This focaccia bread recipe is perfect for beginners as it requires no kneading or no prior bread making skills. It’s super easy to make, golden brown and crispy on the outside and will always impress a crowd.
Wild Garlic Confit & Rosemary Focaccia
I absolutely love bread and even more so when it’s homemade and you can bite into it when it’s still warm. But sometimes the thought of making bread can be extremely intimidating and require a lot of skill and energy. This is why I love making this no knead focaccia! It’s equally delicious as a sourdough loaf but extremely simple to make as it doesn’t require a stand mixer with a dough hook. All you need is your hands or a wooden spoon and a greased bowl! They are also fun to make because who doesn’t love the sensation of dimpling their soft and bouncy dough with your fingers. Focaccia is an Italian style yeasted flatbread that is similar to pizza dough. It’s best served as a side dish to soups, turned into sandwiches or on its own with a side of olive oil and balsamic for it to be dipped into.
Focaccia Toppings
I also love focaccia because it can be so versatile. You can top the dough with anything you please from something as simple to just flaky sea salt, olives, cherry tomatoes or herbs to something a little more extravagant such as my garlic confit with fresh rosemary. You can also create the best tasting sandwiches with your homemade foaccia! You may look at the top of this focaccia and think there is a lot of garlic but let me preface this by saying that when garlic is cooked confit style, it takes on a soft, mild and sweet flavour with a buttery and velvet texture. To confit something is to cook it in lots of fat and at a low temperature for a long amount of time.
Garlic Confit
Because I’m a garlic girl through and through, I have used Rich Glen’s wild garlic infused olive oil to cook the garlic in to achieve that extra element of garlic flavour. This is by no means essential yet is highly recommended. As focaccia heavily relies on olive oil, I could not think of a better combo. The garlic confit recipe also calls for lots and lots of garlic. As we aren’t using it all in this recipe, you can store the remainder in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Just make sure the roasted garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil that can be repurposed for any recipe that requires olive oil.
My top tips for making the best focaccia
Leave the dough to rest and rise as long as you can – if you have the time, I recommend leaving it for 24 – 48 hours as this will result in a fluffier and lighter dough. If you are short on time try and leave it for a minimum of 8 hours.
Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil and don’t be shy with it – this is a recipe that relies heavily on extra virgin olive oil not just for the taste but also for the texture and that golden and crunchy crust. It’s important we are not skimping on the quality which is why I recommend using Rich Glen olive oil. If you are not a fan of adding the garlic confit, you can simply omit this from the recipe and use Rich Glens Wild Garlic Olive Oil or their signature extra virgin blend.
Find a warm spot in your house for the second rise – a room temperature environment will help the dough rise for its second rise. If you are making your focaccia in winter, a little trick I learnt is to leave the light on in your oven and let the focaccia dough rise in there.
Don’t be afraid to get creative – my favourite topping for focaccia is garlic confit and fresh rosemary however, you can top the focaccia with whatever you please! Don’t be afraid to get creative and personalise it to your personal taste.
Use the right flour – while bread flour will leave you with a chewier texture, it can be a little hard to find! All purpose flour will work just as well!
It’s all about the baking sheet – I use a baking dish that is 34cm x 23cm x 5cm. You can also use a rimmed baking sheet so your focaccia doesn’t rise as high. It really comes down to personal preference!
Rise baby rise – if you’re using an active dry yeast, it needs to feed off honey in warm water. Leave it to sit in the bowl for 5 minutes or until bubbles start to form. This will indicate your yeast is alive.
Frequently Asked Questions About Garlic Confit
How do you store garlic confit?
I store garlic confit in a sterilised air tight jar in the fridge for 3 – 4 weeks. Make sure you don’t discard any of the oil as it can also be repurposed and used for cooking.
How long can you store garlic confit?
Confit is traditionally a preserving method and can allow the garlic to keep for several months. However, to be on the safe side I recommend to keep it for 2 – 3 weeks when stored correctly.
