Garden Focaccia Bread

Turn fresh bread into edible art with this beautiful Focaccia Garden Bread that's as fun to make as it is to eat. With crisp, golden crust, a light and airy interior, and colorful vegetables arranged into a garden inspired design, it's the perfect centerpiece for gatherings, brunches, or cozy baking days. 

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Garden Focaccia Bread

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Freshly baked focaccia is always a crowd-pleaser, but this Focaccia Garden Bread transforms a simple loaf into a stunning work of art. Soft, airy dough is stretched, folded, and generously drizzled with olive oil before decorated with vibrant vegetables and fragrant herbs to create a colorful garden scene that's almost too pretty to slice. Every loaf is completely unique, making it a fun recipe to get creative with using whatever fresh produce you have on hand. This homemade focaccia is guaranteed to impress both visually and with every delicious bite. 

 

Ingredients

  • 500g (4 cups) bread flour (or all-purpose) 
  • 7g (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast (1 packet) 
  • 10g (2 tsp) fine salt 
  • 375ml (1 ½ cups) warm water 
  • 6 tbsp good olive oil, divided 
  • For toppings: cherry tomatoes, olives, rosemary, sliced peppers, chives, thin lemon rounds — whatever you like! 

 

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, yeast, salt, water, and 2 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest 15 minutes. 
  2. Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, 15 minutes apart: wet your hand, grab the edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over. Rotate and repeat 4 times per set. 
  3. After the final fold, drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil into a 9x13” baking pan. Place the dough in the pan and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. 
  4. Let it rise until puffy and nearly doubled, about 1-2 hours at room temperature. 
  5. Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the lower third. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil over the dough. Using all your fingers, dimple the dough enthusiastically all over the surface. 
  6. Now the fun part: arrange your vegetables and herbs into a garden scene. Tomatoes for flowers, rosemary for stems, chive blades for grass. No rules! 
  7. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake 22-28 minutes until deeply golden on the bottom and edges. Check the bottom by lifting with a spatula. 
  8. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Best the day it’s baked. 

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