Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread

If you love garlic bread, get ready… this Easy Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread is about to become your new carb obsession. It’s shockingly simple to make, yet the flavor is next-level: fluffy, airy dough soaked in savory olive oil, topped with golden garlic, salty Parmesan, and all those crispy-edged focaccia bubbles we dream about.

It’s basically everything you adore about garlic bread, but baked into a gorgeous, bakery-style focaccia loaf. And honestly, has any food group ever delivered joy quite like carbs? I think not!

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What is Focaccia Bread?

Focaccia bread is a flat oven-baked yeast bread that originated in Italy and is pronounced “fuh-KA-cha.” It is traditionally topped with fresh herbs, such as rosemary, and coarse salt, but it is a very versatile bread that can be altered to your liking. I’ve even seen it with raisins in it and topped with sugar or honey to make a sweet dessert bread. Yum!

Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread is easy to make, loaded with flavor, and to be 100% honest with you, would make THE BEST sandwich! Hello lunch tomorrow!

Ingredients Needed to Make Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread

Here is your grocery list if you want to make this fabulous bread! Actually, you probably have many of these already on hand, so your grocery list will be short:

• Flour (Bread or All-Purpose): forms the base of the dough and gives the focaccia its structure
• Kosher Salt: seasons the dough and enhances overall flavor
• Water: hydrates the flour and activates the yeast
• Instant Yeast: helps the dough rise and creates that light, airy texture
• Olive Oil: adds richness, moisture, and helps create those signature crispy edges
• Garlic: infuses the bread with bold, savory flavor
• Parmesan Cheese: melts on top for a salty, nutty finish
• Italian Seasoning: adds a warm, herby boost to the topping
• Maldon Flaked Sea Salt: sprinkled on top for crunch and the perfect salty bite

How to Make Garlic Parmesan Bread

This easy recipe tastes straight out of your favorite Italian restaurant! It follows the same simple steps as a classic yeast dough, but it’s way more forgiving! Let’s walk through the steps!

1. Bake: lower oven to 425°F and bake for 22–24 minutes
2. Combine: whisk the flour and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
3. Bloom: mix warm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar; let it get foamy.
4. Mix: stir the yeast mixture into the flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
5. Chill: cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours.
6. Prep: drizzle an 8-inch round cake pan with olive oil.
7. Shape: place the dough in the center, tuck edges underneath, and cover again.
8. Rise: let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
9. Preheat: heat the oven to 450°F.
10. Dimple: drizzle with olive oil and press deep dimples into the dough without poking through.
11. Top: mix the garlic, Parmesan, and herbs, then sprinkle over top of the bread dough.

Yeast Pro-Tip

Activated yeast should bubble and foam up within a few minutes if it’s fresh and working properly! This little reaction is your sign that the yeast is alive, active, and ready to help your dough rise the way it should.

Storage & Freezing Tips

You can absolutely freeze garlic parmesan focaccia! Once it’s baked and cooled, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap and slide it into a zip-top bag or seal it with a FoodSaver. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, just thaw it on the counter until it reaches room temperature. You can even warm it in the oven again (highly recommend… warm focaccia is elite).

If you’re keeping it on the counter instead, focaccia will stay fresh for 2–4 days when wrapped in plastic wrap. Realistically though… it probably won’t last that long. My kids inhale it the second it hits the table!

Why Dimple Focaccia Dough?

A signature of focaccia bread is the dimpling on the top, but is there a purpose or is it purely cosmetic? There are differing opinions out there, but the reason that makes the most sense to me is that it increases the surface area and creates little pockets for the olive oil to collect in. This enhances the flavor and crust of the bread.

This focaccia loaf one you’ll brag about on Instagram or bring to a potluck dinner. Serve next to a cozy bowl of pasta, with some chicken parmesan, or a beef roast, and keep making on repeat because it never disappoints.

Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread would make THE BEST bread for a Caprese sandwich or to dip large warm chunks into chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, or chicken wild rice soup!

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4.35 from 29 votes

Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread

By Carrian Cheney

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook22 minutes mins

Total10 hours hrs 32 minutes mins

Servings10

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If you love garlic bread, get ready… this Easy Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread is about to become your new carb obsession. It’s shockingly simple to make, yet the flavor is next-level!

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Ingredients 

• 2 Cups Flour, Bread, or all purpose
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Cup Water, warm
• 1 ⅛ teaspoon Yeast, instant
• ½ teaspoon Granulated Sugar
• Olive Oil
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• ⅔ Cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh, grated
• 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, dry
• Maldon Flaked Sea Salt

Instructions 

• In a glass bowl, add the flour and salt. Mix to combine.
  2 Cups Flour, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• In a glass measuring cup, mix the warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow to sit for a minute (see note) and stir into the flour with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together.
  1 Cup Water, 1 ⅛ teaspoon Yeast, ½ teaspoon Granulated Sugar
• Cover the bowl with tight plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 8 hours or up to overnight.
• Remove the bowl from the fridge.
• In an 8-inch round cake pan, drizzle oil and place the dough in the center, tucking ends under.
  Olive Oil
• Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 450ºF.
• Once risen the dough should fill the pan. Drizzle with additional oil and use your fingers to press holes down to the bottom of the pan but not through the dough.
• Mix garlic, cheese and herbs in a bowl
  3 Cloves Garlic, ⅔ Cup Parmesan Cheese, 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Sprinkle with garlic, cheese and herb mixture and salt.
  Maldon Flaked Sea Salt
• Place in the oven and turn down to 425ºF and bake 22-24 minutes or until golden.

Recipe Notes

• Activated yeast should bubble and foam up within a few minutes if your yeast is good.

This bread will keep at room temperature for 4-5 days.