How To Make A Rustic Garlic and Sage Focaccia Bread

This fluffy and Crisp Garlic and Sage Focaccia Bread is easy to make, perfect for sharing and absolutely delicious! Filled with aromatic Sage and Garlic and sprinkled with Parmesan…this chunky dimpled bread is unlikely to stay on the plate long! Read on to see how I make it…

This post may contain Affiliate links please see my disclosure policy

Focaccia Origins And Traditional Italian Focaccias

First off…what is Focaccia Bread? (pronounced fo-kah-cha) Focaccia bread is simply a flat bread that can be sweet or Savoury. It Originated In North Central Italy in the days before the Roman Empire.

Today Italians still hold the Focaccia bread in high regard- in the north western region of Italy in a place called Liguria, they happily eat Focaccia all day long! In Liguria, their speciality is focaccia di Recco, a cheese-stuffed unleavened focaccia from the Ligurian town of Recco…definitely going to make that soon!

In the port city of Genoa, Focaccia is called fugàssa and sold in slices. It is served all day long and is usually sold either plain or with onions. The bread is quite flat, covered with oil and has a tender crumb and a crisp crust

Farinata Di Ceci is a Vegan variety of Focaccia which looks more like a pancake than a bread! It is a popular street food in Liguria and is made From chickpea flour, water, salt and oil

Focaccia Dolce Sarzanese is a round Sweet Focaccia from the Sarzana Area of Liguria and is very different from the Focaccia breads were all used to, this bread is a mix of Flour, Eggs, Sugar, Raisins, Orange Zest, Nuts, Candied Fruits, white wine, yeast and Oil

I will be making all the above over the coming weeks!… be sure to check back for the recipes!

Focaccia Basics

Making Focaccia Bread is similar to making Bread dough, with the exception of Olive Oil. For Focaccia Bread- Flour, water, oil and yeast is kneaded together, allowed to rise, stretched into a round or Rectangular shaped pan then dimpled with your fingertips. Finally, it is seasoned and drizzled with oil then at last Baked until golden.

Want To Hear the great thing about Focaccia Bread ? Unlike regular bread, Focaccia Bread does not turn stale easily! This is due to the preserving nature of the olive oil and herbs within the Focaccia.

What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

Affiliate Links

• Mixing Bowl
• Proving Bowl (Optional)
• Rubber Spatula
• Digital Kitchen Scales
• Skillet or Baking Sheet
• Baking Paper or Baking Liner
• Pan

How To Make Garlic And Sage Focaccia Bread

(**As always the full detailed Recipe can be found at the end of the post on the recipe card)

Ingredients

• Fast Action Yeast
• Sugar
• Warm water
• Plain Flour
• Olive Oil
• Butter
• Fresh Grated Garlic
• Chopped Fresh Sage
• Salt

Topping

• Pepper
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
• Sea salt

Instructions

1. The first step is to bloom the yeast- Combine the warm water and sugar in a small bowl and stir. Sprinkle the Yeast on top, cover with clingfilm and set aside for 15 minutes (**the water must be warm not hot, hot water will kill the yeast) By the end of the 15 minutes your yeast will look foamy…if it doesn’t, the yeast is dead and you’ll have to start over.

2. Place the grated Garlic, chopped Sage and Butter in a small pan and set over a medium -low heat and cook for a minute until the Butter has melted. Set aside and allow to cool while you make the dough.

3. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, olive oil and salt and mix well with your rubber spatula

4. Slowly Pour in the yeast mixture and combine well until a dough begins to form

5. Make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in the butter and sage mixture, use your rubber spatula to combine it into the dough until the dough is smooth and the butter mix is well distributed

6. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for around 5 minutes until smooth and stretchy. * If it feels too wet, sprinkle some flour on the dough until more workable

7. Shape into a ball and place in a lined or oiled bowl or proving bowl and allow to rise for 90 minutes, until doubled in size

8. Line a round Skillet or baking tray with baking paper and gently press the dough into the pan to form a circle, cover and allow to Puff up for 20 minutes

9. Preheat The Oven to 200 c

10 After 20 minutes, use your Fingers to prod dimples into the surface of the dough

11. Brush the entire surface with Olive Oil, season with pepper and sprinkle with Sea Salt and Parmesan

12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Optional-Drizzle with Olive oil and serve.

Ways To Cut Focaccia

Focaccia can be cut in strips– perfect for dunking in oil, sauces or soups and stews. Or in triangles-like a pizza! Or simply just tear at it! I have to say-tearing is generally the way my family does it. We just place a couple of Focaccias on the table and everybody just helps themselves.

I used Homegrown Garlic and Sage in this Recipe…Want to learn how to grow them? Have a look at these posts…

How To Grow Sage

How To Grow Garlic

Serving Suggestions for Focaccia Bread

Serve alongside…

• Soups
• Pastas
• Dips
• Potato salads
• Salads
• Cooked Meats
• Chicken dishes

How Long Will Garlic and Sage Focaccia Keep?

Keep Focaccia wrapped and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Can You Freeze Garlic and sage Focaccia Bread

Absolutely! Just wrap in cling film, pop in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen for 10 minutes at 200 c

Looking For Other Focaccia Recipes? Try these…

Floral Focaccia Bread

Caramelised Onion Focaccia Bread

Looking For More Bread Recipes?

Artisan Dinner Rolls

Salt and Pepper Bread

Fougasse Bread

Braided Loaf

Boule Loaf

Looking For more ‘Homely’ Inspo ?

Have a Nosey Around the Blog! See what i’ve been Baking, Growing and Drinking! 

Did you make this Recipe ?

If so, please leave a rating and comment, I would love to know what you thought. Did you take a picture? Great! Tag me on Instagram, I love to share your creations on my stories.

Did you find this post helpful? Why not share it with your friends!