What can I use the garlic confit for?
There are so many things that garlic confit can be used for! You can spread it on toast and top it with slices of avocado, it can be used in salad dressing, pasta sauces and for pizza toppings. The oil can also be repurposed and used in any recipe that requires olive oil.
What flavour does garlic confit have?
When cooked confit style, the flavour of the garlic softens and is must more mild and sweet when compared to raw garlic.
Check out my other focaccia recipes:
Cheesy focaccia with tomato & garlic confit
Spicy garlic confit butter focaccia
If you make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
You can purchase Rich Glen Olive Oil here. This recipe is sponsored by Rich Glen Olive Oil.
Wild Garlic & Rosemary Focaccia
Ingredients
Wild Garlic Confit
- 6 heads garlic
- 3 cups Rich Glen Wild Garlic Olive Oil
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
Focaccia
- 2.5 cups lukewarm water 2 cups cold water + 1/2 cup boiling hot water (600ml)
- 1 sachet yeast or 7g yeast
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 5 cups all purpose white flour 740g
- 2.5 tsp flakey sea salt + extra for sprinkling
- 10 - 12 cloves garlic confit
- 2 sprigs rosemary leaves
- 8 tbsp garlic confit olive oil
Instructions
Wild Garlic Confit
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius.
- Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away.
- Place the garlic cloves, thyme and rosemary into an ovenproof dish and fully submerge in olive oil. It's important the garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil so it does not burn. Bake for 2 hours or until the garlic has browned in colour.
- Allow to cool and store in an airtight container or jar with the garlic cloves fully submerged in the olive oil for up to several weeks in the fridge.
Focaccia
- In a medium bowl, mix together the lukewarm water, yeast and honey with a whisk and leave to sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast has foamed. This will indicate that your yeast is active.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and whisk together. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and bring the dough together with your hands or a spatula until a shaggy and sticky dough forms.
- Coat a large mixing bowl with 4 tablespoons of the garlic confit olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Coat the dough in the olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge. Leave the dough to rise for a minimum of 6 hours but ideally for 24 hours. The dough will double in size and look bubbly.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and fold it over itself in quarters. Gather up each edge of the dough with your hands and fold it over itself while turning the bowl. The dough will deflate while you shape it into a neat ball.
- Coat a deep rectangular baking dish (I use a pan that is 34cm x 23cm x 5cm) with 2 tablespoons of the garlic confit olive oil and transfer the dough ball to the baking dish. Using your fingers, stretch the dough out slightly into a rough rectangular shape. There is no need to stretch the dough out to the edges of the pan as the dough will rise and spread. Cover the pan with a tea towel and leave the dough to rise in a warm area of your house for 3 - 4 hours. If your dough is uncovered there is risk of too much air getting into the dough and creating a dry and crusty layer on top.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Once the dough has risen, use your fingers to indent or dimple the dough. Scatter the garlic confit cloves and rosemary over the dough. Drizzle the dough with 2 tablespoons of the garlic confit olive oil. This will help the crust of the dough get golden and crispy when baking. Finish off with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the dough has developed a golden crust on top.
- Let the bread slightly cool before removing it from the baking tray. Place onto a wire rack.
- Slice the bread and enjoy on its own or dipped into the garlic confit olive oil with some balsamic vinegar.
Hello, I am making this bread and unsure what size pan I should use. Is it okay if the pan is a rectangular 11” x 13” x 2” or is this too big? Thanks so much! Excited to try this!!!
That size should be fine! I use a 34cm x 23cm x 5cm
Hi! Your directions say that you should leave the focaccia to rise for 24 hours, but at what temperature?
Leave it to rise in the fridge. It can even go as long as 48 hours for the first rise. The second rise should be in a warm spot. Hope that helps!
Mine didn’t rise at all in the fridge. I used plain flour, what did I do wrong?
