Cheesy Garlic Focaccia with Rosemary

Cheesy Garlic Focaccia with Rosemary – fluffy pillowy focaccia bread, with a layer of melty cheese, herbs, and garlic – topped with rosemary and plenty of flaky salt

This post may contain sponsored content and affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Welcome to the world of focaccia my friends! If you’ve never made it, or are already a pro, focaccia is a delicious way to get into bread baking.

What is focaccia?

Focaccia is a fluffy, flat oven-baked Italian bread. The texture and flavor are similar to pizza dough. It’s typically topped with herbs, olive oil, and salt. The dough comes together very quickly in a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment. I like using a stand mixer here, because this is a fairly wet dough. If I were to knead the dough by hand, I’d end up adding too much flour, which results in a dense end product.

How do you make Cheesy Garlic Focaccia with Rosemary?

To take this bread to the next level, I divide the dough in half, and layer in a mixture of shredded Kerrygold mild cheddar cheese, parmesan, garlic, and dried herbs. I love using high quality Kerrygold cheeses, made from grassfed cows. The Mild Shredded Cheddar is tangy and buttery, and goes so well with this fluffy focaccia. Then I place the second layer of dough on top to sandwich it in. After the dough has risen at room temperature, I use my fingertips to give the dough the signature focaccia dimpling. This is truly the best part of focaccia-making. Drizzling olive oil in the baking pan, AND on top is a must. It gives the bread a really crisp golden crust which balances out the fluffy soft interior.

This Cheesy Garlic Focaccia with Rosemary is like a big bread hug. It’s so comforting, and would be perfect alongside a bowl of hot soup, or as part of a charcuterie board with olives, more cheeses, antipasti, and sliced meats.

I can’t wait for you to make this bread. It’s super quick to put together, and can be made, start-to-finish in about 3 hours. As always, remember to tag me in your creations @lions.bread ! I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchens.

If you love this recipe, please leave a rating and comment below. Want to save this focaccia recipe? Hover over any of the images, and tap the Pin It button to save it to your favorite Pinterest boards.

Be sure to check out Sourdough Baguettes, Lion’s Bread Original Challah, and Same Day Country Loaf

love – LeAnne

5 from 3 votes

Print

Cheesy Garlic Focaccia with Rosemary

Serves: 9-10 Prep time: 2.5 hours Bake time: 30-35 minutes

Course bread

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cheese, focaccia, rosemary

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 9

Author LeAnne Shor

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 1/3 cups water at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Filling:

• 1 cup Kerrygold Cheddar Shreds
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Topping:

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water and dry active yeast. Use a fork or whisk to combine. Add the olive oil, flour and salt to the bowl. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl, and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Continue on medium speed, until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides, then mix for another 2-3 minutes. The dough should be smooth at this point. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in volume.
2. Mix up the filling. In a bowl, combine the shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, dried Italian herbs, and granulated garlic. Mix to combine, set aside.
3. Prepare an 8x8" baking pan. Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive in the bottom of the pan, and use your fingers or a pastry brush to coat the bottom and sides of the pan completely, set aside.
4. Pour the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough in half. Use your hands to stretch the dough out into a square-ish shape to fit the pan. The dough should be very stretchy and easy to work with. Place the flattened dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, and use your fingers to stretch it out to fit the pan, making sure to get into the corners.
5. Sprinkle the cheese filling on top of the bottom layer. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough, and lay it over the filling carefully. Use your fingers to seal in the filling by pressing down on the sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let proof at room temperature for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the dough is puffy, and almost reaches the top edge of the pan. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
6. Drizzle the 2 teaspoons of olive on top of dough. Use your fingers to dimple the surface of the dough for that signature focaccia look. Scatter the rosemary leaves on top, and sprinkle the flakey sea salt all over. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is deeply golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, then enjoy! Focaccia is best eaten the same day, but any leftovers can be stored in the fridge, and reheated in a toaster oven or a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes.