Vegan Focaccia with Lemon and Rosemary

Homemade Vegan Focaccia with Lemon and Rosemary has a crispy outer edge and a soft and chewy interior. It’s an easy recipe for first time bread makers, that will become a favorite!

I am not an experienced bread maker but that’s something I want to change! My first attempt at making homemade bread were these easy No Yeast Flatbreads. After gaining some confidence and finding yeast during my last visit to the grocery store I decided to take the next step and try my hand at at a Vegan Focaccia.

This is an easy bread to prepare if you’re a novice like me. I made it on a weekend morning with my kids, and we all had great fun kneading the dough, and just as much fun polishing it off!

Focaccia is a a versatile bread. You can use it as sandwich bread, a crust for homemade pizza, use with your favorite dips, or serve with salad, and more. The options are truly endless.

We topped our bread with lemon, rosemary and a sprinkle of sea salt which brings fresh spring flavors to the table, but feel free to add your own favorite herbs, or toppings.

Once you make it once you’ll come back to this recipe again and again for it’s ease of preparation and versatility!

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Focaccia with Lemon and Rosemary…

It’s an easy bread for beginner bakers.

Use your favorite herbs to make this recipe suit your tastes.

It has a crunchy outer crust, and a soft and chewy center.

You only need 5 simple ingredients.

Uses white whole wheat flour for increased fiber.

Fresh herbs for distinct fresh flavors.

Use as a sandwich bread, flatbread, pizza crust, and more!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Dough:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ tbsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
• ¾ c + 2 tbsp lukewarm water
• ¼ cup olive oil

To Top:

• 1 medium lemon (thin skin or Meyer lemons are best)
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary

To keep this as close to whole food plant-based as possible I used a combination of white whole wheat flour and wheat flour. Using whole wheat flours increases the fiber and nutritional content of the bread.

If you don’t have white whole wheat flour sub for all purpose flour.

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Large bowl
• Stand Mixer (optional)
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet
• Mandoline (optional)

You don’t need a stand mixer for this recipe, however, if you’d prefer not to knead the bread by hand you can use a stand mixer with the hook attachment to do the work for you.

How to Make Vegan Focaccia with Lemon and Rosemary – Step by Step

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients for dough, stirring to distribute. Create a well in the flour mixture and add warm water (no more than 115° F) and oil.

Step 2: Stir vigorously until a sticky dough forms and all flour is incorporated.

Step 3: Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead by stretching and folding dough back on itself. Continue for about 5 minutes or 60 turns. Dough should become smoother and fully pull away from the surface, easily forming a ball. *Alternatively: Process dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 5-6 minutes.

Step 4: Oil a large bowl. Roll dough so that it is covered in oil. Cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature until 2 ½ to 3 times the size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on room temperature.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 6: Turn risen dough out onto parchment paper. Stretch with your fingers to approximately a 9” x 14” rectangle. Cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Step 7: Slice lemon into extremely thin rounds, less than 1/8^th inch. A mandoline is the best tool for this task, but a very sharp knife also works.

Step 8: Uncover the dough. Use your finger to push dimples into the dough about 2” apart.

Step 9: Top with thinly sliced lemon, sprinkle with rosemary and flaky salt.

Step 10: Bake for 12 minutes at 425° F. Reduce heat to 400° F and bake for a further 9-10 minutes until beginning to brown on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.

How to Serve and Keep

If you’re looking for a versatile bread to serve with your vegan meals, you’ve found it! Here are a few of my ideas for serving this bread…

• Veggie filled sandwiches
• Vegan pizza topped with your favorite veggies, and sprinkled with vegan parmesan
• Alongside a green salad
• With your favorite soups such as this Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup or Vegan Mushroom Soup
• Create a Vegan Antipasto Platter
• Dip in Hummus or this Creamy Cashew Ricotta

After slicing this bread store in an air tight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the bread for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

Top Tips for Making the Perfect Vegan Focaccia

When incorporating dry and wet ingredients a sticky dough will form. Be sure to flour the surface when you’re ready to knead. Add more flour as needed.

If you’re not a skilled bread baker you might want to use the hook attachment on your stand mixer to do the kneading work for you. If you use this method process for 5-6 minutes until dough forms a ball.

Make sure you give your dough enough time to rest. Leave it alone! Do not remove the damp towel or cling wrap until the time rest time is completed.

There will be two resting times. One after you form the dough into a ball, and later after you stretch the dough on a baking sheet to create a flatbread.

Use a thin skinned lemon and a mandoline to get thin even lemon slices.

It’s best to use fresh rosemary if you have it. If you don’t have fresh you can use dried rosemary but you will need to cut the measurements in half as dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh.

Check-Out these other irresistible vegan bread recipes!

No Yeast Vegan Flatbread

Vegan Gluten-Free Cornbread

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

Dairy Free Banana Bread

Apple Arugula Flatbread Pizza

If you’ve tried this Vegan Focaccia, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!