This Basil Focaccia with Parmesan has everything this traditional Italian bread is known for. It is soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. And has a delicious Basil, Parmesan, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt topping. This recipe is easy and delicious.
Basil Focaccia
Focaccia, a typical Italian bread, used to be baked on hot stones and is, therefore, wonderfully airy. Focaccia is delicious with soup or as bread served at a barbecue. Natural, but you can also flavor it or fill it. I used basil, sea salt, and Parmesan cheese topping this time. But the focaccia with caramelized onions and the focaccia with tomato and Italian herbs are also delicious.
Making focaccia from scratch is easy and super fun to do. Knead the dough by hand, mixer, or bread machine, and let it rise. After shaping and a second rise, make holes in the surface with your fingers and drizzle in the olive oil. This ensures a delicious crispy outside after baking. Season with cheese and herbs, and serve! As easy as it sounds, the recipe is that simple. Let's get started!
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What do you need for Parmesan Basil Focaccia?
To prepare this Basil Focaccia, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Focaccia Ingredients
- Flour - Use all-purpose flour.
- Olive oil - A good extra virgin olive oil because it gives a lot of flavor to the bread.
- Yeast - This recipe uses one teaspoon of instant yeast. If you prefer to use fresh yeast, you need ¼ oz. If you use dry yeast, you also need one teaspoon. Note: With fresh and dry yeast, you must first dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water before adding it to your dough, so it already starts doing its job.
- Water - Use lukewarm water, so the yeast can get started quickly.
- Salt - Adds flavor to the bread. But watch out with yeast because salt can kill the yeast if it comes into contact in large amounts. That is why you knead the dough lightly, distribute the salt over the dough and knead further.
- Sugar - The sugar allows the yeast to work, and you get an airy bun.
Topping Ingredients
- Basil - Adds flavor to the topping. Use dried basil; fresh basil will not look good.
- Parmesan cheese - A delicious salty cheese from the Italian kitchen, which melts wonderfully in the oven
- Sea salt - For a bit of salt in the topping.
How to prepare basil Parmesan Focaccia
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Dissolve the yeast together with sugar in lukewarm water and let it stand for 5 minutes until bubbles have formed. Place the flour in a bowl and mix the salt and oil well. Then stir in the yeast mixture and start kneading for about 10 minutes until the yeast feels soft.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes. Press the air out of the dough and put it on a baking tray. Shape into an oval. Place a damp tea towel over the bread and let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
- Make indentations in the bread with your fingers. Mix basil, Parmesan cheese, and sea salt in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle the basil mixture over it. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 390 °F (200 °C). Let cool on a rack.
This is delicious, served with Italian tomato soup with mascarpone, with risotto with mushrooms, or with a rich lasagna soup.
Substitutions and Tips
- You press the holes in the top of the bread so that the olive oil stays in place better and the bread gets a crispy layer.
- Instead of forming the bread on a baking sheet, you can also spread it in a cast iron pan. Then, you can cook it in the oven or on a wood fire (with a lid).
- Are you kneading by hand and the dough is too sticky? Then rub your hands with olive oil. You will see that this is much better.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
Recipe
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Basil Focaccia
Equipment
- Bread baking machine optional
- optional: mixer with dough hooks optional
Ingredients
Focaccia
3 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup water tepid
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yeast instant, see tips
½ teaspoon sugar
Topping
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra vierge, to pour over the bread
1 teaspoon basil dried
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese grated
2 teaspoons sea salt coarse
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Bread baking machine
- Put all ingredients in the bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer.3 cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon yeast, ½ teaspoon sugar
- Then turn the machine on the dough mode into the position in which the machine kneads the dough and runs the 1st rise. Go further at the instructions after the first rise.
With a mixer or by hand
- Put water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl, mix well and let stand for 5 minutes. By then, there should be bubbles (if that is not the case, then the yeast is no longer good, and you must use a new package)⅔ cup water, 1 teaspoon yeast, ½ teaspoon sugar
- Put the flour in a bowl with the salt and mix well.3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Then mix the oil through it.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Stir well with a wooden spoon so that all the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the yeast mixture and start kneading (by hand or with the mixer).
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic to the touch, and that will certainly take 10 minutes of kneading.
- Shape the dough into a ball.
- Grease a bowl with oil and place the dough in it. Turn once and cover the bowl with a damp towel, and put it away on a warm place.
- Let the dough rise for half an hour (or until doubled in volume). Go further with the instructions after the first rise.
After the first rise (for bread baking machine, kneading by hand or mixer)
- Lay the dough on a greased workplace.
- Press the air out, form a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Press the dough into an oval.
- Place the damp towel over the dough and leave the bread to rise for an hour in a warm place.
- After half an hour, preheat the oven to
390 °F or 
350 °F - After the second rise, you moisten the top of the loaf with water. Push with your fingertips dimples in the bread.
Topping
- Drizzle with olive oil.3 tablespoons olive oil
- Mix the basil with the Parmesan cheese and sea salt and sprinkle the top of the focaccia.1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Put this bread in the oven for 20 minutes and then remove the bread from the oven.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Room Temperature - Wrap the bread in plastic wrap or an airtight box. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezer - This bread freezes well. Wrap in two layers of foil and freeze for up to 2 months.
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