Thick Focaccia Bread with Garlic and Cheese Dipping Oil
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So April 1st has come and gone. I realize it was two days ago but we haven’t had a chance to discuss it. Did you participate in any April Fool’s Day pranks… receiving or giving end of things? I totally pranked the Mr twice. First, he walked into a sheet of plastic wrap attached to the bathroom doorway. It wasn’t nearly as funny as I’d hoped but I was still amused. The second however was perfect. I pulled the old rubber band on the sink sprayer bit. Yup, got him good. He even asked if I needed to take a picture to document it. He knows me so well. I get quite possibly the biggest kick out of scaring him or pranking him. It’s the simple things seriously. I’ll hide around a corner and jump out at him. One of these days I’m sure to get it. Until then… it’s so on!
Even bigger and maybe better than scaring the Mr… Baseball season is here!! And better yet, the Red Sox already kicked some Yankee butt. I know we’re only a game into the season but that’s still awesome. You should see the Red Sox/Yankee rivaly photos already being posted to Facebook this week. Entertaining for sure.
So you know I am totally and completely head over heels obsessed with bread. Love it. I won’t give it up for the world. Seriously, there was a conversation going on recently about giving up bread while dieting and trying to get in shape and I thought that just sounded like absolute torture. I cannot and will not live without my precious carbs. Not happening.
I’ve made focaccia once and it was amazing. But I really wanted a super thick version. I actually wrote up this recipe last year sometime. I’m shocked it took me this long to make it after writing it up. Just sitting there waiting to be made. The best parts about this bread, not only is it delicious and soft but it’s so easy to make! This requires absolutely no kneading and truly doesn’t require much hands on time.
The star of this dish is 100% the dipping oil. It’s a very simple combination of oil, cheese, garlic and spice. It’s out of this world delicious and you absolutely must make it. Dip, scoop and slather it on the bread before each bite. Double dipping is completely necessary here.
Thick Focaccia Bread with Garlic and Cheese Dipping Oil
Ingredients
Bread ingredients:
- 2 C warm water 115-120°F
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 1/2 C all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/3 - 1/2 C olive oil divided
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 C Parmesan cheese finely grated
Dipping oil ingredients:
- 1/4 C olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese finely grated
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Set aside to proof for 5-10 minutes. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour and salt. When yeast has activated, turn mixer on low and begin slowly adding liquid to the bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, mix until dough pulls away from the sides of your bowl.
- Transfer dough to prepared baking pan. Stretch and shape dough to fit pan. Cover and allow to rise in a warm location for 30 minutes.
- Lightly grease the handle end of a wooden spoon. Poke holes throughout dough. Drizzle with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano, onion and garlic powder. Allow to rise for 15 additional minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 30 minutes, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until center of bread reaches 190-200°F and crust is golden.
- Cool before slicing.
- Prepare dipping oil by whisking together ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with thick slices of focaccia bread.
Notes
The focaccia looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g! But what’s really making me swoon is that garlic and cheese dipping oil! I’m all over this.
Oh this this looks amazing!! And geez that garlic and cheese dipping oil sounds insane!
Yum! This looks amazing. Loved reading about your April Fools pranks. Maybe I can fool somebody next year.
It’s really a year round thing for me because it’s so much fun but the special pranks come out on April fool’s day :)
Love the dip. Love the bread! Love that you enjoy pulling pranks on your husband whenever you can. Plastic wrap over the bathroom doorway!!!
Rachel, we are carb-a-licious kindred spirits. Living without bread just isn’t…living ;-)
Loved your pranks! I’m totally going to try that on my Mr. And give yourself some credit–that saran on the door sounds hysterical!
Isn’t that the truth! Bread is essential to happiness ;)
This bread is amazing! Pinned!
Yay baseball season!
Focaccia is my favorite favorite favorite bread ever! This looks yummy!
Wow! We love focaccia bread. Pinned and totally making this week :)
Oh WOW. This is totally the way to my heart! The bread sounds perfect, and the dipping oil just sends it over the top. I’m on a juice cleanse right now and this is kinda killing me! In a good way though :)
Beautiful pictures! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
This focaccia looks amazing.. Would be a perfect vessel to soak up a good quality olive oil or a nicely aged balsamic!
Your focaccia looks so good, Rachel! I love that you included a dipping oil recipe with it, too!
Oh Rachel this looks great with the dipping sauce! I need this today!
