Red Grape, Rosemary and Goat's Cheese Focaccia

This extra pillowy and airy focaccia is studded with juicy red grapes, fresh rosemary and tangy goat's cheese adding a mosaic of colour, texture and flavour. It makes for a wonderful starter or side. You can make crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside focaccia in just 2 hours from scratch.

The secret to the BEST focaccia is all in the dough. Luckily, the recipe is easy and a great no-knead bread recipe for beginners. The sticky wet dough helps produce the characteristic air bubbles and the double rise allows the gluten to develop naturally.

I love focaccia in all its various flavoured glory like sundried tomato and olive focaccia but this Air Fryer focaccia pizza recipe is pretty high on the list!

This focaccia has some resemblance to Schiacciata All’Uva, Tuscan Grape Focaccia or "smashed bread with grapes". Traditional Schiacciata All’Uva is made of grapes and olive oil only but my non authentic version is flavoured with rosemary and goats cheese.

The sweet grapes and saltiness from the cheese is a true match made in heaven. Pair that with crispy rosemary.

Tips for perfect focaccia

Overnight long rise - although I've said that you can make this focaccia on the same day, leaving the dough overnight in the fridge allows for even more bubbles in the focaccia dough to develop.

High hydration dough - if it looks to you that the dough is wet, that is because it is meant to be. Wet dough with higher water content produces focaccia with plenty of air pockets.

Ingredients for grape and goat's cheese focaccia

Strong white bread flour - I have used bread flour which has a high protein content providing more elasticity and bite. However, all purpose flour works well too

Fast acting yeast - this can be mixed directly into the dough. It is also called Instant yeast

Sugar - I have used white granulated sugar which helps to "feed" the yeast. The amount of sugar added is small and will not sweeten the bread itself.

Olive oil - Use good quality olive oil or extra virgin olive oil for flavour. The olive oil makes the focaccia gorgeously crispy and golden on the outside as it almost fries the bread as it heats.

Red grapes - I have used seedless red grapes but you can also use black grapes

Rosemary - you will need fresh rosemary to top the focaccia and also for the dough. Either use dried rosemary or fresh rosemary in the dough

Goat's cheese - you can use either soft or hard goats cheese. I have used soft goats cheese. Use leftovers to make Whipped Goat Cheese Dip

Lukewarm water - the water should not be cold yet not scalding hot as this will destroy the yeast.

Optional - add crushed fennel seeds when preparing the dough. They have a warm aniseed flavour that is wonderful in this recipe. The seeds only need to be crushed lightly.

You can easily make this recipe vegan by omitting the goats cheese or using a vegan cheese alternative.

Pan for focaccia

Use a baking pan that has a depth of at least 1-2 inches to allow the focaccia to rise. You can use a round or rectangle tin.

How to make grape focaccia

It is so easy to make focaccia and requires a few simple steps.

Preparing focaccia dough

You can cut the focaccia into long strips for dipping or into squares.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, chopped rosemary, yeast, sugar and salt. Add warm water, mixing with a wooden spoon until it forms a wet dough. You can use a stand mixer at this point if you wish. The dough does not require much kneading time, so I would only knead for 1-2 minutes.

Pour olive oil generously into the bowl. Roll the dough fully in the oil and shape into a ball. Cover with clingfilm or a towel and leave in a warm place for 1–2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

If you live in a cold climate, you can alternatively use the Instant Pot to prove the dough - select yogurt or sous vide mode (at 30 degrees C) and place the dough in the inner pot with plenty of oil. Brush oil onto the sides of the inner to prevent sticking as the dough rises. Cover the inner pot with a glass lid, not the Instant Pot lid. This usually requires 30 minutes and the dough should have sufficiently risen.

Remove the clingfilm and knock out the air. At this point, you can mix some sliced grapes into the dough.

The second rise

Add more olive oil to a rectangular baking tray, making sure you also brush the sides of the tray. I used a 30x24cm baking tray. Stretch out the dough across the baking tray using your hands. The dough should be roughly an inch thick.

Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220C or 450F.

Assemble the grape and rosemary focaccia

Dimple the risen dough using your fingers. Press deeply but not so that you tear holes into the bottom of the dough. The dimples help with the airiness of the bread and allow for olive oil to pool into.

Press sliced grapes and rosemary sprigs into the surface of the dough, along with the sliced goats cheese then drizzle with the remaining oil and scatter with sea salt. Ensure you press the grapes in enough so that they do not simply roll off the dough as it rises.

Cover the baking tray with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5-8 minutes. This is to ensure the focaccia toppings do not burn. The focaccia should be golden brown and crispy on top.

Remove from the oven once cooked, allow to cool slightly before cutting into.

How to cut focaccia

I like to use a serrated knife to cut into focaccia because it the "teeth" in the knife prevent the bread from going flat as you cut into it.

Serving suggestion

The beauty of focaccia is that it is perfect as it is. Thanks to the olive oil, it is moist and doesn't require extra spread. The flavours and textures hold their own really well.

Focaccia bread can be served as an appetizer, main entrée or even sides to pair with a course.

Why not serve this sweet grape focaccia during breakfast or brunch with strong coffee. It is also handy to take out for picnics and day trips.

Dunk in delicious dipping sauce such as Italian bread dipping oil.

Focaccia can be enjoyed with hummus or cut into tiny cubes and use as salad toppings for a white bean panzanella salad

As this particular recipe is sweet and savoury, it'll go well with mild, creamy vegetable soups such as Broccoli and Pear.

Storage

Focaccia keeps well for 2-3 days if kept in the fridge in an airtight container. The moisture content of the grapes means they can spoil so keeping in the fridge is best. Reheat before eating in the oven to bring out the flavour again.

I do not recommend freezing this particular recipes as the grapes will loose their texture upon defrosting.

If you have leftovers, you could toast the bread and turn into croutons.

Other Bread Recipes

Sundried tomato Buckwheat Soda Bread

Easy Tiger Rolls

Stuffed Wholewheat Buns with chickpeas and spinach

Eggless Saffron Buns

Tandoori Paneer Galette

Do Pyaza Mushroom Focaccia

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Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in October 2013.