With no kneading required and ready to eat in one hour, these quick and easy herb focaccia rolls are a great addition to any meal, or to enjoy with wine and cheese.
I love traditional focaccia, but when time is tight, I will often turn to these quick and easy focaccia rolls. Ready to eat in just about an hour, these focaccia rolls are a great side for any meal or for dipping with wine and cheese, this is a handy recipe to have on hand.
Now I'm not going to lie. Quick and easy does come at a very small cost to the flavour or the bread, but the texture is lovely and focaccia-like and the addition of lots of olive oil and lots of fresh herbs ensures a nice flavour hit nonetheless.
So if you're short on time (or energy :), give these easy focaccia rolls a try!
Ingredient Notes
Yeast - Note that this recipe calls for quick/rapid-rise instant yeast. If you can't or don't want to use rapid rise yeast, you can do these as two-rise rolls with standard dry active yeast. Simply do a first rise in the mixing bowl of about 30-45 minutes, before filling your muffin cups and doing a second rise. Obviously, this will double the time for the recipe though.
Herbs - Fresh herbs are always nice, but if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute dried herbs as specified in the recipe card.
Cook's Notes
Feeling garlic? Add a bit of garlic powder to your oil/herb mixture. I don't recommend fresh minced garlic, as it will burn and introduce a bitter flavour. You could add fresh garlic to the dough however, if you like.
As noted in the recipe notes, you can make this as a more standard focaccia by spooning the dough into a greased 8x8-inch baking pan instead. Increase the baking time by about 5 minutes for the larger shape.
If you are using a 12-cup muffin tin, fill the 3 empty muffin cups 1/2 full with water before putting in the oven, to ensure even baking.
Recipe
Quick and Easy Herb Focaccia Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp quick-rise instant yeast, also know as rapid rise yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or less if using fine salt
- 3/4 cup warm water, about 120°F
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Topping:
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- Additional sprinkling of kosher salt, or fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 9 muffin cups with olive oil. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a spoon), stir together flour, yeast, thyme, rosemary, sugar and salt. Add water and olive oil. Beat 1 minute. Dough will be very batter-like.
- Divide dough among 9 greased muffin cups. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together remaining oil and herbs just until herbs are fragrant and oil is hot, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- When rolls have doubled, gently spoon cooled herb mixture over each roll. Sprinkle with a bit more salt. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!
Carolyn says
Can I use regular yeast instead of rapid rise?
Jennifer says
Hi Carolyn, you can, but you'd have to play it by ear a bit in terms of the rising time, as it will be slower out of the gate.
Anna says
Thank you so much for this recipe - it's great!
I don't have a food processor so I used a spoon and then when you stated to "beat" for 1 minute. I used the spoon as best as I could to beat, I then used a whisk and it was a bit messy and sticky. I was actually surprised the focaccia turned out but I believe they could be better and less of a messy experience. What tool do you use for beating?
Thanks!
Jennifer says
Hi Anna and so glad you enjoyed them, despite the extra work for you. I use my stand mixer to mix the dough. Thanks so much!
Anna says
I have a hand mixer so I will use that next time. It was worth the work and a nice learning experience. This was my first time making any kind of bread. It's like learning a new language but so much fun. Great recipe to break me into baking bread.
Aman says
hmmm how about adding cheese in center :)
will be trying on weekend to take away for beach !
Jennifer says
Oh do let me know how it works out!
Carolyne says
I used Bread Flour because that's all I had. I added about 3 more tablespoons of water to get the right doughy consistency. These are definitely a keeper and will be on the next dinner party menu. I love how the rise time is only 30 minutes so it can be made even for a mid-week meal. I may add some fresh garlic next time. Thank you!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Carolyne :) And you can never go wrong adding garlic. Thanks!
Murphy says
These were amazing!! I’ll definitely be making these rolls again! I used Italian seasoning since that’s what I had. I need to give these away before I eat them all!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Murphy :) Thanks so much!
Murphy says
Update: just wanted you to know that I made this recipe again but this time as bread and not as rolls. This recipe is so easy and delicious! For anyone reading these reviews-you can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Jennifer says
Nice! I haven't tried that, but I will now :) Thanks!
Alison says
These are awesome. They are so quick and easy. My family loves them.
Jennifer says
So glad you are all enjoying them, Alison :) Thanks so much!
Colder by the Lake says
Excellent and quick recipe. Turned out crispy and crunchy, I am in love.
Made some Beer Cheese dip to go with the marinara for dipping.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them! Love the sound of the beer cheese dip. Thanks so much :)
Yuriko says
This is very good and easy !! I was making for dinner with Italian meatball with Large shell pasta tonight.
I was using with 8x8 pan instead muffin pan.
Thank you for your recipe !
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
Mmmmmmm, love this easy rolls, and love the baking tip, I never knew that!
Jennifer says
Thanks Sue :) I remember my Mom doing that when I was young, though I didn't know why until I got much older.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Love the idea of making rolls instead of traditional focaccia. Thanks for the recipe.
Jennifer says
Thanks Karen :)
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
Focaccia rolls are the best and I love all the fresh herbs you added!
Jennifer says
Thanks Laura :)
Chris Scheuer says
I'm imagining the wonderful aroma as they beauties bake. They look fabulous and it's a double bonus that they're quick and easy!
Jennifer says
Thanks Chris!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
These look and sound fabulous Jennifer! I love the combo of rosemary and thyme! Happy weekend.
Jennifer says
Thanks Mary Ann :)
Shauna | Linden & Lavender says
These rolls sound delicious. Lovely for easy outdoor entertaining. Have a great long weekend!
Jennifer says
Thanks Shauna! You, too :)
Milena says
These are lovely rolls, Jennifer! With all the herbs they are just the thing I would pair with a simple tomato and onions salad. Yum!
Jennifer says
Thanks Milena and that sounds perfect! I keep a batch of these in the freezer. So handy :)
Rose says
These were a big hit with my boys! They are always great as my test subjects of new recipes. Thanks!
I am having a large dinner gathering and would like to make these rolls but would need to freeze them. Can you share how you freeze them and how you warm them up (ie temp and time).
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Rose :) As for freezing, I always thaw in the original container (or bag), either in the fridge or on the counter. To re-heat, either a quick shot in the microwave or wrap in foil and pop into a 350F oven until warmed (should only take 10 minutes or so).
Rose says
Thanks so much. They are a perfect addition to the menu.
I recently found your site and looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
We're big fans of anything focaccia and these are calling my name! How smart to turn them into muffins. I need a bowl of marinara and a few of these gems - I'd be a happy camper dipping and chomping!
Jennifer says
Thanks Tricia and yes, perfect with marinara!