I love making focaccia. I love the process of it all. Blooming the yeast, using my hands, and everything in between. I have a classic parmesan rosemary focaccia bread but thought little focaccia muffins would be fun to make. And? Once I made them, my nephews were obsessed! They demolished the whole batch when I served them as a side to spaghetti.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- A fun spin on a classic focaccia recipe.
- It’s a great recipe for serving a group, everyone just grabs a muffin.
- These little muffins are delicious and flavorful.
- You can do any fun flavor add-ins.
Ingredients You Need
- Warm water: I want water that is just barely warm in this recipe– like bath water! If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Sugar: granulated sugar helps feed the yeast to ensure our bread rises well. You can also use honey or brown sugar if you prefer.
- Yeast: active dry yeast helps the bread rise! If you’re using instant yeast, there’s no need to activate it.
- Olive oil: olive oil adds richness to the dough and helps it crisp and brown in the oven
- Flour: flour is the base of our focaccia! All-purpose flour works great in this recipe, but bread flour is even better. If you have it on hand, I highly recommend it.
- Parmesan: I am using parmesan cheese because it’s rich and nutty and holds up well in the oven.
- Fresh rosemary: I love rosemary in my focaccia bread but fresh thyme or parsley is also delicious.
- Garlic: garlic is a classic addition in focaccia. Roasted or black garlic are especially delicious if you have them.
How to Make Focaccia Muffins
Let the yeast bloom: The first thing to do is let the yeast bloom. This step is so important because it gives it the lift and volume that makes focaccia wonderful. Add the water, sugar, and yeast to a bowl and whisk them together. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast has bloomed (bubbled).
Prepare the dough: Once the yeast has risen, stir together the flour, parmesan cheese, rosemary, garlic, and salt. Turn the dough out on a clean surface until it is smooth and elastic – usually takes about 5 minutes.
Let the dough rise: The dough will rise twice. First, after turning out the dough, add it to an oiled bowl and leave it in a warm place to rise. It will double in size.
Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 12 balls and add each ball to an oiled muffin tin. Cover the pan and let the dough rise once more in a warm place for about an hour. The dough should rise to the top of the muffin pan.
Bake the muffins: Once the dough has risen, use your fingers to dimple the dough to create wells all over the focaccia. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the muffins. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown
Serving Suggestions
These focaccia muffins are a versatile savory muffin. They could be served as an appetizer with marinara sauce. They could also be served as a delicious side dish with any salad or pasta dish.
Try it!
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Focaccia Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 packet of active yeast, 2.25 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the water, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast has bloomed.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, rosemary, garlic, and salt.
- Once the yeast has bloomed, whisk in ¼ cup of olive oil. Then, add the flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic– about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and place it in a warm place to rise for two hours, or until it has doubled in size. Make sure to save the remaining olive oil and parmesan for later!
- Once the dough has risen, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil to a muffin tin, about 1 teaspoon in each well. Divide the dough evenly into 12. Place each dough ball in an oiled well and spin to coat evenly.
- Cover the pan and set it in a warm spot to rise again until it reaches the top of the pan– about 1 hour.
- Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Use your fingers to dimple the dough and create wells all over the focaccia. Then, sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of flake salt.
Tips & Notes
- When dividing the dough during step 6, try to get each dough ball close in size. It will be okay if they aren’t exactly the same size.
- We used rosemary in this recipe; you can also substitute it with your favorite herbs.
- No fresh herbs? No problem. Substitute ½ teaspoon of dried herbs for the tablespoon of fresh in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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