Parmesan Focaccia with Rosemary and Olives

With a dimpled surface and plenty of air holes, focaccia is the quilted pillow of breads.  When I’m in the mood for a freshly baked loaf with flavorful toppings, I want to enjoy it within a few hours, which means making the dough and baking the bread on the same day.  Recipes that require letting dough rest in the refrigerator until tomorrow won’t have my kitchen smelling like a bakery or pizza shop today.  This Parmesan focaccia with rosemary and olives comes together quickly and yields a bread that’s delicious on its own but also perfect sliced for a sandwich with roasted vegetables, cured meats, and all your favorite fillings.

While there are many ways to top a loaf of focaccia, rosemary is a must for me.  I keep the leaves whole and scatter them from end to end.  If you opt to include olives as I do in this recipe, pat them dry first and gently press them into the dough.  Between the dimples, olive halves, and herbs, the crusty top of this bread is packed with texture and flavor.  Thanks to the olive oil that coats the bottom and sides of the baking pan, not to mention a bit in the dough itself, focaccia is one of the tastiest breads to bring to the table.

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 ⅔ cups warm water (about 107 degrees)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling and pan
2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
Coarse cornmeal for bottom of pan (optional)
Parmesan cheese
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Large handful Castelvetrano olives
Freshly cracked black pepper

For this focaccia recipe, I use instant yeast which can be added directly to the flour unlike active yeast which must be dissolved in liquid first.  If you aren’t sure if your yeast is still good, make sure to test it.

Begin by combining the bread flour, all-purpose flour, and instant yeast in a bowl.  In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the warm water, olive oil, and flour mixture.  Combine on low until a shaggy dough comes together, scraping down the sides as necessary.  Once the dough just comes together, turn the speed to medium-low and combine for about 5 minutes.  Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt and mix just until it’s distributed.  The dough should be tacky to the touch.

Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, gently tuck and rotate the sides to form a ball, and turn it upside down to lightly coat all sides with olive oil.  Cover bowl and let the dough proof for an hour, during which time it should double in size.

Generously coat the bottom of a 9” by 13” rectangular cake pan with olive oil and rotate the pan so some coats the sides as well.  Sprinkle coarse cornmeal on the bottom if desired.  This will ease in removing the bread from the pan and also add a nice bit of crunch to the bottom.

Once the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate the dough as you turn it out into the cake pan.  Press the dough toward the sides and corners of the pan until it evenly covers the bottom. Try to avoid popping any bubbles that form in the dough.  Let sit covered for 45 minutes, during which time it will rise again.  (If you have trouble initially spreading the dough, cover the pan and try to spread it more in 10 minutes.)

In the meantime preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon water, and ½ teaspoon salt and set aside.  This will be used on top of the dough.  Prepare additional toppings by grating Parmesan to your liking, removing rosemary leaves from their sprigs, and patting dry the olives then halving them.  I used about 14 olives for the pictured loaf.

After the second proofing, uncover the pan.  Drizzle and gently brush the olive oil emulsion on top of the focaccia using your hands or a brush to gently spread it around.  While this may seem like a lot for the top, it will give the focaccia its characteristic olive oil crust and a great texture.  

Use your fingers to gently push holes into the top of the dough going on all the way to the bottom of the pan without puncturing the bottom.  Be careful to avoid popping any bubbles while making many holes throughout.  The olive oil will settle into the holes as you make them.

Top the focaccia with shredded Parmesan, fresh rosemary leaves, and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.  Scatter the olives on top, gently pressing them into the top of the loaf.

Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes until the bread is deeply golden. Let cool for about 5 minutes before lifting it out of the pan with a spatula. Cool for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.