Italian Focaccia Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

A bread machine focaccia that delivers Italian bakery flavor with almost no hands-on time. Garlic oil and olive oil pair up to load fat into the dough, giving the loaf its signature richness, while a third cup of cornmeal adds a slight gritty bite that distinguishes this from soft white sandwich bread.

The sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan stay out until the mix-in beep so they don’t get pulverized into the base dough during the early kneading. Stirred in late, they keep their shape and flavor pop, leaving distinct savory pockets throughout the crumb.

Using the basic or white-bread cycle works because the dough is a relatively standard yeasted bread despite the focaccia name. Don’t expect the dimpled, pan-spread shape of traditional Italian focaccia. This version delivers the flavor profile in a tall machine loaf format.

Pro Tips

• Add ingredients in the order your machine specifies. Most bread machines want liquids first, then dry, then yeast on top. Reversed order can stop the yeast from activating properly.
• Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained well, not the dry-pack kind. Dry tomatoes pull moisture from the dough and leave them leathery in the bake.
• Listen for the mix-in beep. Add the tomatoes and cheese with about 5 minutes of kneading left as the directions specify.
• Brush the warm loaf with extra olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky salt as it cools for a more authentic focaccia finish.
• Best eaten same day. Slice and freeze leftovers for toast.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary at the mix-in beep for classic focaccia herbs.
• Stir in pitted Kalamata olives along with the tomatoes for a Greek-leaning loaf.
• Use a pizza dough cycle and shape by hand on a sheet pan for traditional dimpled focaccia.