Rosemary focaccia is a traditional Italian flatbread lightly seasoned with fresh olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt, baked until golden brown. One of my favorite easy to follow bread recipes to make on Italian night!
In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup warm water (reserve 1 cup in a separate bowl), the yeast and sugar. Stir and cover with plastic for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
In a large mixing bowl (with the dough hook attached), combine the flour and salt. When the yeast is ready, pour the yeast into the flour and turn the mixer on low. Slowly add the remaining water and the olive oil (leaving about 2 Tablespoons in the measuring cup to cover the dough). Once the dough is combined, turn to medium speed and knead for 5 minutes and the sides have pulled away. The dough should be soft. If it's too sticky, add an additional 1-2 Tablespoons of flour.
Coat a bowl with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and then place the dough ball into the bowl and roll to cover with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a 17x13" jelly roll pan. When the dough is ready, dump it onto the pan and then press out the dough to fill the pan. If it bounces back, let it rest 10 minutes and then press down. Cover lightly with plastic and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F during the last 20 minutes of the rise.
Once the oven is preheated, dimple the dough by pressing all five finger tips down across the top of the dough. Then drizzle the top with 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle evenly with flaky sea salt. Add rosemary on top. Then immediately place in oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle an additional Tablespoon of olive oil on top if desired. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then slice into 24 pieces.
Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Notes
Salt:Do not use regular table salt. If you only have fine sea salt, you can use that but you'll want to only use 1/2 the amount.