Rosemary Focaccia with Sea Salt. A nine-by-thirteen-inch olive-oil focaccia with rosemary needles and flaky sea salt. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A pan of fragrant bread for sharing
Rosemary focaccia with sea salt is a broad, dimpled olive-oil bread meant to be torn or cut beside dinner. The herb sits on the surface, while the dough's measured olive oil and a little extra in the pan help the base brown.
This is a working dough, not a photographed kitchen-tested bake. Flour absorption, room temperature and pan material will affect the rise and the bottom crust. The proposed three-hour-ten-minute total includes two rises and a cooling period, but not oven preheating.
Keep oil and salt in the right places
Four cups all-purpose flour and one and two-thirds cups water make a sticky starting dough. Instant yeast is mixed with flour rather than proofed separately. Fine salt seasons the dough itself; flaky sea salt is only for the surface and should not be swapped one-for-one as a dough measurement.
The quarter cup of olive oil is divided deliberately: two tablespoons in dough, one in the pan and one on top. Measure it before starting so the pan isn't left dry. Fresh rosemary leaves can be chopped coarsely, removing woody stems that would look and feel out of place in a slice.
This contains wheat. Even if other measured ingredients appear plant-based, packaged yeast and cross-contact claims need label review before attaching any dietary badge.
Ingredients for 12 pieces
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 4 cups | Spoon and level; final hydration needs testing. |
| Warm water | 1.667 cups | Comfortably warm, not hot. |
| Instant yeast | 2.25 teaspoons | One packet equivalent. |
| Fine salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons | For dough. |
| Olive oil | 1/4 cup | Divide: 2 tbsp in dough, 1 tbsp pan, 1 tbsp top. |
| Fresh rosemary leaves | 2 tablespoons | Strip and chop coarsely. |
| Flaky sea salt | 1 teaspoon | For top. |
Step-by-step method
- In a large bowl combine 4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast and 1 1/2 tsp fine salt. Add 1 2/3 cups warm water and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix into a sticky cohesive dough, cover, and rise about 75 minutes until noticeably expanded.
- Oil a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Turn in dough and gently stretch toward corners, resting it briefly if it resists. Cover and proof about 35 minutes until puffy. Heat oven to 425°F near the end of proof.
- Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over dough. Dimple deeply with oiled fingertips, scatter 2 tbsp fresh rosemary and 1 tsp flaky sea salt evenly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until top and underside are golden and the center is baked through.
- Lift onto a rack and cool approximately 30 minutes before cutting twelve pieces. Record dough hydration, pan release, actual rise and underside color in the kitchen test.
Two rises and a generous dimple
Mix until a cohesive sticky dough forms, then cover for approximately seventy-five minutes until it has noticeably expanded. Do not add handfuls of flour just to make it easy to handle; oiling hands and using a scraper are more consistent with the proposed texture.
Transfer to the oiled pan. If it retracts, rest briefly and stretch again instead of tearing. The second thirty-five-minute proof should make it puffy before dimpling. Press fingertips toward the bottom of the pan, drizzle the reserved oil, and scatter measured rosemary and salt.
Bake at 425°F until top and underside are golden and the center is baked, approximately twenty-five to thirty minutes. Lift promptly to a rack so condensation does not soften the base. Allow thirty minutes before cutting so the crumb can settle.
Troubleshooting a pale or dense loaf
A pale underside may come from a cool pan or insufficient bake even when the top looks ready. Inspect both faces in the first trial. A dense center may reflect short proofing or excess flour; record dough feel, room temperature and rise volume rather than only the clock.
If rosemary browns too deeply, consider reducing exposed leaf size or adjusting topping timing in a second test. Do not add a tomato or garlic topping to the working image just because it makes a colorful pin; it changes the listed recipe.
Ciao Italia documents another rosemary-and-sea-salt focaccia. Its proportions and fermentation are a culinary reference, not evidence that these measurements produce a particular crumb.
At the table and afterward
Cut twelve generous pieces for a shared meal. Serve on its own or with a soup whose flavors will not hide the herb. The actual storage and reheating quality of this pan should be checked after a bake before assigning a freezer life.
A flat overhead image may conceal the airy interior, so the planned cover has one cut piece as well as the dimpled top. Do not assign a broad Pinterest category's search percentage to this exact title.
Focaccia questions
Why is the dough sticky?
Its relatively generous water is intentional; test the crumb before adding flour beyond the measured amount.
Can dried rosemary replace fresh?
That would change potency and appearance. Start with the measured fresh leaves for the base recipe.
When should I cut it?
After roughly 30 minutes on a rack in this draft, so the crumb is less likely to compress.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: Ciao Italia's rosemary and sea-salt focaccia. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
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Rosemary Focaccia with Sea Salt. Category: Breads. 12 pieces. Prep approximately 20 minutes; cooking approximately 30 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 140 minutes; total approximately 190 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 4 cups All-purpose flour; 1.667 cups Warm water; 2.25 teaspoons Instant yeast; 1 1/2 teaspoons Fine salt; 1/4 cup Olive oil; 2 tablespoons Fresh rosemary leaves; 1 teaspoon Flaky sea salt.
Instructions: In a large bowl combine 4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast and 1 1/2 tsp fine salt. Add 1 2/3 cups warm water and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix into a sticky cohesive dough, cover, and rise about 75 minutes until noticeably expanded. Oil a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Turn in dough and gently stretch toward corners, resting it briefly if it resists. Cover and proof about 35 minutes until puffy. Heat oven to 425°F near the end of proof. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over dough. Dimple deeply with oiled fingertips, scatter 2 tbsp fresh rosemary and 1 tsp flaky sea salt evenly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until top and underside are golden and the center is baked through. Lift onto a rack and cool approximately 30 minutes before cutting twelve pieces. Record dough hydration, pan release, actual rise and underside color in the kitchen test.
Allergens: Wheat; Check yeast and flour cross-contact labels if needed. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
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Rosemary Focaccia with Sea Salt
- Total Time: 190 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
A dimpled 9-by-13-inch yeast focaccia cut into twelve pieces.
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 2/3 cups Warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons Instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fine salt
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine 4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast and 1 1/2 tsp fine salt. Add 1 2/3 cups warm water and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix into a sticky cohesive dough, cover, and rise about 75 minutes until noticeably expanded.
- Oil a 9-by-13-inch metal pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Turn in dough and gently stretch toward corners, resting it briefly if it resists. Cover and proof about 35 minutes until puffy. Heat oven to 425°F near the end of proof.
- Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over dough. Dimple deeply with oiled fingertips, scatter 2 tbsp fresh rosemary and 1 tsp flaky sea salt evenly. Bake at 425°F approximately 25–30 minutes until top and underside are golden and the center is baked through.
- Lift onto a rack and cool approximately 30 minutes before cutting twelve pieces. Record dough hydration, pan release, actual rise and underside color in the kitchen test.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 140 minutes, included in the total.
Untested estimate: 75-minute first rise, 35-minute pan proof and 30-minute cool; preheat excluded.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling, resting or cooling: 140 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breads
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One twelfth of the pan