I think I know where I went wrong, I used instant Yeast and did the first step. After reading the comments I should have skipped that step of letting it soak for a few minutes.
It does sound like there was an issue with your yeast! Let me know if it works out for you next time!
Thank you so much for the recipe! If it’s possible to add weight measurements in grams at some point that would be greatly appreciated! 🙏
My pleasure! I can do. I will get that updated for you shortly.
I did everything exactly like the recipe and my doe after 50 minutes (not 25/30) came out raw and soggy. And I couldnt for the life of me get it out of the pan, despite using a lot of pił
I am sorry to hear it did not work out! Did you have the oven temp at 200 degrees Celsius / 400 F?
Can you use instant yeast?
Yes you can! Just skip the first step of activating the yeast into the water and directly add it to the flour and salt mixture.
Ok thank it’s summer hopefullyy it will be warm enough to rise quickly 😀
Hi, I only have strong white (bread) flour, will this work OK?
Yes that should work!
What should the internal temperature be? I prepped it last night and had to use more flour. Now it’s in the oven and it looks so good! My oven is off for temperature so its a guessing game and i possibly baked it too low of a temp. so I’m just asking to know for future reference. So far it looks amazing! Can’t wait to eat it for dinner haha
For the first rise, it should be kept in the fridge so the temperature is very cold. For the second rise, you want it to be in a warm spot while covered with a tea towel so the warm air does not dry the top of the bread. You can leave it in your oven with the light on or in a small room with no drafts!
hi
i dont have a long deep dish pan. would it be ok to split the dough in half and use two brownie pans? would that lessen the baking time?
This should be fine! I don’t think the cooking time will be altered but just keep an eye on it when it bakes.
Hi, will gluten free flour work?
I have not tried gluten free flour but I am working on a GF focaccia recipe as I have had many requests for it. It will be posted soon!
What’s are your cups? Please and thank you
I will be getting measurements in grams up today! But in the meantime, I use Australian cups.
Hi I checked the australian values but it seems to be inadequate. The amount of water and flour seem too high, my yeast does not activate at all.
Could you please the measures in g (for the flour) and in ml (for the water) ?
Many thanks
I will be adding the measurements in grams and ml very shortly!
Hi! I absolutely love this recipe but my dough always comes out raw/undercooked? I used a large dish and cooked it on 200°c for 40 minutes and it’s still undercooked! Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
Thank you! I really don’t know what could be going wrong there! Is that on the conventional oven setting or fan forced?
I made this & it is delicious! Here’s my question, my dough was perfect & rose very well, but the bread came out “crumby” but not dry. I’d like to get a chewier texture. Any ideas what would help?
It sounds like your dough had a little too much flour! Next time this happens, add a little more water.
Hello! I made the dough for thé foccacia 18hours ago and it is in the fridge but it hasn’t even rose up a little since then 🙁 any guess on what the problem could be?
Thanks a lot for any advice!
It sounds like there was an issue with your yeast! It could have been out of date or not activated correctly. You can also use instant yeast for this recipe and skip the first step of activating it in the water with honey.
When you say skip the first step, do you just add the instant yeast to the flour without any water?
If you are using instant yeast then there is no need to proof it! You can just add it directly to the flour with the same amount of water.
Is there anyway to speed up the rising process? I’m very impatient 😂
You can do it in a shorter time but for the best result I recommend leaving the dough to rise for as long as possible.
Hello there! Let me start off by saying I’m not a fan of baking because of the preciseness it calls for; however, your tik tok video won me over and gave me the courage! I made this my weekend project and it is everything I hoped for!
Thank you for providing such great easy to follow instructions!
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!
Hi my ovens lowest temp is 170? Should adjust the time the garlic confit bakes?
Hello! It sounds like this may be for fahrenheit. I have listed the oven temperature in Celsius. If your oven doesn’t go any lower than 170 degrees celsius, you can cook the garlic on the stovetop on a very low heat for the same amount of time.
