Best Focaccia Bread Recipe with Rosemary and Peach
This is the Best Focaccia Bread Recipe with rosemary and peach that combines the classic Italian focaccia bread with the sweetness of a summer peach. The result? A sweet and savory bread recipe that can be enjoyed as an appetizer with a glass of wine or a dessert.
This tender bread recipe is homemade and tender yet still soft and chewy. You’ll see just how simple it is to make this summertime treat. You’re going to love the taste and texture of this easy Italian Focaccia recipe.
Want more delicious bread recipes to try out? If this has inspired you to make more bread recipes, try this Rosemary Olive Oil Bread that works so well with a bowl of minestrone soup. Or make some pull apart monkey bread with pepperoni and mozzarella.
If you loved this recipe, and you’d like some more Italian recipes, why not try Instant Pot Italian Chicken Penne Pasta? Or make a delicious sausage and zucchini galette with tomatoes and ricotta cheese.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe…
- Simple ingredients with huge flavor
- The fresh peach creates a sweet and savory bite
- Excellent for eating any time of the day
What Is Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia bread is a classic Italian favorite that has captivated people’s taste buds worldwide. This delicious homemade focaccia bread is known for its dimpled surface, which is the result of pressing fingers into the focaccia dough before baking, and its crusty yet soft and fluffy interior.
Traditionally, it’s seasoned with olive oil, coarse salt, and herbs such as rosemary, which lend it an aromatic and savory flavor profile.
Focaccia can serve as a versatile base for a variety of toppings; in this recipe, the addition of sweet peach slices introduces a novel twist, creating a harmonious blend of sweet and savory flavors.
What’s In The Best Focaccia Bread Recipe?
- Active Dry Yeast: This ingredient is the backbone of our focaccia, responsible for giving the bread its rise and fluffy texture. Just a small amount can ferment the dough, producing the soft and airy interior we all love.
- Lukewarm Water: Essential for activating the yeast, lukewarm water should be just warm enough to touch without feeling hot. This temperature helps kickstart the fermentation process.
- Bread Flour: Higher in protein than all-purpose flour, bread flour gives our focaccia a chewy and robust structure, making it capable of holding the toppings without getting soggy.
- Semolina Flour: This coarsely ground grain adds a slightly nutty flavor and a beautiful golden hue to the focaccia, contributing to its rustic texture.
- Olive Oil: A key element in traditional Italian cooking, olive oil not only adds richness and depth to the bread but also creates that characteristic crispy yet tender crust.
- Honey: A touch of honey balances the savory notes of the bread with a subtle sweetness, enhancing the overall flavor profile, especially when paired with the peaches.
- Kosher Salt: Besides its role in seasoning the dough, kosher salt creates a contrast with the sweet and savory elements of the bread, highlighting each flavor.
- Large Peach: The star ingredient, peach slices, adds a juicy, sweet contrast to the savory rosemary and olive oil, making every bite an unforgettable experience.
- Fresh Rosemary: This aromatic herb infuses the focaccia with a distinct, earthy flavor, perfectly complementing the peaches’ sweetness and the olive oil’s richness.
Substitutions and Variations
- If peaches are not in season but you still want to enjoy this delicious homemade bread recipe, you can make a number of substitutions! You can use berries, grapes, plums, or pineapples!
- If you want to move away from sweet and into the savory territory, try adding prosciutto or another kind of ham.
- This recipe is pretty flexible based on what’s in season and your unique taste buds.
- You can literally use any and all traditional focaccia toppings for this Italian bread recipe!
How To Make Peach And Rosemary Focaccia Bread (step-by-step directions)
- Whisk together 3⁄4 cup of lukewarm water and yeast in a large bowl until frothy.
- Mix bread flour, semolina flour, olive oil, and honey in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the yeast mixture to the standing mixer and beat until combined.
- Incorporate salt and switch to the dough hook attachment. Knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
- Knead the dough about three times on a floured surface and form it into a ball.
- Oil the sides of the bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm area for 30 minutes or until puffy for the first rise. (Photo 1)
- Grease a quarter sheet pan and transfer the dough to the pan. (Photo 2)
- Stretch the dough into a rectangle within the prepared pan. (Photo 3)
- Fold the dough lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half. Repeat the fold to form a rectangle.
- Cover and set in a warm place for 1 hour; let the dough rise until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 200℉ degrees, then turn it off to create a warm spot for the dough.
- After the second rise and the dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 400℉ degrees.
- Stretch the dough to fill the baking pan, creating indentations with your fingers. (Photo 4)
- Drizzle with a little olive oil, ensuring it covers all the top of the dough.
- Arrange peach slices on the surface of the dough and sprinkle with rosemary. (Photo 5)
- Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the bread is a light golden brown. (Photo 6)
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Ensure your yeast is fresh before starting the recipe; outdated yeast may not activate properly, compromising the bread’s rise.
- Use high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor. It will make a difference in the final taste of your focaccia.
- Don’t rush the fermentation process. Allow the dough to rise properly until doubled in size for the perfect texture.
