Using a few pantry staples, this Easy Focaccia has an incredibly soft and fluffy center with a perfectly crispy crust. Finish off this irresistible bread with your favorite toppings like fresh herbs, mild and salty olives, parmesan cheese or sun dried tomatoes.
Easy Focaccia
I love any and all kinds of breads, and this is no exception. Focaccia is probably most similar to pizza dough, probably because it’s considered a flatbread. Also you can add lots of great toppings to it. This is a fantastic recipe to make if you’re just starting to bake.
Feel free to customize the toppings any way you like. Try adding items such as olives, garlic confit, fresh rosemary, oregano, or other fresh herbs, flaky sea salt, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grated parmesan, or some onions. As you can see, there are so many options available that will suit anyone.
This bread is quite versatile, making it ideal for many dishes, especially when paired with soups or used in a sandwich. One of my personal favorites is focaccia with Roasted Tomato Soup, or use it to make an Italian Sub Sandwich – without the sub, but equally delicious.
Homemade Focaccia Highlights
- EASY TO MAKE. One of the easiest breads to make, and perfect if you’re just starting out with bread making.
- CUSTOMIZABLE. Not only can you use a multitude of items on top of the dough, you can also use it in a multitude of ways, whether with side dishes, by itself or in a sandwich.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Water – It’s super important to make sure your water is lukewarm. The best temperature of the water should be anywhere from 95°F to 105°F for this. You don’t really want anything warmer, as it will kill the yeast.
- Yeast – I used active dry yeast but you can also use instant yeast as well. The difference between the two is that active dry yeast needs to be activated first, whereas with instant yeast it’s not necessary.
- Honey – We just need a bit of liquid honey to help activate the yeast.
- Flour – What is bread without flour. I’ve used white all-purpose flour but feel free to substitute with bread flour, if preferred.
- Oil – I use lots of extra-virgin olive oil to incorporate into the dough. You also want to use it generously on the pan to create that nice crispy crust.
- Salt – Regular table or sea salt is essential in making this bread for lots of great flavor. You can also sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the focaccia to add additional flavor.
Some Optional Toppings
- Garlic confit
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh rosemary
- Kalamata olives
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
How To Make Focaccia
Make The Dough
- Activate the yeast. In a large bowl combine and stir the warm water with the active dry yeast and honey. Whisk it and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture should start foaming up if the yeast is good.
- Make the dough. To the yeast mixture bowl, add the flour and salt. Use a spatula to combine everything together. The dough should be shaggy and sticky. Keep mixing it until you can no longer see any dry flour.
- Incorporate olive oil: Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough. Gently fold the dough a few times to incorporate the olive oil throughout, but not completely into the dough.
- Rest and stretch dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes in a warm place. Once rested, grab a quarter of the dough from underneath, then lift up and stretch it until the dough resists. Fold it over and onto itself, then press down to secure the dough in place. Repeat the process 3 times, working around the perimeter of the dough ball, until you’ve completed a full turn. This process develops the dough’s gluten and increases elasticity.
- Repeat Stretching. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Repeat the process again of folding and resting for another 3 times. You’ll notice as you keep stretching the dough, that the dough becomes more elastic and easier to stretch.
Prep The Dough For Baking
- Let dough rise in oiled pan. Generously grease a rimmed 9×13-inch baking pan or sheet with olive oil and scrape the dough into the pan. Spread the dough as much as you can in the pan with your fingers but don’t overwork the dough. Cover the pan with a damp towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Dimple the dough. Grease your fingertips with olive oil then begin dimpling the dough (poking the dough with your fingers) all throughout. Drizzle the dough with remaining olive oil and top with your chosen toppings.
- Bake. Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F.
- Cool and serve. Transfer the focaccia bread to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing it and serving.
How Is Focaccia Different From Bread?
Focaccia is a type of flat Italian bread made with yeast and olive oil and flavored with herbs. Bread is made from flour, water, and usually yeast, mixed together and baked.
Why Is Focaccia Dimpled?
The traditional dimples you see on focaccia are there for a reason. They reduce the air in the dough and prevent the bread from rising too quickly. If you decide to add extra toppings, you can push these into the dimples so that the bread swallows them up as it bakes.
Can I Use Bread Flour?
Absolutely. Feel free to substitute all-purpose flour with bread flour.
Serve Focaccia With
Expert Tips
- Use a thermometer to ensure the water to activate the yeast is the correct temperature of 95°F to 105°F.
- To soften 2-4 day old focaccia, wrap the bread in a damp towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds.
- While the dough is resting, place it in the oven where it is draught free or use the proof option if your oven is equipped.
Leftovers
Focaccia really needs to be eaten when it’s hot to be at its best since it can go stale very quickly. You should store the remaining cooled bread in the fridge wrapped in an airtight plastic bag, it will keep for up to 4 days keeping in mind what toppings you have used.
Freezer
Like most types of bread, focaccia will freeze well. It’s best eaten within 2 months.
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Easy Focaccia
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water 95°F to 105°F
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- garlic confit
- Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- fresh rosemary roughly chopped
- kalamata olives chopped or whole
- sun dried tomatoes
- cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a large bowl combine and stir the warm water with the active dry yeast and honey. Whisk it and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture should start foaming up if the yeast is good.
- Make the dough. To the yeast mixture bowl, add the flour and salt. Use a spatula to combine everything together. The dough should be shaggy and sticky. Keep mixing it until you can no longer see any dry flour.
- Incorporate olive oil: Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough. Gently fold the dough a few times to incorporate the olive oil throughout, but not completely into the dough.
- Rest and stretch dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes in a warm place. Once rested, grab a quarter of the dough from underneath, then lift up and stretch it until the dough resists. Fold it over and onto itself, then press down to secure the dough in place. Repeat the process 3 times, working around the perimeter of the dough ball, until you’ve completed a full turn. This process develops the dough's gluten and increases elasticity.
- Repeat Stretching. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Repeat the process again of folding and resting for another 3 times. You'll notice as you keep stretching the dough, that the dough becomes more elastic and easier to stretch.
- Let dough rise in oiled pan. Generously grease a rimmed 9×13-inch baking pan or sheet with olive oil and scrape the dough into the pan. Spread the dough as much as you can in the pan with your fingers but don't overwork the dough. Cover the pan with a damp towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Dimple the dough. Grease your fingertips with olive oil then begin dimpling the dough (poking the dough with your fingers) all throughout. Drizzle the dough with remaining olive oil and top with your chosen toppings.
- Bake. Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown or until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190°F.
- Cool and serve. Transfer the focaccia bread to a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing it and serving.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Use a thermometer to ensure the water to activate the yeast is the correct temperature of 95°F to 105°F.
- To soften 2-4 day old focaccia, wrap the bread in a damp towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds.
- While the dough is resting, place it in the oven where it is draught free or use the proof option if your oven is equipped.
- Focaccia really needs to be eaten when it’s hot to be at its best since it can go stale very quickly. You should store the remaining cooled bread in the fridge wrapped in an airtight plastic bag, it will keep for up to 4 days keeping in mind what toppings you have used.
- Like most types of bread, focaccia will freeze well. It’s best eaten within 2 months.
I make this pretty much regularly, it’s so good! I could eat the whole pan by myself if my husband didn’t love it too. Love your website btw, will be trying more of your recipes in the future. Xoxo
Thank you, Alexandra!