This was absolutely amazing! Making the confit and bread was actually really simple and it was so delicious. Everyone loved the bread and it was fun to make! Will be trying more recipes from you, no doubt.
CH
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the lovely feedback.
An amazing recipe! Thanks so much! I saw your sandwich video, and was inspired to “properly” cook for the first time in AGES. I can’t wait to feed my family and friends this amazing sandwich for lunch today 🙂 Bread is on second rise now.
I am so glad you like it! i hope you all enjoy your sandwich lunch!
Hi! I followed your recipe and the dough is rising for the second time right now, I can’t wait to taste it! I was just wondering how long and how you can store the baked focaccia. And if you want to use it the next day or after, would you put it back into the oven for a bit? Thanks in advance and thanks for the recipe!
The bread is definitely the best when eaten on the day it’s made however, there are a few options to maintain its freshness. You can slice it up and freeze it on the day it’s made and simply defrost it when ready to serve. I would also lightly toast it in the taoster or with a drizzle of olive oil on a pan. You can also store it in a bread bin or wrap it in plastic wrap and leave on your bench for up to 3 days. It wont be as fresh or nice as the day its baked but it would also be lovely slightly toasted. I hope that helps!
I throw my left over pieces in the air fryer for a couple minutes. 🙂
Hi
Any chance you could share the weight of flour rather than cup measures?
Thanks!
Scratch that you have – face palm!
Will a glass baking pan work?
It should do! Let me know how you go.
Yes, I used the glass rectangular lasagna dish and it works fine!
May i use gluten free all purpose flour??
I think the cooking times will change with GF flour. I have had a lot of requests for a GF version so I will get working on a recipe!
This was absolutely delectable!! Will definitely be made many more times. 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for the lovely comment.
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
I haven’t tried that before but I think it could work! Let me know how you go!
I have tried to make good bread for years. I’m pretty impatient when it comes to cooking/baking so the process of waiting on anything to rise was too overwhelming. However, your tik tok video of this recipe won me over and I thought I’d give it a try. Wow, am I ever glad I did!
I was surprised how easy it was! I’ve never had such a successful rise and bake on a bread. Thank you for this recipe and for the video- it really helped with the steps of what the dough was supposed to look/feel like!
What a beautiful comment to receive – thank you so much!
Hi! Wart to prepare for breakfast can the second rise be longer than 4? Can I leave it for the night? Or not really?
Hello! I wouldn’t leave the second rise for longer than 4 hours! If the spot is warm enough, it can rise within an hour! The first rise can be left for up to 72 hours.
I don’t have tea towels and my bread is already in the fridge rising. Could I sub with plastic wrap or payment paper? Thanks!
I would just place something over the top that is loose so it gets some air into it. If you’re in a humid climate it may even be okay uncovered but I recommend covering it as it can dry out the top. Parchment paper would be best or loose fabric.
Absolutely lovely recipe! My only snag was the bread had to be chiseled out of my baking dish and lost half of the lovely crunchy crust on the bottom. Should I have not used a ceramic baking dish? I used the correct amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pan and followed your recipe to a T. Perhaps more oil in the bttom of the baking dish? Despite the snag it was still a big hit with everyone for our dinner party!
It may have been the dish you baked it in! Give a tin baking tray a try next time!
I had the same issue. Baked in a le Creuset cast iron. It looks scrumptious but can’t get it out. My dough was perfect and had enough oil. I’ll try placing parchment next time.
This was super easy recipe. Love the rising in refrigerator. My second rising was 3 hours in an o en proofer. Pic perfect except I could not get it out of pan
Oh no! I am sorry that happened. I have had this issue with enamel cookware before and I have lined it with baking paper to help solve the issue.
Just made this and in the fridge rising. However, I didn’t have all purpose flour on hand and used whole wheat. How do you think it will turn out? Just curious cause it’s done now. Can’t wait to taste this, it looks absolutely scrumptious!!
