Roasted Garlic Focaccia (With Lots Of Olive Oil) Recipe

Alexander Roberts

April 21, 2024 at 5:45 PM·7 min read

roasted garlic focaccia basket - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Bread making can seem intimidating to home cooks, but when you consider the fact that most breads consist of four simple ingredients, it's actually not difficult at all. With just a little flour, salt, water, and yeast, you can create almost anything you'd find in the bread aisle in your own kitchen. If it's your first time making bread, be sure to read the recipe carefully and measure accurately to avoid the most common mistakes.

Baker and food stylist Alexander Roberts brings us this delicious recipe for roasted garlic focaccia (with lots of olive oil) with the amateur bread baker in mind. "This is a no-knead recipe, which is the simplest type of bread out there," says Roberts. "Just mix your ingredients together, perform a few simple folds, and let the yeast and fermentation take care of the rest. Less is more when you bake bread, so try your best to trust the process."

Grab The Ingredients For Roasted Garlic Focaccia...

ingredients garlic olive oil focaccia - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

For starters, you'll need the four key ingredients to almost any bread recipe: water, flour, salt, and yeast. You'll also need a healthy amount of olive oil (higher-quality extra virgin olive oils will taste best). For topping the bubbly focaccia once it's risen, you'll need some fresh rosemary stems and 6 cloves of garlic. Other than that, you just need a little time and patience!

Step 1: Preheat The Oven

preheating oven to 450 degrees - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Step 2: Prep The Garlic Cloves

cutting root end of garlic - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Cut the root end off of the garlic cloves.

Step 3: Wrap The Garlic In Foil

wrapping garlic inside of foil - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Enclose the garlic cloves in a small piece of foil, covering them completely.

Step 4: Cook For 1 Hour

baking garlic in oven - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Place the foil packet in the oven for 1 hour, until the cloves are golden in color and soft.

Step 5: Squeeze The Cloves Out Of The Skin

roasted garlic cloves - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Squeeze the garlic cloves to release them from their skins. Set aside.

Step 6: Mix The Dough

mixing bread dough in bowl - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Add water, yeast, flour, and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir until the mixture is combined and no flour clumps remain.

Step 7: Cover And Let Rise

covering bread dough with plastic - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate overnight, or leave at room temperature for 4 hours.

Step 8: Add The Olive Oil

adding olive oil to pan - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

The next day, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Step 9: Transfer The Dough

adding bread dough to baking pan - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Transfer the bread dough to the baking pan and turn it over once to coat with oil.

Step 10: Stretch The Dough Gently

stretching bread dough with fingers - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Gently stretch to the edges of the pan with oiled fingers. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 11: Continue Stretching And Pinching

pinching focaccia dough with fingertips - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Use oiled fingers again to stretch to the edges of the pan, gently pinching the dough between your fingertips as you stretch.

Step 12: Let Rise Until Doubled

proofing bread dough until doubled - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Let rise for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.

Step 13: Preheat The Oven To 450

heating oven to 450 degrees - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Step 14: Top The Focaccia With Roasted Garlic And Rosemary

adding toppings to focaccia - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Sprinkle the top of the focaccia with the roasted garlic cloves and fresh rosemary.

Step 15: Bake Until Golden Brown

bake the bread until golden - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Bake the focaccia for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown.

Step 16: Slice And Serve Warm

fresh sliced focaccia in basket - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Serve warm.

Can I Use Focaccia As A Base For Pizza?

focaccia dough topped with rosemary - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Focaccia was practically invented for pizza -- a bubbly, squishy, sliceable bread that's waiting to be loaded with toppings and drizzled with olive oil? Sign us up. Plus, you don't need to roll out any dough or mess up the counters with extra flour -- just use the stretching technique in a rectangular baking pan when making a focaccia pizza. You can use this same recipe with a slightly different method to whip up an amazing pizza.

Once the bread has fully proofed, add ½ cup of your favorite pizza sauce and spread in an even layer, taking care not to over-stress the dough below. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until risen, then remove from the oven and add cheese (careful -- the pan will be very hot). Return to the oven for 8–10 minutes, or until edges are browned and cheese is melted and bubbling. Cool the pizza briefly, then slice and top with fresh herbs, such as basil or chives, and a classic sprinkling of red pepper flakes or grated Parmesan cheese.

What Other Toppings Go Well With Garlic Focaccia?

maldon salt on fresh focaccia - Alexander Roberts/Tasting Table

Garlic is an excellent pairing for focaccia, perfectly complementing the classic flavors of olive oil and yeast. Roasting the cloves until golden brown gives them a sweeter flavor, softening the sometimes-too-powerful bite of pungent garlic. Caramelized onions wouldn't be a bad idea, either. If you're looking for a sharper garlic flavor, try pressing full, raw cloves into the bread instead of roasting them first.

Instead of rosemary, you could use practically any other hard herb: thyme, sage, oregano, or even marjoram. Using drier herbs is going to be best since the focaccia is baked at a high temperature; soft herbs like parsley or scallions would burn to a crisp. However, soft herbs can be added to the focaccia after the baking is done. In addition to dried herbs, anything else dried from the spice cabinet would work well here, too, such as sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or an everything bagel seasoning mix.

Fresh fruits and veggies are a fun spin on classic focaccia, also: Whole red grapes would be an interesting, sweet-and-savory spin, while halved cherry tomatoes could offer more of a pizza vibe. Finally, why not try pitted olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or marinated artichokes?