Rosemary, olive and pine nut Focaccia Bread

Rosemary, Olive and Pine Nut No Knead Focaccia Bread with paper thin slices of Meyer lemon is an easy yeast bread you’ll come back to again and again.  With only a quick hand mixing and 40 minutes to rise, you can have it on the table, (or in your mouth!) in just over an hour.

Ingredients

2 tsp (one packet or 1/4 ounce) dry yeast, make sure it’s fresh!

2 cups warm water, (105-110F)

2 tsp table salt

4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, I usually use all-purpose

extra virgin olive oil, about 1/4 cup plus extra for oiling the bowl and baking pan

fresh rosemary leaves, approximately 4 Tbsp

1 Meyer lemon, sliced paper thin, seeds removed

1/2 cup pitted oil cured, Kalamata, or other flavorful black olives, not the kind in the can.

1 cup pine nuts

kosher or sea salt for sprinkling over the top

Instructions

Mix the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and 2 cups of the flour and mix into a soft sticky dough.

Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix well, the dough will still be somewhat sticky and shaggy.

Oil a clean bowl and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and let sit in a warm spot for 40 minutes. I put mine in my Instant Pot that I had preheated on the Yogurt setting. Your kitchen counter will typically not be warm enough for rising dough, see notes above for suggestions)

Set the oven to 425F

Turn the risen dough out onto an oiled baking sheet. Press it out gently with floured fingers into a rectangle, about 10×15, approximately.

Using your fingers, dip them into the olive oil and then make little dimples all over the dough. The oil will pool in the little indentations. Don’t skimp here, that oil will flavor the dough and give it great texture as it bakes, too.

Top with the sliced lemons, rosemary leaves, pine nuts and olives, pushing them into the dough just gently. Dab a little more olive oil on top if you think you don’t have enough. Shower lightly with sea salt.

Make sure your oven is at the correct temperature, and bake for about 20-22 minutes, until the bread is just golden. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through if the bread is baking unevenly.

Let cool slightly before slicing and devouring.

This bread is easy to make your own, there are lots of different toppings to try, so experiment with what you like.

You can mix dried herbs right into the dough for an herb bread.

Try this with half whole wheat flour for a nutrition boost.

If you don’t have Meyer lemons you can use regular lemons if you can get small, thin skinned ones.  Thicker skinned lemons will be too bitter.

Downoad Recipe Here