 4–5 tablespoons through the process, more for the tray. To finish: a couple of handfuls of olives, fresh rosemary, and flaky salt.
| Ingredient | Amount | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Strong bread flour | 500 g | Structure and chew |
| Water | ~400 g (80%) | Open, tender crumb |
| Instant yeast | 7 g | The rise |
| Fine salt | 10 g | Flavour, controls the yeast |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 4–5 tbsp + more | Flavour, crust, the dimpled pools |
| Olives & rosemary | 2 handfuls + sprigs | The topping |
How to make it
Mix flour, yeast and salt, add the water and a good splash of oil, and bring it together into a wet, sticky dough — no long kneading needed. Cover and let it rise until doubled, an hour or two. Oil a tray generously, tip the dough in, and coax it out toward the edges. Let it rise again, then oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over, right to the bottom. Scatter with olives, push in rosemary, drizzle with more oil and flaky salt.
Baking and serving
Bake in a hot oven, around 220°C, for 20–25 minutes until deep gold and crisp at the edges. Brush or drizzle with a little more raw extra virgin the moment it comes out — that last, uncooked hit of oil is where the fragrance lives. Eat it warm, torn not sliced. It is at its best within hours, but a day-old slab split and toasted, with a little more oil, is no hardship at all.
Tips for good focaccia
- Keep the dough wet — the stickiness that worries you is what makes it tender.
- Dimple boldly, fingers right to the base, so the oil pools where it should.
- Use pitted olives unless you warn everyone, and press them in so they don’t roll off.
- Save a spoon of your best oil for the very end, raw, off the heat.
Olive and rosemary focaccia: common questions
Why is the focaccia dough so wet?
High hydration — around 80% water to flour — is what gives focaccia its light, open, tender crumb. The dough is meant to be sticky and hard to handle; resist adding much flour.
What olive oil should I use for focaccia?
An extra virgin you would happily dip bread into, because you effectively are. The oil is half the flavour, both in the dough and drizzled on raw at the end.
Do I need to knead focaccia?
Not much. A wet dough develops well with just mixing and time; a stretch-and-fold or two helps, but long kneading is unnecessary.
What temperature do you bake focaccia at?
A hot oven, around 220°C, for roughly 20–25 minutes, until it is deep golden and crisp at the edges.
Which olives are best for focaccia?
Firm, flavourful table olives, pitted for safety — green Picholine-style or black work well. Press them into the dimples so they stay put during baking.
Focaccia is the most honest bread there is about oil, because there is nowhere for a bad one to hide. Cheap, tired oil tastes cheap and tired in every dimple; a good grassy extra virgin turns the same flour into something people remember. So spend your care on the oil, not on fancy technique. Keep the dough wet, the oven hot, and your best bottle within reach for that final raw drizzle. That is the whole secret.
A house recipe for olive and rosemary focaccia.