This Tomato Rosemary Lemon Focaccia bread is for your carb indulgence. It’s crispy on the outside, chewy inside and packed with robust flavor. I added cherry tomatoes, fresh rosemary and few slices of lemon rinds from my preserved lemons. Focaccia bread is a great bread to enjoy with soup on the side, slice and use as sandwich or even with some cheese and wine.
This is an easy focaccia bread recipe! It requires a little bit of kneading and some wait time for the yeast to do its magic. You then flattened the dough on a sheet pan or a cake pan and poked all around. Drizzle a good doze of olive oil on top of the focaccia bread and then top it with your choice of ingredients.
Ingredients for Tomato Rosemary Lemon Focaccia Bread
I made rosemary and garlic infused olive oil, which completely elevates the flavor of this focaccia bread. A good quality olive oil is a must when baking this bread. A big dose of olive oil is drizzled on top before baking which creates the golden crust besides adding to the flavor.
Cherry tomatoes not only give a pretty look but also add a lovely sweet bite to the bread.
I also used thinly sliced preserved lemons as one of the toppings. It is not my usual topping for focaccia bread, but I wanted to try something new this time and I really loved it! Here is the recipe of the preserved lemon
All-purpose flour is the preferred choice for this bread, but you can use whole wheat flour too. Just keep in mind that whole wheat flour will make the texture a little dense.
I used active dry yeast along with sugar and warm water to make the dough. You can replace sugar with honey.
Salt is a key ingredient to a good tasty bread. I added it while making the dough and then, also sprinkled on top before baking.
Can you make the dough in advance?
YES! Do the first rise in the kitchen counter, then cover in a greased bowl and let slow-rise the second time in the refrigerator overnight.
How to serve this Tomato Rosemary Lemon Focaccia Bread?
It’s best served warm, fresh out of the oven. Don’t reheat focaccia bread in the microwave. Instead, warm it in a preheated oven jut for 5 minutes or so.
You can serve it with stew, soup, slice the bread in half and make sandwich or make croutons and add it in salad. It’s even great with some cheese on the side.
Here are a few recipe suggestions that you might like for pairing with the bread.
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Soup
Roasted Broccoli and Fennel Soup
Chicken Artichoke Spinach Creamy Skillet
Portuguese Spiced Clams
Click here for more BREAD RECIPES
Even if you never baked a bread before, I would suggest you give this easy bread recipe a try!
Focaccia Bread with tomato rosemary lemon
This Tomato Rosemary Lemon Focaccia bread is for your carb indulgence. It’s crispy on the outside, chewy inside and packed with robust flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water, just warm enough for you to dip your finger comfortably
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus few more leaves to add on top
- 3 garlic cloves
- 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes
- 2 lemon wedges from preserved lemons, you can substitute this with lemon zest
Instructions
- Make the infused oil first. Pour the oil, rosemary and garlic cloves in a heavy bottom pan. Turn the heat to medium. Allow the oil to heat up and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Then, let it cool down completely.
- Take some warm water in a glass. Mix sugar and yeast to the warm water and then, cover the glass. In 5 minutes, the yeast should activate, and you should see a thick layer form on top. If you don’t see that, the yeast didn’t active. Discard and try again.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and give it a mix. Pour the yeast water along with 1 tablespoon of the cold infused oil. Mix and knead for 10 minutes into a soft dough (add more water, if needed).
- Shape the dough into a ball, rub a little oil and place it in the same or another big bowl. The bowl should be big enough because the dough will double in size.
- Cover the dough and keep it in a warm area for a couple of hours (I turn on the light of the oven and place the mixing bowl inside).
- Once the dough is doubled in size, take it off the mixing bowl and knead it one more time.
- Rub a little oil on the cookie sheet and flatten the dough into it. Cover and let it rise once again. It should take around 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Poke the flatten dough all around. It should feel very soft and airy. Arrange the cherry tomatoes in and around by pressing it gently on the dough. Drizzle half or all of the remaining infused oil. Add a few more rosemary leaves.
- If you are using preserved lemon wedges, give it a good wash and remove the pulp. Slice the rind very thinly and layer on top of the flattened dough. You could use fresh lemon zest instead of preserved lemon wedges.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the top looks golden brown.
- Let it cool down a bit and serve it warm.
Comments are closed.
priya
August 30, 2019 at 11:13 AMThis recipe is going to be a big hit in our house I am telling you 🙂 Nothing can beat the juicy fresh cherry tomatoes 🙂
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:23 AMThank you Priya! I hope you give it a try 🙂
John @ Kitchen Riffs
August 30, 2019 at 10:26 PMI’m all for indulging in carbs! This looks totally wonderful — terrific flavor. And I have a TON of rosemary in my garden at the moment, so I know where some of it is going. 🙂 Thanks!
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:24 AMThe flavor worked beautifully and was so happy seeing my family enjoy it 🙂
Kelly | Foodtasia
August 31, 2019 at 2:21 AMKankana, this focaccia is gorgeous! Love focaccia and your additions of cherry tomatoes and preserved lemon are brilliant! Lovely flavor!
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:24 AMThanks Kelly 🙂 The preserved lemon was a last minute addition but so glad I did!
Geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen
August 31, 2019 at 2:57 PMLove focaccia bread! And love these toppings too! I have giant rosemary bush in the garden – always looking for ways to use it in recipes. Looking forward to trying this.
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:26 AMWish I could grow rosemary too. I don’t have a green thumb sadly! I hope you will give this a try.
[email protected] is How I Cook
August 31, 2019 at 8:11 PMI love focaccia, but who doesn’t? Your version not only sounds incredible it looks even better!
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:26 AMI know right, I don’t want to meet a person who doesn’t like focaccia 😀
angiesrecipes
August 31, 2019 at 9:23 PMOne of my favourite Italian classics! Yours looks incredible.
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:26 AMThanks Angie 🙂
Neil
September 1, 2019 at 12:16 PMFocaccia bread is one of our favourites to have and enjoy if we’re sitting in front of the TV or watching a film together. And yes we usually have a little wine with it too. Ha ha! Using the cherry tomatoes and preserved lemons makes this look very pretty and also adds a unique twist. This is a different variation of focaccia that I must try.
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:27 AMoh yes, perfect with wine and cheese cozy up and watching TV in PJ. I love that scene!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
September 2, 2019 at 3:58 PMI absolutely love focaccia!!! The addition of rosemary and lemon sounds wonderful!! Not to mention those tomatoes!! So Much Yes!! I could absolutely make a meal out of this bread!!
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:27 AMThanks a lot Cheyanne 🙂
David @ Spiced
September 3, 2019 at 5:26 AMI absolutely love baking bread, and focaccia is one of my favorites for sure! This looks amazing, Kankana, and I’m totally sitting here right now thinking when I can make a batch of it. (I might just eat the whole thing myself, too…haha!)
Kankana Saxena
September 4, 2019 at 10:28 AMBaking bread is so therapeutic right!! I love it.
mjskitchen
September 10, 2019 at 6:26 PMA gorgeous presentation of a delicious looking focaccia! Can’t for it to cool off so I can use the larger oven. Love a good focaccia and one with preserved lemons sounds awesome. Just happen to have preserved lemons in the fridge.