Cornmeal Parmesan Focaccia

Cornmeal Parmesan focaccia is the laziest path to a respectable Italian flatbread, dumped into a bread machine and walked away from until the buzzer goes off. The cornmeal is the move here, giving the loaf a slightly grainy, golden crumb with a faint sweet-corn note that plain wheat flour just can’t deliver. Garlic oil enriches the dough from the inside while chopped fresh garlic adds aromatic punch, and a third cup of grated Parmesan gets worked through so every bite finds a salty pocket of cheese. The result is denser and breadier than classic Ligurian focaccia, more like a sturdy snack bread that holds up to slicing for sandwiches or splitting for paninis. If you want to push it closer to true focaccia, pull the dough from the machine after the first rise, press it into a sheet pan, dimple deeply with your fingers, top with more olive oil and flaky salt, and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes.

Kitchen Tips

• Add wet ingredients first, then dry, with the yeast going in last and on top of the flour, this keeps the yeast away from the salt and liquid until mixing begins.
• Use a coarse stone-ground cornmeal for noticeable texture, fine cornmeal disappears into the crumb.
• Brush the warm loaf with more garlic oil and a pinch of flaky salt right out of the machine for a more focaccia-like top.
• Bread machine wattage varies, check the crust at the suggested time and add 5 minutes if pale.

Variations

• Stir a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary and a few cracked black peppercorns into the dough for a more aromatic loaf.
• Press halved cherry tomatoes and pitted olives into the dough before the bake for a true focaccia topping.
• Swap half the Parmesan for grated Asiago or pecorino for a sharper, more robust cheese flavor.