- Use your fingertips to gently create dimples in the dough before baking. This classic focaccia technique helps hold olive oil and toppings, adding flavor and moisture.
- If the dough seems too sticky when mixing, resist the urge to add too much additional flour. A slightly tacky dough yields a more tender bread.
- Experiment with the thickness of your focaccia by stretching the dough more or less in the pan. This can alter the bread’s chewiness and crust-to-interior ratio.
- Watch your focaccia closely as it bakes, as oven temperatures can vary. Look for a light golden brown color as a sign of doneness.
Storing Tips
Proper storage is key to ensuring your leftover focaccia remains as delicious as the day it was baked. Wrap the bread securely in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Frozen focaccia is an excellent option for longer storage. Slice the focaccia for more convenient thawing and wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Frozen focaccia can last up to one month.
When you’re ready to enjoy, there’s no need to thaw — simply reheat slices directly from frozen. Preheat your oven to 350℉ degrees and place the frozen focaccia on a baking sheet. Heat for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through and slightly crisp. This method helps preserve the bread’s moisture, ensuring it tastes freshly baked every time.
Serving Suggestions
This peach rosemary focaccia pairs wonderfully with a variety of dishes, making it a versatile addition to any meal. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas charcuterie board, providing a sweet and savory contrast to meats and cheeses for a holiday party.
For a heartier meal, consider pairing with Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Tetrazzini or Citrus Salmon, where the focaccia can soak up the delicious juices.
Lastly, it can even be enjoyed as a delightful breakfast or brunch item, simply on its own or topped with soft cheese and additional fresh fruit.
Recipe FAQs
You need to be sure that the yeast is active and still good. It will not have that fluffy texture once baked if it’s too old.
The bread may “fall” while baking if you vary from the instructions above. It will still be edible but won’t look as pretty.
Yes, you can substitute gluten-free flour for the bread flour in this recipe. Keep in mind that the texture and rise might slightly differ due to the absence of gluten. It’s advisable to use a gluten-free flour blend designed for bread baking to achieve the best results.
The flavor of focaccia largely depends on the quality of the olive oil and the salt. High-quality, extra-virgin olive oil and the right sea salt can significantly enhance the taste. Additionally, incorporating flavorful, fresh herbs and toppings, as suggested in the recipe, contributes to a richer taste.
Don’t Miss These Other Bread Recipes
- Pull-apart Garlic Cheesy Bread
- Grandma’s Irish Soda Bread With Raisin
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Rolls
- Pull Apart Pepperoni & Mozzarella Pizza Monkey Bread
- Olive Oil Bread
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Best Focaccia Bread Recipe with Rosemary and Peach
Equipment
- Standing Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- ¾ cup (177 3/7 g) lukewarm water
- 1½ cups (187 ½ g) bread flour
- ½ cup (84 g) fine semolina flour
- ¼ cup (54 g) olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large peach pitted and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (84 ¾ g) honey
- fresh rosemary chopped, for topping
Instructions
- Whisk together 3⁄4 cup of lukewarm water and yeast in a large bowl until frothy.1 pack active dry yeast,¾ cup lukewarm water
- Mix bread flour, semolina flour, olive oil, and honey in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the yeast mixture to the standing mixer and beat until combined.1½ cups bread flour,½ cup fine semolina flour,¼ cup olive oil,¼ cup honey
- Incorporate salt and switch to the dough hook attachment. Knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.1 tsp kosher salt
- Knead the dough about three times on a floured surface and form it into a ball.
- Oil the sides of the bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm area for 30 minutes or until puffy for the first rise.
- Grease a quarter sheet pan and transfer the dough to the pan.
- Stretch the dough into a rectangle within the prepared pan.
- Fold the dough lengthwise in half, then crosswise in half. Repeat the fold to form a rectangle.
- Cover and set in a warm place for 1 hour; let the dough rise until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 200℉ degrees, then turn it off to create a warm spot for the dough.
- After the second rise and the dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 400℉ degrees.
- Stretch the dough to fill the baking pan, creating indentations with your fingers.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil, ensuring it covers all the top of the dough.
- Arrange peach slices on the surface of the dough and sprinkle with rosemary.1 large peach,fresh rosemary
- Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the bread is a light golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.
Notes
- Ensure your yeast is fresh before starting the recipe; outdated yeast may not activate properly, compromising the bread’s rise.
- Use high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor. It will make a difference in the final taste of your focaccia.
- Don’t rush the fermentation process. Allow the dough to rise properly until doubled in size for the perfect texture.
- Use your fingertips to gently create dimples in the dough before baking. This classic focaccia technique helps hold olive oil and toppings, adding flavor and moisture.
- If the dough seems too sticky when mixing, resist the urge to add too much additional flour. A slightly tacky dough yields a more tender bread.
- Experiment with the thickness of your focaccia by stretching the dough more or less in the pan. This can alter the bread’s chewiness and crust-to-interior ratio.
- Watch your focaccia closely as it bakes, as oven temperatures can vary. Look for a light golden brown color as a sign of doneness.
Nutrition Information
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