Fresh Baked Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Pesto Focaccia Bread (5 Easy Steps)

Fresh Baked Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Pesto Focaccia Bread (5 Easy Steps)

On a recent weekend errand run, I returned home hungry and eager to try the pesto focaccia bread I picked up from my local Costco. While the purchase was mostly inspired by my forgetting to eat breakfast earlier that morning, any buyer’s remorse quickly faded once I opened the packaging, and a waft of delicious pesto burst free from its plastic captivity.

One bite in and I was hooked. This bread is seriously good!

With dinner plans still up in the air, I knew I needed to find a way to incorporate the bread into a meal that could complement its flavor. Pasta with marinara seemed like the obvious choice. With my new focaccia-fueled energy, I was back out once more to gather the required ingredients.

When I got to the store, I suddenly had a thought—If I’m making pasta why shouldn’t I make my own fresh bread? For store-bought bread, the pesto focaccia was certainly good, but couldn’t I do better? I decided I needed to find out. Worst case scenario, I still had something to fall back on if it didn’t turn out.

A few hours and three dough iterations later, I finally had something I was convinced would come outright. To my delight, the fresh-baked pesto focaccia bread turned out amazing! With a little bit of tweaking to the recipe, I finally had something I could proudly say is a homemade version that is at least as good as the store-bought stuff, but even better that it's fresh!

This recipe is a great snack by itself, as a flavorful pizza crust, or alongside your favorite pasta dish!

Fresh Baked Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Pesto Focaccia Bread (5 Easy Steps)

Fresh Baked Roasted Garlic Olive Oil Pesto Focaccia Bread

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients
  

Dough

Pesto

Instructions
 

  • With a dough hook attachment in place, add flour, yeast, salt, and sugar to a stand mixer bowl. Run the mixer on low and slowly add warm water (115F) and 3 Tbsp olive oil. Increase mixer speed until the dough begins to full away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan and transfer the dough, pressing into all corners. Allow rising for one-half hour in a warm location.
  • While the dough is rising, prep pesto in a food processor. Blend cheese, garlic cloves, and basil leaves. Slowly add 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil, transferring into a small bowl when done. Cover and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease the bottom of a wooden spoon handle and use poke holes throughout the dough. Drizzle any remaining olive oil before covering the entire surface with pesto sauce and top with rosemary.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.
Keyword Focaccia Bread, garlic mash potatoes, Olive Oil, Pesto

We want to know how your dish turned out! Post online to Facebook with the hashtag #theolivebarrecipes and tag us @TheOliveBarCampbellCA!

Visit our online shop or stop by our store in Downtown Campbell for a free tasting and experience our fine selection of Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars, Coconut Oil, and more!

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