• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Lynn's Way of Life
  • CCPA Notice
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Meet Lynn
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipes
  • Seasonal Recipes for the Whole Family
  • Spring Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Supplemental Privacy Policy for Nevada Residents
  • Web Stories
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Spring
  • Recipes
  • Meet Lynn
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Spring
    • Recipes
    • Meet Lynn
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dinner Recipes » Festive Christmas Focaccia

    Festive Christmas Focaccia

    Published: Nov 16, 2022 by Lynn Polito · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

    Sharing is caring!

    108 shares
    • Facebook18
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe

    This festive Christmas Focaccia bread is made with fresh rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and an easy focaccia dough. It's ready in under 3 hours and will impress your guests this holiday season with this Christmas tree design on your focaccia!

    The tree is baked.

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. However this is at no cost to you. Read my affiliate links full disclosure policy here.

    Focaccia is an easy bread to make if you are just starting in bread making. The stand mixer does the hard work for you by kneading the dough, and the yeast creates the bubbly dough to give the focaccia it's light and airy texture.

    If you are new to focaccia art too, this will be a way to get your foot in the door. This Christmas tree is so easy to make, and you really can't mess it up! This Christmas tree design can be made onto sourdough focaccia too!

    When it's that time of year to host lots of family and friends, there's nothing better than homemade focaccia piled high in a bread basket!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You'll Need
    • Active Yeast vs. Instant Dry Yeast
    • How To Make Christmas Focaccia
    • Variations
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Easy Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients You'll Need

    An overhead shot of the ingredients for the christmas focaccia
    You only need a few simple ingredients!
    • Flour. All purpose flour or bread flour is best.
    • Kosher salt. Do not use table salt. Kosher salt is preferred.
    • Lukewarm water. Not too hot or you will kill the yeast, and too cold will take too long for the dough to rise.
    • Active Dry Yeast. One package or two teaspoons.
    • Olive Oil. Extra virgin olive oil is best because we will use a lot of it, ⅓ cup olive oil actually! Olive oil gives focaccia it's crispy crust and adds to the flavor of the focaccia.
    • Kosher salt. Flaky sea salt will work too. Do not use table salt. You want a thick, flakey salt that will give the focaccia texture.
    • Fresh Rosemary. You will need 6-8 sprigs, depending on how bit you would like your tree.
    • Cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes will be the ornaments on the tree.

    Active Yeast vs. Instant Dry Yeast

    In this recipe, we are using Active Dry Yeast. That means it needs to be "bloomed" or woken up. All you have to do is sprinkle the yeast over some lukewarm liquid and allow it to get foamy. When it does, you are ready to use the yeast!

    If it doesn't get foamy, throw out the yeast and start again. That means the yeast is old or expired and won't allow the dough to rise properly.

    If you only have instant yeast, you can use that too. No need to "bloom the yeast. Just add it to the liquid along with the flour, water, and salt.

    The Christmas focaccia is cut into pieces.

    How To Make Christmas Focaccia

    Fill a liquid measuring cup with 1 ¾ cup of warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

    In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add the flour, three tablespoons of olive oil, water and yeast mixture, and the salt. Turn the stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. When the dough pulls away from the bowl, the dough is done.

    The water and yeast are mixed together
    Allow the yeast to bloom so you wake it up.
    All the ingredients are added to the stand mixer bowl.
    Your stand mixer makes mixing quick!
    The stand mixer is mixing the ingredients together.
    Mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

    Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of the dish. Add the bread dough to the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes. The dough should double in size and look light and bubbly.

    A baking dish is oiled with extra virgin olive oil.
    Add the oil to the baking dish.
    The dough is in the baking dish covered with plstic wrap.
    Cover the baking dish and let the dough rise and double in size.
    The dough has doubled in size.
    The dough is ready to decorate!

    Pro Tip! The cooking spray will make sure the dough does not stick to the pan. The olive oil gives the focaccia it's classic flavor. Don't forget the sides of the pan too!

    After 60 minutes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the dough has fully risen, press fingertips into the bread dough. This will stretch out the dough as well as give the dough that classic focaccia dimples. Drizzle the top of the dough with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

    Decorating the Christmas Tree!

    Arrange the fresh sprigs of rosemary into a Christmas tree pattern on the surface of the dough. Add the cherry tomatoes around the Christmas tree to make them look like ornaments. Use a cut mini pepper for the base of the tree.

    Arrange the rosemary onto the dough.
    Arrange the rosemary in the shape of a tree.
    The tomatoes are added to the dough.
    The tomatoes are ornaments on the dough.
    A yellow tomato and a half o f a mini pepper are added to the tree.
    The tree is ready to bake!

    Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

    Use a pizza cutter or a serrated knife to cut through this Christmas focaccia. Then serve the focaccia with a large spatula.

    Variations

    • You don't have to make a Christmas tree on this festive focaccia bread. You can use sun-dried tomato pesto and even caramelized onions as a topping for focaccia.
    • Double the recipe if you have a lot of people you will be serving. Use a baking sheet or cookie sheet and decorate the top of the dough as you would like.
    • Add red onions, different color cherry tomatoes, sprinkle the focaccia with parmesan cheese, or your favorite fresh herbs to this homemade focaccia.
    The Christmas focaccia is out of the pan and arranged next to cherry tomatoes.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    I don't have a stand mixer, can I still make this focaccia?

    Yes! Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes until the dough comes together and is a little sticky.

    Can I make this with pizza dough?

    Yes! Focaccia dough is very similar to pizza dough. To make this with pizza dough, simply add the pizza dough to the baking dish and design the Christmas tree right on the pizza dough.

    What should I do with leftover focaccia?

    Place leftovers in an airtight container once it has come to room temperature. Enjoy the focaccia within 3 days of baking. You can eat this focaccia at room temperature or lightly toasted.

    Can I make this Christmas focaccia ahead of time?

    Yes! You can make the dough up to 24 hours in advance. Once it has risen, refrigerate the dough. When you are ready to bake it, arrange the Christmas tree on the focaccia dough and bake,

    More Easy Recipes

    • Instant Pot Bread
    • Rustic Kefir Bread
    • 3 Ingredient Dinner Rolls
    • Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
    • Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
    • Sourdough Dinner Rolls

    Did you love this recipe? If you did, please leave a 5 ⭐️ rating below! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook!

    📖 Recipe

    The tree is baked.

    Festive Christmas Focaccia

    This festive Christmas Focaccia bread is made with fresh rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and an easy focaccia dough. It's ready in under 3 hours and will impress your guests this holiday season with this Christmas tree design on your focaccia!
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12 Servings
    Calories: 215kcal
    Author: Lynn Polito

    Equipment

    • Baking Dish
    • Liquid Measuring Cup
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Stand Mixer

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¾ cup Water Warm, but not hot
    • 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
    • 3 ½ cups Flour All purpose or Bread Flour
    • 2 teaspoon Salt
    • ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Divided
    • 6-8 sprigs Fresh Rosemary For Decoration
    • ½ cup Cherry tomatoes For Decoration
    • 1 Mini Pepper For the base of the tree

    Instructions

    • Fill a liquid measuring cup with 1 ¾ cup of warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
    • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add the flour, three tablespoons of olive oil, water and yeast mixture, and the salt. Turn the stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. When the dough pulls away from the bowl, the dough is done.
    • Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of the dish. Add the bread dough to the dish.
    • Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes. The dough should double in size and look light and bubbly.
    • After 60 minutes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the dough has fully risen, press fingertips into the bread dough. This will stretch out the dough as well as give the dough that classic focaccia dimples. Drizzle the top of the dough with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
    • Arrange the fresh sprigs of rosemary into a Christmas tree pattern on the surface of the dough. Add the cherry tomatoes around the Christmas tree to make them look like ornaments. Use a cut mini pepper for the base of the tree.
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.
    • Allow the focaccia to cool slightly before cutting into it.

    Video

    Notes

    • The cooking spray in the baking dish will make sure the dough does not stick to the pan. The olive oil gives the focaccia it's classic flavor. Don't forget the sides of the pan too!
    • Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @LynnsWayofLife or tag #lynnswayoflife!
    « The Best Homemade Apple Pie
    Cottage Cheese Pancakes- Only 4 Ingredients! »

    Sharing is caring!

    108 shares
    • Facebook18
    • Twitter

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey there! I'm Lynn and I'm based just outside of Boston. I'm a wife and mom of two with a passion for cooking and creating homemade food for my family.

    Whether it's creating new recipes, or exploring tried and true classics, I am constantly trying to show that homemade doesn't have to be hard

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest

    People are Loving!

    • A piece of the stack of pancakes with self-rising flour is on a fork.
      Fluffy Pancakes {With Self-Rising Flour!}
    • The banana bread with self rising flour is cut into slices and is on a cutting board.
      Banana Bread Recipe with Self-Rising Flour
    • An overhead shot of the Instant Pot Shrimp Scamp in a bowl
      Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi Recipe
    • A fork and knife are cutting into the waffle.
      Waffles With Self Rising Flour
    • The sourdough pretzel bites are on a tray with mustard
      Sourdough Pretzel Bites
    • An overhead shot of the muffins in a muffin tin.
      Easy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

    Spring Favs!

    • A lemon cheesecake bar is on a glass plate with lemons in the background
      Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe
    • A portion of the french toast blueberry casserole is on a fluted plate.
      Blueberry French Toast Casserole
    • An overhead shot of the blueberry muffins with sour cream.
      Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Sour Cream
    • Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns are best served with tea or coffee
      Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns
    • A piece of the instant pot carrot cake is cut out
      Instant Pot Carrot Cake (with Cream Cheese Frosting)
    • A close up of one of the Instant Pot Creme Brulee pots.
      Instant Pot Crème Brulee

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • What is Lynn's Way of Life

    Let's Connect!

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Lynn's Way of Life