This Small Batch Focaccia Bread is just the right size for two people! It's crispy on the outside, airy on the inside, and topped with a garlic and rosemary infused olive oil and roasted red peppers.
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You know when you really want to make something, but you’re short on ingredients so you cross your fingers and make it anyway? Usually when that happens, the recipe is a total disaster. Except for this focaccia. I really really wanted to make focaccia one weekend, but I only had 2 cups of flour left in the bag. So I found a small batch recipe and tweaked it. I wasn’t sure it was going to work, but it did!
I started making my own focaccia bread towards the end of summer last year. Since then, I have experimented with a few different focaccia recipes. Most recently, it's been small batch style focaccia loaves. These loaves of bread are perfect for two and, just like traditional focaccia, can be made with a variety of different toppings.
Focaccia Bread Toppings
Lately, my favorite topping combination has been garlic infused olive oil, thin slices of garlic, fresh rosemary, roasted red peppers, coarse sea salt, and black pepper. It's easy and so delicious! But here are some other topping ideas for your bread:
- Fresh tomato slices
- Sundried tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
- Caramelized onions
- Fresh basil or parsley
- Greek olives
- Feta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Trader Joe's Cracked Olive Salad
- Thin sliced pears and arugula
- Thin sliced potatoes with bacon
- Figs and balsamic vinegar
- Prosciutto
- Pesto sauce or tomato sauce
Go basic or bougie with your topping combinations! There are so many flavor possibilities, but I like to use whatever I have on hand at the moment.
Small Batch Focaccia Bread
The focaccia dough itself is super easy to make and takes just an hour to rise. Once the dough has risen, it can be transferred to an oiled round pan to rise for another 20 minutes. Then, it's time to bake! Just dimple the dough, add the toppings, and place it in the oven for about 20 minutes. The bread will be golden brown and airy when it's done.
The first thing we need to do is start our dough. Add add the warm water, yeast, and honey to a large mixing bowl. Stir everything together and let it sit for 5 minutes just to get the yeast activated. You'll see it's ready when it starts to look foamy.
Now, we can add 1 cup of flour and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the mix. Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then, add the last 1 cup of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and stir until a dough has formed.
Once the dough has formed, transfer it onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth. Then, transfer it to a large oiled bowl. Cover and set the dough in a warm place to rise for an hour.
While the dough is rising, we can get started on our infused oil mixture. In a medium skillet, add 1/4 cup olive oil and heat over medium. Add the sliced garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook just until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 3-4 minutes, and remove from the heat. Set aside.
After an hour, use a little bit of the infused oil to oil an 8-inch round pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and stretch to fit the pan. Then, use your fingertips to add dimples to the dough.
At this time, you can drizzle the dough with the infused oil and add your toppings. Then, cover the pan with a towel and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes. It'll look puffy once it's ready to go into the oven.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the focaccia for 18-20 minutes, or until it's golden brown.
Carefully remove the focaccia from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool. Then, serve immediately, or store in plastic wrap at room temperature.
Small Batch Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers cut into small strips
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast mixture is foamy, add 1 cup flour and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Stir until the flour has been fully incorporated into the mixture. Allow to sit for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the last 1 cup of flour and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Once the dough has formed, transfer it onto a floured surface.
- Knead the dough until it's smooth. The dough will be sticky in texture.
- Then, oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a lid or kitchen towl and allow to rise 1 hour.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the infused oil. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic has become fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- After the dough has risen for 1 hour, use some of the infused oil to coat an 8" round pan and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place dough into pan and use your fingers to stretch it out. Then, dimple the dough.
- Drizzle the dough with the infused oil mixture and top with roasted red peppers. Season with coarse salt and pepper.
- Place a towel over the pan and allow the dough to rise 20 minutes. The dough will puff up a bit.
- Then, bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Carefully remove focaccia from pan and allow to cool on wire rack. Serve or store in plastic wrap at room temperature.
Use this bread in place of garlic bread or as sandwich bread. Or serve the focaccia alongside salad, soup, or with dipping oil or hummus. I even like it simply toasted for breakfast!
Did you make this Small Batch Focaccia Bread recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
