This will become the best sandwich you’ve ever tasted. If I owned any food establishment, this rosemary focaccia sandwich would be the most popular menu item — it’s that memorable.
Note: you can make delicious focaccia from leftover dough — just skip to step #6 in the instructions.
I’ve even turned leftover hamburger-bun dough into focaccia. I seasoned it with oil, salt, and Parmesan, cut it into strips, and baked breadsticks. They were fantastic.
Don’t throw away leftover dough — the possibilities are endless.
Rosemary Focaccia
This is one of my favorite recipes — rich, aromatic, and perfect for sandwiches.
Course: Breads
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 16
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp dried rosemary
- 4-5 cups bread flour
Topping Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
- Stir together 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 4 teaspoons dried rosemary.
- Add bread flour one cup at a time, mixing and kneading until the dough pulls away from the bowl and feels slightly tacky but elastic.
- Knead for about 10 minutes by hand, or 5 minutes with a mixer, until smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45–60 minutes.
- Lightly spray a 12×17-inch baking sheet. Gently stretch or roll the dough to roughly the size of the sheet and transfer it without thinning the center too much. If the center is thinner than the edges, even it out with your hands.
- Cover and let the dough rise for another 20–30 minutes.
- Use your fingers to dimple the dough, brush with 1/4 cup olive oil, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt.
- Let it rise a final 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bake on the center rack for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool at least one hour. Slice the loaf in half horizontally and then halve each half lengthwise to create sandwich-sized pieces.
- Assemble sandwiches using good-quality mayo, Havarti cheese, oven-roasted turkey breast, crisp lettuce, and sliced tomatoes for a classic combination — or customize with your favorite fillings.