Garlic Bread Focaccia

Prepared like the traditional version, this Garlic Bread Focaccia is light and airy on the inside with a crunchy exterior. Loaded with fresh garlic, parmesan and cheddar cheese, this bread is perfectly paired with pasta, soup, and pizza too, yet good enough to eat on its own as a delicious snack!

Who doesn’t love homemade bread?  I guess, in reality, it would be wise of me to stop making generalizations like that. But, in the case of bread, I believe it to be true!  Even those of us who are gluten-free or intolerant to bread can appreciate the art of homemade bread. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home where bread was a meal staple.  It didn’t matter what was being placed on the table. Bread would most certainly always be a part of it. Needless to say, mom’s homemade bread wasn’t much like this Garlic Bread Focaccia – this bread is extra on all counts.

I grew up in a home where homemade bread and homemade dinner rolls were a constant. We were a family of five and like most Newfoundland families, bread was served daily. In fact, on some days, it would have been served with every meal. Though this bread is quite different from the bread my mom used to make, I’m sure she would have approved of this super flavourful and super delicious focaccia!

Back in those days – no, I’m not that old! – store-bought bread wasn’t readily available. If memory serves me correctly, you were able to buy the plain, white Wonder bread, but that was it. My mom bought that bread sometimes, but it was only used to make sandwiches. She would buy a loaf every Friday morning when she did her grocery shopping. We lived in a small town, so my siblings and I were able to come home from school for lunch. Every Friday’s lunch was a ham and cheese sandwich with a can of Cott Cola or, if we were really lucky, a lime Pop Shoppe Soda! Great memories!

Anyway, I digress. The point here is that my mom always made bread from scratch. She never purchased bread for regular consumption, like for toast or to be served with soup or anything like that. That was always homemade! And if the bread wasn’t white, it was this Molasses Sweet Bread.

She would make bread at least twice a week. Each time she made it, she would prepare enough dough to get four or five large loaves. So, you can tell just how much bread we ate and why it was considered a staple. I don’t think that was excessive though. It was normal for most Newfoundland families. Anyway, focaccia is not your normal white bread. It’s soft and pillowy but with a crunchy exterior. It’s got a lot of olive oil and sea salt too.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

For the Bread Dough:

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking, it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness.  In cooking, it helps to bring out natural flavours in things like vegetables.
• Active Dry Yeast – Do not confuse this with Instant Yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before use, while instant yeast can be mixed right into dry ingredients.
• Sugar – Sugar has more than one function in baking.  Not only does it add sweetness, but it will help with browning too. 
• Olive Oil
• Water

Before Baking:

• Sea Salt
• Olive Oil

Halfway through Baking:

• Butter
• Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic for best results.
• Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese – Real parmesan is best here.
• Cheddar Cheese

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC BREAD FOCACCIA

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, measure the ingredients into the bowl in this order: yeast, sugar, water, olive oil, and flour. Turn on the mixer to medium speed and allow the dough to come together and knead for 5 minutes. Add the salt and knead for 5 more minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a large glass bowl. Drizzle the top of the dough ball with a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to proof for 90 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down with your fist. This will release the air and deflate the dough. Transfer the dough to a well-greased 9×13 baking dish. Once again, cover with plastic wrap and proof the dough for 30 more minutes. While the dough is proofing, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Once the dough has proofed, remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the top of the dough with two tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle over the sea salt. Using your fingertips, gently poke deep dimples randomly over the surface of the dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and crispy.

While the bread bakes, melt the butter in a skillet with the garlic over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned. Remove the butter and garlic from the heat and set aside. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush the top of the bread with the butter and garlic mixture. Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese, followed by the parmesan, and the chopped parsley. Return the bread to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to rest in the baking dish for 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled to the touch, slice and serve.

DON’T LET THE RISING TIME DETER YOU!

Bread requires patience, but this one not so much.  Yes, there is a 2-hour delay, but don’t worry.  You won’t spend 2 hours waiting for your bread to rise, you’ll be washing up dishes, dusting, taking a leisurely stroll around your garden, or binging on Netflix.  I prefer to make the dough mid-afternoon, which allows me to bake it off in time for dinner.

HOW TO KEEP BREAD FRESH

If you really want fresh Artisan Garlic and Herb Bread, it’s best to bake this bread the day you plan to eat it. It’s best when it’s still warm from the oven. That will take some planning, of course, because this bread needs a minimum of 12 hours to proof.

If you bake the bread ahead of time, let it cool completely. Wrap it well in two layers of plastic wrap and then place it into a large freezer bag. Freeze the bread for up to two weeks. (After that, it loses its freshness and can be used for breadcrumbs or french toast!)

When you’re ready to enjoy your bread, remove it from the freezer. Take it out of the bag and remove the plastic wrap. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel and let it sit for an hour. Next, remove the towel and microwave in 30-second increments until the bread is as warm as you want it.

That’s it! It will still be really fresh and will taste great. However, there is one big change in the bread. If you decide to bake and freeze it, once you thaw it out, you will lose that crusty factor. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!