I have never tried it with whole wheat! I hope it turns out okay and I would love to see the results!
I will send a pic
So, I gave this a go, my dough is in the fridge resting. However, I didn’t use lukewarm water, just room temperature. What effect will that have?
Also, can you keep the dough longer than 48h before using it?
As long as it was warm enough for the yeast to activate it in. Was your water frothy and bubbly? You can keep it for up to 72 hours. The longer the better!
Hello, if my kitchen isn’t very warm then for the second rise can I use a slightly warmed then turned off oven?
I would not recommend doing that as it will be too hot and will cook your focaccia! If your oven has a light, leave it in the oven with the light on. You can also leave it on top of your fridge if that is slightly warm or in a warm room of the house!
I am at the making of the confit part… I submerged the garlic in olive oil and followed for temperature and time to the recipe. But mine are burned…
Oh no! Did you cook it at a very low heat? I do 120 degrees Celsius.
Very airy focaccia! Next time I’ll try the confit tomatoes and garlic. I just added chopped garlic and halved cherry tomatoes to the top. This made a lot of dough! Next time i will freeze half after the first rise.
I am so glad you liked it! It freezes really well if you do it on the day you make it.
Love ❤️ love garlic 😁 Thank you so much for this recipe this is like heaven for me. I made it and my family devoured it in seconds 🤣.
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Hello, so my dough is on its first rise in the fridge right now. However, I just took a look, and I must have used a bowl that was too small, because the dough is pressing against the plastic wrap on the top right now and I am concerned it is going to overflow. What do I do?
Oh no! Did it turn out okay? You could have tried transferring it to a bigger bowl but I am worried that would disrupt the rising process.
I’ve never made focaccia before but the recipe looked so easy and I just adore garlic too! My focaccia came out of the oven absolutely perfect, crunchy and golden on the top and bottom and soft and fluffy on the inside! Thanks for an amazing recipe, I’m going to make this everytime I have people over!
I am so glad you loved it! Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Do i leave it to rise another 24 hrs after the first 24 hr rise? If not then how long should the second rise in the oven with the light on be?
Hello. The second rise can be anywhere from 2 – 4 hours. Just depending on how warm the climate is as the bread will rise quicker in a warmer environment.
Hello! Amazing recipe – I just made mine and it looks incredible, I can’t wait to taste it.
One query though – all went well from mixing to rising, however when covering it with a tea towel for the final rise, while there was a LOT of oil on the top of the bread, it still soaked into the tea towel and a lot of the dough stuck to the towel itself. Can I use a sheet of baking paper to prevent sticking if I then place the tea towel over the top?
Thankyou again!
Oh no I am sorry to hear that! You can easily use plastic wrap. It won’t stick to the bread if there is enough oil on top.
Hi, is it alright to let it rise much longer the second time ? Like instead of 2-4h leave it overnight ? I want it to be really fresh but I have to leave quite early in the morning
I wouldn’t leave it more than 4 hours as it will dry out and also lose a bit of its gas!
I am the stupid one. I put 2,5 cups of lukewarm water, 2 cups cold water, 0,5 cup boiling water. Because when printed the recipe has no punctuation and all the letters are in one color. I had to add more flour. I am waiting for the result tomorrow. I will have focaccia for the next two weeks.
Oh no! I am sorry that happened! Hopefully it worked out the second time you made it 🙂
Hi, I’ve made your recipe multiple times and when it turns out it is really good. But I would say it only rises for me about 50% of the time.
I never change the measurements and I follow the directions each time. I only add they yeast when I see the foam and I’ve watched videos to make sure that this is actually when it is active, but when the dough doesn’t turn out right it is dry and doesn’t really come together very well.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Do you have any ideas?
It sounds like it might have something to do with the weather and environment you are in! The spot you are leaving it to rise could either be too cold or too hot. It needs to be in a warm spot for the second proof! Or it could be an issue with your yeast.