We love homemade bread, and one our favorite recipes is today’s homemade Focaccia bread.
This recipe bakes up with a crisp, golden crust and a tender, airy middle, perfect for dipping, sandwiches, or devouring (it’s so delicious!). Not only is this recipe simple, but an easy overnight chill builds flavor and bubbles, then olive oil, oregano, basil, and flaky sea salt finish it beautifully.
Serve this recipe on its own or with some our favorites like Tomato Basil Soup, Baked Ziti and Fettuccine Alfredo.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- So much flavor. Overnight dough for big flavor with very little hands on time.
- Nooks and crannies. Deep olive oil dimples that bake crisp and delicious.
- Make ahead friendly and great warm or at room temperature.
Focaccia Bread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour (2 cups): Forms the gluten structure for a chewy yet tender crumb.
- Salt (1 teaspoon): Seasons the dough and balances the olive oil and herbs.
- Instant yeast (1 1/4 teaspoons): Gives a reliable rise during the chill and the final proof.
- Warm water (1 cup): Hydrates the dough so it mixes quickly and stays soft and sticky.
- Olive oil (1/4 cup): Pooled in the pan and drizzled on top, it creates a crisp, flavorful crust and those signature dimpled pockets.
- Oregano (1 teaspoon): Adds classic Italian aroma that perfumes each bite.
- Dried basil (2 teaspoons): Brings gentle herbal sweetness to the crust.
- Flaky sea salt, Maldon if you like (1 teaspoon): Finishes with crunchy pops of salt that brighten the bread.
How to Make Focaccia Bread
DOUGH. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the warm water, and stir to form a soft and sticky dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
CHILL, SHAPE + REST. After the dough has chilled, gently shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan and spread it to cover the interior surfaces of the pan.
Place the ball of dough in the center of the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough has expanded to nearly fill the cake pan.
BREAD TOP. Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 450. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough, then press your fingers down into the dough, pushing to the bottom of the pan.
BAKE. Repeat until the entire surface of the dough is covered in deep dimples. Sprinkle with the oregano, basil and sea salt. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Keep the dough sticky, resist adding extra flour, the hydration makes the crumb airy.
- Oil the pan generously and dimple to the bottom so olive oil collects in little wells.
- Let it rise until it nearly fills the pan before baking for the best lift.
- Other spices: Rosemary, Fresh or roasted garlic, olive slices, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded cheese (parmesan would probably work best!)
- For extra crunch, bake on the lower third rack and let it rest 5 minutes before lifting out.
- You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours, so you can bake it when it’s convenient for you.
Focaccia Bread Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt I used Maldon salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the warm water, and stir to form a soft and sticky dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- After the dough has chilled, gently shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan and spread it to cover the interior surfaces of the pan. Place the ball of dough in the center of the pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough has expanded to nearly fill the cake pan.
- Toward the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 450. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough, then press your fingers down into the dough, pushing to the bottom of the pan. Repeat until the entire surface of the dough is covered in deep dimples. Sprinkle with the oregano, basil and sea salt.
- Bake 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Make ahead and storage, cool completely, wrap, and keep at room temp 1 day; rewarm at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes; freeze up to 2 months and thaw wrapped.
We like to wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then in a freezer-safe storage bag. This can be stored for up 4-6 weeks in the freezer.
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This recipe was first posted May, 2019.
I have tried several different foccacea recipes. They either make too big of a batch or just didn’t have any flavor. This was easy, full of flavor and made just the right size for my family of 3.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear!!
Love this recipe, it’s easy and turns out great evry time
Used 1 cup white whole wheat flour and 1 cup bread flour. I topped the bread with basil, salt, garlic powder, and oregano. Cooked for 22 minutes. It was delicious.
Hi there,
A friend shared this recipe with me and I made it for our Easter brunch with family. I did two. One with rosemary, thyme, garlic and sea salt and one with basil, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan.
WE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!!
I love to bake but don’t do bread much but this was super easy. It took a bit of planning to get it ready for the fridge the day before the event but it was easy. Recipe was easy to follow and very cost effective to make it
It turned out perfectly and I was so excited.
I paired it up with a garlic and herb cream cheese spread which complimented it well but eating it by itself was more than enough. The whole lot was eaten before the end of brunch.
Th am you for this.
Hi, your recipe looks very delicious and simple, but I was wondering….. can I use a 9 inch cake pan instead of 8 inch??
Yes you can. The bigger pan you use, the thinner the bread will be. I actually use a quarter sheet pan because I like a thinner focaccia.
I have active dry yeast. Will that work or does it have to be instant yeast?
Yep! That will still work.
Do you have to proof the active dry yeast?
Can you use a stand up mixer with dough hook instead of my hands? My hands really hurt at times to where I can’t use my hands.
You probably could, but this dough doesn’t have to be kneaded quite like a typical bread recipe does. So mixing together with a wooden spoon or danish dough hook by hand a few times is all that is really necessary. But yes, I think you could try mixing with a stand mixer if needed.
Excellent recipe and flavourful lots if aur bubbles My oven a little hotter I think. I baked for 22 minutes but will reduce time maybe to 20 next time. Shook a little ground rosemary in top as well as salt and some bits of fresh garlic
Yummy!! That sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed the focaccia!
Easy and flavorful! Will be making this frequently.
So glad to hear that!
I make this for my granddaughter all the time. She loves it but we usually have trouble getting it out of the pan. After baking how long before you remove it from the pan?
Thanks
Lynn
I usually wait 5 -10 minutes. Then I let it keep cooling after it’s out of the pan.
So I have not been successful in bread making at all. I tried this recipe lastnight for me and my boyfriend for our pasta meal. WE LOVED IT. The instructions were easy to follow as well. We sat down for dinner, he said it looked amazing and I cut the bread into 8 slices. He ate 4 pieces with our dinner before he even got to the pasta. He absolutely loved it and I did as well. He Said it was the best bread he’s ever had and it was all because of your recipe. This is the foccacia recipe I’m sticking with. It turned out wonderful!!! I am definitely making this again and again. I let it sit in the fridge for 8 hours instead of the 24 and it was excellent. Thank you so much
Oh this makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try. So happy to hear you were successful with your bread making!