This easy lemon herb focaccia is soft, fluffy and full of bright citrus flavor thanks to a topping of thinly sliced lemon wheels. Fresh thyme, rosemary and flaky sea salt dial up the deliciousness even more.

This post is sponsored by Darling Citrus. All opinions are my own.

Today we’re talking focaccia! And not just any focaccia, this super sunny Lemon Herb Focaccia- just looking at it puts me in a cheerful mood! I partnered with Darling Citrus for this focaccia recipe and used their lemons to add bright citrus flavor to the top. I absolutely love the novelty of consuming the whole lemon slices, peels and all, that are baked right into the dough. It infuses the golden crust with the most heavenly scent and citrus flavor, and it’s the perfect thing to pair with the rosemary, thyme and flaky sea salt!

Darling Citrus’ lemons come from the best citrus groves around the world. Squeeze, slice or zest them to add sweet and tangy flavor to your next meal no matter the time, place or occasion! In addition to being a good source of vitamin C, they add bright, sunny flavor to the crust and make an eye catching topping for this homemade Lemon Herb Focaccia.

Why you’ll love this Lemon Herb Focaccia

Thankfully, focaccia is a fairly easy type of bread to tackle. If you are a bread beginner, focaccia is a great recipe to start with because it only requires two short rises and doesn’t require a starter like sourdough. It’s also easy to shape and let’s face it- poking your fingers into the dough to create those dimples is just plain fun!

Focaccia is known for it’s soft and fluffy interior and a crispy golden on top (thanks to a generous amount of olive oil drizzled on top) and a variety of fresh toppings such as herbs and vegetables.

The toppings we’re focusing on for this Lemon Herb Focaccia are fresh rosemary and thyme as well as those beautiful thinly sliced wheels of lemons- even if you’re not into eating the whole lemon slice with the peel, you can remove it and it still adds lots of bright, citrus flavor to the focaccia crust.

In addition to the fresh herbs and lemon, flaky sea salt and olive oil add even more irresistible yumminess! Trust me, you will have a hard time putting this bread down.

All you need to make this Lemon Herb Focaccia are these eight ingredients:

• sugar
• active dry yeast
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• bread flour or all purpose flour
• fresh thyme
• fresh rosemary
• lemon

Tips and Tricks

• This recipe calls for bread flour, but all-purpose flour absolutely works too. I prefer bread flour since it has a higher protein content and results in a chewier texture.
• Baking this lemon herb focaccia in a 9×13 inch baking dish results in a thicker, fluffier bread. If you desire a thinner focaccia, you can spread the dough onto a 12×17 inch baking sheet before baking.
• Make sure to remove any seeds from the lemon slices before nestling them into the dough!
• To store leftover focaccia, cover tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days. It will also keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
• To reheat, bake in a 300°F oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Other focaccia topping ideas

The beautiful thing about focaccia is that the more toppings you have, the merrier! In addition to these toppings, you could also try adding cherry tomatoes, artichokes, onions, or olives! They would all go great with the lemon and herb flavors already going on in this focaccia.

More bread recipes

Grilled Mediterranean Flatbread
Browned Butter Garlic Knots
Sun Dried Tomato & Thyme Focaccia
Grilled Naan Flatbread

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5 from 2 votes

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Lemon Herb Focaccia

This easy lemon herb focaccia is soft, fluffy and full of bright citrus flavor thanks to a topping of thinly sliced lemon wheels.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Keyword appetizers for sharing, baked, bread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Resting 3 hours

Servings 12

Calories 230 kcal

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water between 100-110°F
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour spoon & leveled

For the toppings:

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
• 1-2 lemons very thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Whisk half of the water, sugar, and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Cover and allow to rest for about 5 minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.
2. Add the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat on low speed until mixed, then add 2 and 1/2 cups (325g) more flour. Beat on low speed for about 2 minutes. If the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the last 1/2 cup (60g) of flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. If the dough is still too sticky, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough does not stick to your fingers when kneading and the dough bounces back slowly when poked.
3. Lightly grease a large bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
5. When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Place in the oiled baking pan, then stretch and flatten the dough to fit the pan. Cover the dough tightly and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit, covered, at room temperature, as the oven preheats.
7. Using your fingers, dimple the dough all over the surface. Drizzle on the olive oil topping and spread it evenly all over the top. Sprinkle with herbs and flaky sea salt. Top with lemon slices.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. If desired, broil on high for the last couple of minutes to really brown the top, but keep a close eye so that it does not burn.