Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
Hey, everyone!
I loooove myself some garlic. However, I have been struggling with any of the existing “garlic” focaccia recipes because most of the time the garlic flavour does not simply come through. I know that the roasted garlic has a way more subtle taste but it should still come out – no need to tease with the name!
Oh, I have not titled the post this way but this attempt was also a part of the 52 weeks of baking challenge. For Week 3, the theme was “Pantry challenge”, where the main idea was only to use the ingredients you have and not buy anything extra. So I decided to make this and finally post a proper recipe as well.
After a few tests, I believe I finally got it. In this recipe, I use garlic in multiple different ways to make sure that the flavour is properly THERE. We’re going to roast some garlic as well as make garlic-infused olive oil to ensure the flavour won’t get lost. At the very end, we’ll add some more small garlic slices on top to “roast” while the focaccia is baking.
I have also added a few tablespoons of honey to the recipe. Roasted garlic has this subtle and slightly sweet taste so I simply wanted to enhance it.
Tips & Tricks
You can make the olive oil in advance if you wish – it may even strengthen the flavour. I simply found that it’s convenient to make while the garlic is roasting. Also, I know that in some countries they sell roasted garlic in the stores – this is not the case where I am so I really don’t know how it would affect the overall flavour. I love making it myself – the smell coming from the oven is simply amazing.
When making the focaccia dough, you have to go a bit according to your instincts. The dough should be on the wet side but not too wet – I know it’s not the best way to describe, so check this video to see the approximate proper “wetness”. Every flour acts a bit differently so you may need to adjust the measurements there if needed.
Lastly, the baking time should be around 20-25 minutes but may also depend a bit on how big your baking tin is and how thick the dough will end up there. Let it bake until it’s nice and golden!
And it goes without saying – if you hate garlic, this recipe is probably not for you. But feel free to test with different ingredients and make your own versions! I love how diverse the focaccia world can be. 🙂
Happy baking!
Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
If you are a huge garlic fan, this focaccia is a must. It uses both oven-roasted garlic as well as garlic-infused olive oil - so the garlic flavour will be definitely there. Eat it warm!
Ingredients
- 320 ml warm water (40 - 43ºC to be exact)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 (7 g) packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 480 g flour, plus more (see notes)
- 3,5 tsp kosher salt
- 130ml olive oil
- 3 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp honey
- 60 g garlic for roasting
- 5 medium cloves of garlic for the oil
- 3 medium cloves of garlic for topping
- flaked sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Start with roasting the garlic. Heat the oven to 200°C. Peel 60 g of garlic. Use either a muffin pan or, what I usually do, create a simple square foil "boat". Put the garlic cloves in there in one layer and coat the cloves with olive oil. Put into the oven on a medium rack for about 40 minutes or until you see it's nicely toasted. After 20 minutes, turn the garlic and add a bit more oil if needed.
- While the garlic is roasting, prepare the garlic-infused olive oil. For this, peel about 5 cloves of garlic. Add 130ml of olive oil in a small pot or a saucepan on low-medium heat. Press the garlic through a garlic press into the oil, and add about 1 tbsp of rosemary. Heat the mixture until you see small bubbles start forming around the garlic (like it's slowly frying). Keep it on low-medium heat for about 5-6 minutes while occasionally stirring. Keep an eye on it so the garlic won't burn! Remove from heat and set aside.
- Now, let's prepare the focaccia. Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast into a cup or a bowl. Give it a stir and allow the yeast to bloom for 15 minutes - you should see the yeast is foamy and bubbly near the end of the 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the flour, salt, 60ml of the garlic olive oil (try to get the garlic pieces from the oil also in there), 1 tbsp of chopped rosemary, honey, and roasted garlic to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on briefly to allow the ingredients to mix together.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture with the mixer running on low. Increase the speed to medium and let the mixer run for 4-5 minutes. Stop and scrape the dough if all the flour doesn't incorporate fully. After 5 minutes, if the dough seems too sticky/wet, use an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Note that the focaccia dough should be on the wet side, but you should be able to make "holes" in it later on with your fingers - so don't add too much extra flour.
- Transfer the dough into a large bowl that has been greased. Rub a dime size of olive oil on the surface of the dough and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 1 - 1,5 hours or until it's nearly doubled in size. I usually do this in my oven that has been set to about 35°C.
- Once the dough has risen, position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºC. Using some of the remaining olive oil, grease the bottom and sides of a 23cm x 33cm baking pan.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and dump the dough into the prepared dish. Gently, using your fingers, push the dough out so that it reaches all the sides and fits the pan. Cover the dough with the plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
- While the dough is resting again, cut the last 3 cloves of garlic into small slices.
- Brush about 2 tbsp of olive oil onto the dough. Using your fingers, poke holes in the surface of the dough (seriously, poke all the way to the pan, don't be shy!). Add the garlic slices in the holes, then sprinkle the focaccia with additional rosemary, and some flaked sea salt.
- Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked all the way through (it may depend a bit on the thickness). Remove from the oven, brush the top with a little bit more olive oil and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving!