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Italian Vegetarian Intermediate

Burnt Honey & Rosemary Focaccia

Our most-cooked recipe three weeks running. The honey is taken deliberately past golden — that faint bitterness is the whole point against salt and rosemary.

4.9 (1,840 reviews) · 150 min total · Serves 12
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Dimpled focaccia glazed with burnt honey and scattered with rosemary sprigs and flaky salt

Recipe facts

Servings

12

12 servings

Scale quantities from 1 to 24 servings

Prep

30 min

Cook

120 min

Total

150 min

Difficulty
Intermediate
Cuisine
Italian
Dietary
Vegetarian
Category
Baking

Overview

About this recipe

Burnt Honey & Rosemary Focaccia is a intermediate baking recipe from our Italian files, built from 8 ingredients and 7 steps and timed at 150 minutes from board to table. Our most-cooked recipe three weeks running. The honey is taken deliberately past golden — that faint bitterness is the whole point against salt and rosemary.

As written it yields 12 servings, and the ingredient list rescales with the servings control below so the shopping quantities always match what you are actually cooking. It is logged as vegetarian in our catalog, with 30 minutes of hands-on prep and 120 minutes of cooking — useful to know if you are slotting it into a busy evening.

Worth cooking

Why you'll love it

  • Mostly unattended

    120 minutes of cooking that needs little from you after the first 30.

  • Intermediate to follow

    7 numbered steps and 8 ingredients, nothing hidden.

  • Vegetarian as written

    And the substitutions section covers the common swaps if you need to shift it further.

  • Scales cleanly

    Written for 12, adjustable from 1 to 24 servings with quantities recalculated for you.

  • Tested and re-tested

    Rated 4.9 across 1,840 cooks in our recipe box.

  • Italian flavours

    Filed under baking — see the variations below for other directions.

From the recipe box

Burnt Honey & Rosemary Focaccia

Yield
12 servings
Prep
30 min
Cook
120 min
Total
150 min

Shopping list

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered · scaled for 12 servings

Nutrition total for 12 servings

Calories
3576
Protein
84 g
Carbohydrates
504 g
Fat
132 g
Fibre
24 g

Catalog values are per serving estimates, multiplied here for the selected servings.

Step by step

Method

  1. Mix the flour, water, salt and yeast into a shaggy, very wet dough and cover the bowl.

  2. Fold the dough over on itself four times at 30-minute intervals, then let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours total.

  3. Oil a 9x13-inch pan with 3 tablespoons of oil, tip in the dough, and let it relax for 45 minutes.

  4. Heat the honey in a small pan over medium heat until it darkens to the colour of maple syrup and smells faintly bitter, about 4 minutes. Take it off the heat at once.

  5. Dimple the dough all over with oiled fingers, drizzle with the remaining oil and half the burnt honey, then scatter with rosemary and flaky salt.

  6. Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 25 minutes, until the top is blistered and the edges are crisp.

  7. Brush with the rest of the burnt honey while hot and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting.

Cook's note

Burnt honey turns from perfect to acrid in about fifteen seconds. Have the pan off the heat and the dough dimpled before you start.

Swaps that work

Ingredient substitutions

4 swaps matched to this ingredient list, with quantities shown for 12 servings. The ratios stay the same at any scale.

  • Flour & grains 1:1 by weight

    Instead of 500 g bread flour

    Measure-for-measure gluten-free blend containing xanthan gum

    Gluten-free. Hydration is slower, so rest the batter or dough 20 minutes longer and expect a slightly more tender crumb.

  • Oils 1:1

    Instead of 6 tbsp olive oil, divided

    Avocado or light rapeseed oil

    Higher smoke point for hard searing and roasting, but you lose the peppery finish — save a little olive oil to drizzle at the end.

  • Sweeteners 1:1

    Instead of 4 tbsp honey

    Maple syrup or agave nectar

    Vegan. Both caramelise faster than honey, so watch the pan closely and pull it off the heat early.

  • Herbs Dried at one third the volume

    Instead of 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

    Other woody herbs, or 1 tsp dried per tablespoon fresh

    Dried woody herbs hold up in long cooking but will not crisp, so add them earlier for flavour.

Options

Make it your own

  • Add some heat

    A pinch of chilli flakes bloomed in the cooking fat, or a spoonful of chilli crisp at the table, lifts the dish without rewriting it.

  • Make it more substantial

    Fold in a cooked grain or a tin of drained beans; add a little extra salt and acid, since the starch will absorb both.

  • Gluten-free version

    A measure-for-measure blend or gluten-free pasta works; watch the timing, which usually runs a few minutes shorter.

  • Change the spice

    Cardamom, ginger and citrus zest are interchangeable here in equal measure. Add zest late so the oils stay fragrant.

  • Scale it for a crowd

    Doubling from 12 works, but use two pans rather than one — crowding steams what should brown.

At the table

Serving suggestions

  • Serve slightly warm rather than hot — the flavours read fuller once the heat comes off.
  • Good coffee or a strong black tea cuts the sweetness better than anything else on the table.
  • A spoonful of lightly whipped cream or thick yogurt on the side, unsweetened.
  • Fresh fruit alongside for contrast: citrus segments, berries, or sliced pears.

Get it right

Success tips

  1. Read the method through once before you start and set out the ingredients — most mistakes happen mid-step.
  2. Weigh or measure to the list at your chosen serving size; the quantities above are already scaled for 12 as written.
  3. Heat the oven fully before anything goes in, and give food space on the pan — crowded trays steam instead of browning.
  4. Let the pan get properly hot and then leave the food alone; the colour you want only forms on undisturbed contact.
  5. Stop mixing as soon as the batter comes together — over-worked flour is the usual cause of a tough crumb.
  6. Taste and adjust salt and acid at the end. A squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar fixes more dishes than extra salt does.

Keeping it

Storage & make-ahead

Room temperature

Keep it loosely covered at cool room temperature for up to 2 days — an airtight box traps steam and softens any crisp edge. Refrigerate beyond that, or if the kitchen is warm or the recipe contains dairy that is not baked through.

Fridge

Wrapped well, 4 to 5 days. Cold flattens flavour and firms fat, so bring slices back to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Freezer

Freeze whole or in portions, wrapped tightly in parchment and then a freezer bag, for up to 2 months. Add any glaze, cream or dusting after thawing rather than before.

Reheating

10 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven revives the crust; 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave is faster but softer. Finish with any glaze or dusting once it is warm.

Make ahead

With 30 minutes of prep, most of the chopping, mixing and measuring can be done a day early and refrigerated. Leave the final 120 minutes of cooking, and any finishing herbs, acid or dairy, for the day you serve.

Kit

Equipment checklist

  • Oven, fully preheated
  • Loaf or rectangular baking pan
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Digital scale, mixing bowls, sharp knife and board
  • Large mixing bowl and a smaller one for dressings or seasonings
  • Wooden spoon or silicone spatula for stirring and scraping
  • Measuring cups and spoons, plus a ladle for serving

Questions

Frequently asked

Can I change the number of servings?

Yes. The recipe is written for 12 servings and the control in the recipe card rescales every ingredient quantity and the nutrition estimate from 1 to 24 servings. Cooking times change far less than quantities do, so use the visual and temperature cues in the method rather than the clock.

How far ahead can I make it?

Most of the 30 minutes of prep can be done a day ahead and refrigerated. Leave the 120 minutes of cooking and any fresh finishing — herbs, acid, dairy, crisp toppings — for serving day. The storage section above has the specifics.

What if I am missing an ingredient?

Check the substitutions section: each swap lists a workable ratio and what it changes about flavour, texture or timing. Salt, acid and fat are the elements worth keeping honest; almost everything else has a sensible stand-in.

Is this recipe really vegetarian?

As written, yes — it is filed as vegetarian in our catalog. If you swap ingredients, check labels on stock, cheese and condiments, which are the usual places animal products hide.

How do I know when it is done?

Go by the cues in the method — colour, a skewer that comes out with a crumb or two, edges that have pulled away — and start checking a few minutes early. Ovens vary more than recipes do.