Homemade bread from scratch is just the BEST, isn’t it? This cast iron skillet focaccia bread is super easy to make, with very little resting time. It’s delicious slathered with butter and dunked in roast pumpkin soup.

A black cast iron skillet with a homemade rosemary and sea salt focaccia baked into it. A small bowl of sea salt a fresh rosemary sits alongside the pan.

What you are going to love about this rosemary focaccia recipe

No hand kneading is required. I do all my kneading in my stand mixer for this recipe. I’m all about using the right equipment to make life a lot easier!

You’ll have a fresh, just-out-of-the-oven focaccia loaf from scratch in a couple of hours – and most of that is resting time. I start this recipe after breakfast and by lunchtime, there is fresh bread to go alongside a bowl of hot soup.

It is so damn versatile. It’s delicious just on its own with a little butter or dipped olive oil and balsamic or as a side dish to almost anything. It also makes a delicious toasty!

What you need to get started

Bread flour.
Lukewarm water
Sea salt flakes. My go-to flaky salt is Murray River Salt Flakes. Maldon is my backup, however, if you have a favorite, feel free to use it instead.
Dried instant yeast
Extra-virgin olive oil
15cm sprig of fresh rosemary, washed, leaves removed and stalk discarded.

Equipment you will need

A stand mixer fitted with a large bowl and a dough hook is a must to make focaccia dough. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer which makes easy work of the sticky dough.

I bake my focaccia in a cast iron pan as I love how it bakes the bread. This recipe will work in skillets between 26cm – 30cm.

Don’t have any cast-iron pans? A baking stone, rimmed baking sheet, or deep pizza pan will also do the trick.

You’ll also need a kitchen scale that is accurate to 1g, as well as a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon for spooning the dough into the pan.

The details…

Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on speed one until all the ingredients are combined.
Increase the speed to 2 and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed to incorporate all the ingredients.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover the dough with cling wrap – don’t cover just the bowl like a normal dough recipe. Instead, lightly cover the dough by letting the plastic wrap sit inside the bowl directly on top of the dough. This helps prevent a skin from forming on the dough. Leave in a warm spot for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Butter the sides and bottom of the skillet and preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Transfer the dough to the greased skillet, and drizzle the entire surface of the dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes for the dough to rise a second time.
Using your fingers, dimple the dough all over by placing your fingertips into the dough making small wells for the oil to pool in.
Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and the rosemary leaves.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown with a crispy crust. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Cook’s notes

Don’t be deterred if your focaccia dough is quite different from other breads you’ve made. Unlike traditional bread doughs (like pizza dough or sourdough), focaccia is quite a wet dough.

I have been very general about the resting time, as it really depends on the temperature, humidity, season, etc. My rule of thumb is to let it double in size. My kitchen temperature is quite steady at 22-25 degrees all year round. I find that my dough normally doubles in 60-90 minutes, however, this varies depending on the time of year.

This recipe was cooked in a 26cm cast iron skillet. I prefer quite a thick focaccia so it can be used for sandwiches, however, if you would like a thinner bread, the 30cm skillet may be a better option. Just remember, using a wider skillet may require adjusting the cooking time.

Variations

This homemade focaccia can easily be adapted with different toppings to switch things up a bit. While I’ve stuck to rosemary for this recipe, here are a few more toppings to try…

A medley of fresh herbs from the garden. Try combinations of herbs like oregano, thyme, and parsley.

Smear a generous topping of caramelized onion

How about pizza focaccia? I’m drooling just thinking about it.

Or dot the top of the bread with confit garlic cloves, and fresh, or oven-roasted cherry tomatoes.

How to serve

Simply warm, spread with some cold butter is the general consensus in my family. In winter it’s an easy and delicious side for a homemade soup – Sunday supper right there!

Cut a wedge of focaccia in half and fill with your favorite toasty fillings. Ham, cheese, pickles… whatever floats your boat and pop into a sandwich grill until both sides are golden and the cheese has melted. YUM.

Alongside a ploughman’s board – Cured meat, pickles, terrine, a sharp cheddar.

Simply with a good extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and dukkah.

AND… Leftovers make delicious toast the next day or croutons for a salad.

Storage

Store your focaccia loaf in an airtight container in the pantry . While it is best eaten on the day that it is baked, you can definitely still eat it on days 2 & 3. If it’s more than a day old, I simply warm it in the oven for 5 minutes on 150 degrees Celsius or toast slices in the toaster.

Can I freeze it for another time?

Yes! Focaccia can be frozen for up to 6 weeks in the freezer with proper wrap. To prepare, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then pop into a zip lock bag

Love skillet cooking? Here are a few more of my skillet recipes you might like…

Easy Skillet Focaccia Bread with Sea Salt and Rosemary

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Author: Emma Lee
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf focaccia 1x
Category: Bread
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Italian

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

THE DOUGH

600g bread flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
15 grams sea salt flakes
10g dried instant yeast
500g lukewarm water

TOPPING

2 + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt flakes for sprinkling
15cm sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from the stalk.

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Instructions

Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on speed one until all the ingredients are combined.
Increase the speed to 2 and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed to incorporate all the ingredients.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover the dough with cling wrap – don’t cover just the bowl like a normal dough recipe. Instead, lightly cover the dough by letting the plastic wrap sit inside the bowl directly on top of the dough. This helps prevent a skin from forming on the dough. Leave in a warm spot for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Butter the sides and bottom of the skillet and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Transfer the dough to the greased skillet, and drizzle the entire surface of the dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes for the dough to rise a second time.
Using your fingers, dimple the dough all over by placing your fingertips into the dough making small wells for the oil to pool in.
Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and the rosemary leaves.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown with a crispy crust. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Notes

I have been very general about the resting time, as it really depends on the temperature, humidity, season, etc. My rule of thumb is to let it double in size. My kitchen temperature is quite steady at 22-25 degrees all year round. I find that my dough normally doubles in 60-90 minutes, however, this varies depending on the time of year.

This recipe was cooked in a 26cm cast iron skillet. I prefer quite a thick focaccia so it can be used for sandwiches, however, if you would like a thinner bread, the 30cm skillet may be a better option. Just remember, using a wider skillet may require adjusting the cooking time.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 335
Sugar: 0.2 g
Sodium: 1603.4 mg
Fat: 8.3 g
Carbohydrates: 54.9 g
Protein: 9.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg