Christmas Tree Focaccia Bread

Ingredients and Substitutions

For the focaccia bread dough:

• Bread flour: substitute with all-purpose flour if necessary
• Yeast: instant or active dry
• Olive oil: a good quality oil gives the best flavor
• Salt

For the toppings:

• Fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs: not only do these herb sprigs come together to look like a Christmas tree, they pair extremely well together especially with the tartness of cranberry and sweetness of blueberries.
• Cranberries
• Blueberries
• Dried lavender flowers: this fragrant flower pairs well with rosemary and will add a lot of flavor to the bread. Substitute with purple basil if desired. I use these organic dried lavender flowers for baking.
• Lemon slice: for the tree star, use any thin and circular sliced fruit such as an orange.

Tools Needed

You'll need:

• Baking sheet or jelly roll pan: 9x13 or 10x15 inch pans both work
• Cooling rack
• Basting brush
• Large bowl
• Pizza peel: not absolutely necessary but it makes transferring the focaccia to a cooling rack easier.
• Bread machine, if making the dough in a bread maker

How To Design The Christmas Tree

Christmas focaccia art comes in the form of many different toppings and designs. Some bread artists use vegetables while others use edible flowers and fruits.

To make this really stand out on the table and to be packed with amazing flavor, we're using fresh herbs as the tree branches, lavender flowers as garland, and cranberries and blueberries as decorative ornaments. A slice of lemon shines on top as the tree's star.

Are The Herbs and Their Stems Okay To Eat?

All of the herbs in the recipe are edible. The stems, while not harmful if eaten, will be too hard to enjoy so I'd advise not to eat them. It's best to remove the big sprigs of herbs after slicing the focaccia and removing the leaves from their stems.

Can I Eat The Lavender Flowers?

Yes, the lavender flowers are safe as long as you purchased edible ones. You can find a huge assortment of lavender flowers for baking on Amazon or in health food stores.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy. If using a bread machine, you can skip steps 1-3 (see bread machine instructions below).
2. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir 3-4 times. Add the remaining flour and salt and stir to combine. If the dough is too sticky to knead add ⅛ cup more of flour. If it feels too dry, add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until pliable and tacky.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Move dough to a floured surface when done rising.
4. With dough on a floured surface, punch down a few times, cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, brush a baking sheet with oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
5. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and roll into a large, flat oval. With oiled fingertips, press holes into the dough about ½ inch deep. Cover with plastic wrap and move to a warm place. Let rise for 30 minutes.
6. Once risen, preheat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit. Uncover the dough and brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Create the Christmas tree design by first placing the thyme sprig in the center of the dough as though it's the tree trunk. Next place the sage leaves around the thyme in the shape of a triangle Christmas tree. Put the rosemary sprigs around and on top of the sage leaves to fill in gaps. Sprinkle with lavender flowers to look like garland and arrange blueberries and cranberries to look like ornaments. Finish with the lemon slice on top of the tree as the star. Press all herbs and fruit gently into the dough to help them stick.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer bread to a cooling rack. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Bread Machine Instructions

Add all the bread ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed or follow the instructions for the order to add ingredients in your manual if it differs. Set to the dough cycle and when finished, remove the dough to a floured surface. Then follow steps 4-8 above in the by hand instruction section.

If you're new to bread making in a bread machine or are having issues with getting your bread to turn out, check out my complete guide to using a bread machine, what the various bread maker settings mean and my guide to using your bread machine for the first time.

How To Store

Store focaccia bread in a bread bag or airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. It can be frozen for up to 6 months.