Oooh right there with you about the carbs!! I couldn’t live without bread, I’m sure it would kill me! When I have soup, I have about a quarter of a loaf of bread with it haha!! No slice of bread I cut ever fits in the toaster :) Love how thick this is, definitely going to be making it real soon with the dipping sauce!
Haha we used to do the rubber band on the sprayer all the time in our house!! We dont have one now so I cant carry the tradition on lol. But I do try to scare my hubs all the time. I rarely succeed but when I do its awesome! :D And I completely agree with you about giving up bread. Never ever will I do it, especially this bread (and pizza…) ;)
this bread is so pretty, Rachel! I love it!
That dipping oil would be the death of me – I’d probably just want to pour it over my piece of focaccia! Sounds amazing :) I probably won’t really get excited about the Red Sox until the Bruins’ season is over, but the game the other day was pretty exciting!
Focaccia! I LOVE focaccia. Easily my favorite type of bread. When I saw this I was excited to read about it….
Then I got to the part with the Yankee hate.
And not just Yankee hate… Boston fan Yankee hate…. That’s the worst type..
I really had no desire to read beyond that point, but it’s focaccia. So you’re lucky.
Great recipe. And sounds simple. I always make a yeastless focaccia (that I posted about on my blog) because it’s easy and quick and fills the void. But I’d love to make a real one regularly. I’ll try this one out.
Despite your allegiance…
This made me laugh so hard. I’m glad you continued reading despite our disagreement on which team is best ;)
I’m with you – I love bread too much to give it up, and this looks amazing. So thick and fluffy, and that dipping oil?! Yum! Pinned :)
Oh man, this looks amazing! Love your pictures!
Focaccia is on my to-make list and love that yours turned out so thick! And no-kneading. Love it. Pinning!
Oh baseball season…Jason is a die hard Phillies fan. yes, go ahead and hate me now and say you can’t room with me. cause it’s your loss ;) but yeah, i’m kind of excited baseball is back on too! i’m obsessed with this garlic cheese dip. i swear i could drink it..or sandwich it between that focaccia and eat it all up!!
Nah… now if you said you were a Yankees or Rays fan we might have issues ;)
Any diet that includes nixing bread is NOT the diet for me. Not gonna happen. I have go to try focaccia bread! This looks like a carby pillow.
Fresh bread and olive oil will be the death of me. I love every single thing about this!
lol you are too funny. I don’t do any April Fool’s Day pranks/jokes. I hate them. But what I do love is this Focaccia Bread! Mmmmm I can just imagine how it smelled while baking in your home as I type.
This is one delicious looking focaccia! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so thick… LOVE IT!
Oh goodness, this has my name written all over it! This looks amazing, I need it now :)
I love that you paired this with cheese dipping sauce
what I wouldn’t do to have a fat slice of this with my lunch salad. my salad is so boring! i loooooooooove focaccia. :)
Oh yum, your focaccia looks so delicious!
The bread looks perfect and I’m totally drooling over the dipping oil…great idea!
I would eat this whole thing and not feel bad about it. looks incredible.
{don’t you ever dare scare me. I have mirrors up at my desk so people can’t come up behind me. I’ll have a heart attack & pee my pants.}
This bread looks amazing!! Love the dipping sauce with it to, so good!
This looks so incredible! What I’d give for a thick slice right this minute!
Bread and dipping oil look great. How much garlic powder? 1 1/2 tsp, I assume? Also, the olive oil added to make the dough in the mixture, I guess it is 1/4 cup? Can’t wait to try. Thanks.
Yes, 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 cup olive oil. Sorry for the typos! :)
I tried my hand at homemade vegan cheese and I’m waiting til the morning to see how it turns out, I’ve been trying new things specially healthier things. Might substitute the sugar in this for swerve or something like that because I want to make it for my family get together on the 11th and two of my aunts are diabetic as well as my grandmother and my other aunt is prediabetic but has drastically changed her diet thank goodness. Do you think a sugar substitute would make it taste as good and turn out as well as this recipe? And how long does it stay soft and fresh? I want to try it to see how it’ll turn out but I don’t want to make this and the other 5-6 desserts I’m making for the get together all at the same time lol.
Bread is always best the fresher it is. So I’d recommend making it closer to when you plan on getting together, if possible. The day before shouldn’t be an issue though. As far as the sugar substitute goes, you’d have to give it a try and see how it does. It’s not a huge amount so it may be just fine. Good luck!