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Crisp yet fluffy bread topped with delicious herbs and seasonings. This flavorful focaccia bread is so easy to make, and is perfect for sandwiches, dipping in soups, or enjoying on its own!
Everyone loves homemade bread, and although classic bread is must-have, this Focaccia bread is too! Change it up based on the seasonings and toppings you add and get ready to fall in love.
What is focaccia bread?
Hello again! It’s Alicia from The Baker Upstairs, and I have another delicious bread recipe to share with you!
If you’ve never had it before, Focaccia is a flat Italian yeast bread. It’s the perfect accompaniment for soups, salads, or pasta, and it tastes totally amazing!
This homemade focaccia bread tastes just as delicious as bread from a bakery, but it’s so easy to make at home. If you’re hesitant about baking with yeast, this is a great recipe to start with! There’s no kneading at all, and the dough is easy to mix together without a mixer.
It does need to sit in the fridge for a while (at least eight hours) so you will need to plan ahead a little when you’re making it, but it has very little hands-on time. It’s so easy to make that you will feel like a culinary magician!
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.
RECIPE tips + NOTES
Letting the dough rest in the fridge for at least eight hours is really important, so definitely don’t try to shorten the time or skip that step. The long resting time helps the dough develop air bubbles, and improves the texture of the finished bread.
NOTE: You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours, so you can bake it when it’s convenient for you.
STORING: You can leave the bread, covered with plastic wrap at room temp for 2 days. You can also wrap and keep in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, baking in the oven for 10 minutes at 325.
FREEZING. 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.
Switch It Up
OTHER HERBS/TOPPINGS: Put any of these on top of the bread before baking for even more amazing flavor!
- Rosemary
- Fresh or roasted garlic
- Olive slices
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- shredded cheese (parmesan would probably work best!)
DIFFERENT WAYS TO SERVE: Eating a slice of this bread plain is more than enough to satisfy, but you can use it in a lot of other ways!
- Dip in soup.
- Make a focaccia pizza. After the bread is fully baked, pull it out of the oven, top with sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni, then bake at the oven at 375° until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Create a sandwich! Just slice the bread in half, and fill with your favorite sandwich fixings. I love flavored bread for sandwiches!
- You could also use leftovers to make homemade croutons! They would taste amazing on top of a caesar salad.
You really can’t beat a slice of this focaccia bread, warm from the oven. The edges are perfectly crisp, while the middle is light and tender and airy. This bread is so delicious!
What to serve Focaccia With:
- Chicken Florentine Soup
- Italian Pork Chops
- Pasta Carbonara
- Italian Tortellini Soup
- Sausage and Potatoes
For more homemade bread, try:
Focaccia Bread Recipe
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Giving this recipe a try. However, it states total time 8 hours 55 minutes but it includes 30 prep, 25 cook, 8 hours in REFRIGERATOR then 2 hours room temperature before baking.
I absolutely love this recipe. It is so easy and comes put so perfectly. I’ve done it 3 times this week alone. I wish I would have come across this years ago but happy to have it now. I use slightly more water than the recipe calls for and for the topping I use what’s on hand including fresh rosemary and lavender from my garden, dried thyme, roasted garlic and nice salt. I’ve baked mine in a cast iron skillet and a square pan and both come out great. The cast iron may be my favorite. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
You are so nice! Thank you & everything you’ve done sounds perfect!
If i HAD TO CHOOSE ONE THING I HAD TO EAT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE (without health consequences) it would Be bread. And now i have found my favorite bread recipe EVer. This bread is glorious. So easy to make! I will aLways make the doUgh the day ahead.
That’s so nice of you to say & I would agree! I love bread! Thank you so much!
Came out tasty and very CrUnchy but the yeast measure seems odd. The dough took forEver to rise (3 hours) when I took it out of the fridge Even then was not quite as fluffy as i ANTICIPATED. Is the measure actually 1 1/4 teaspoons? It seemed odd having a teaspoon left in the packet. Is it supposed to read 1 1/4 oz? Just checking since most recipes use a whole packet.
STill delicious but i would have loved a little more fluff and a faster rise.
I’m wondering the same thing. I’ve never seen 11/4 teaspoons in a recipe before.
This looks delicious & so so easy! Just wondering what flour should be used?
You could use all-purpose or even bread flour.
It was easy to make and deliciouS. First time making Bread.
Way to go!! Glad you tried it & liked it!
Thank you so much!!! I loved this and so did all of my family. I am making it again tonight- and although I am perfectly happy eating it as is,I thought I would turn it into a pizza for my guys. I’m going to bake it for 20 minutes, then add the toppings and put it back in the oven for a few more minutes. Yummy!!!!
Great idea!! You’ll have to let me know what you think! Thank you!
Hi ALICIA
THNKS A LOT FOR THIS RECEIPE
DONE IT today
Was a bit tensed at first wondering if i was doing everything correctly
But I LOVE It! It tastes LIKE THE “PAIN A L,’ancienne” except it is round ?
This receipe helped us during complete lockdown
Will try other simple receipes from you
Thank you ?
Thanks for trying it!! So glad you liked it 🙂 Hope you find others to try!
This was amazing! Focaccia is by far my favorite type of bread but i was sure it had to be complicated to be as delicious as it is. This was so simple i think anyOne could make it! It was especially a treat for my boyfriend who has never had homemade bread before this…He loved it so much that the loaf i made today is already gone and i just put another batch in the fridge tonight to make it again tomorrow 🙂
What a nice compliment! It really is simple. Glad you thought so & liked it & tell your boyfriend, thanks!
I do not have sea salt On hanD. Do you think j could use regular table Salt??
Yes, for sure 🙂 Hope you like it!
KRISTYN, THIS WAS A HUGE HIT FOR MY FAMILY! THANKS FOR THE AWESOME RECIPE. I DIDN’T HAVE TEN HOURS TO PREP THIS, SO I MADE THE DOUGH, LET IT SIT ON MY COUNTER IN A COVERED BOWL FOR FOUR HOURS, THEN PROCEEDED TO PUT IT IN THE PAN AND FOLLOWED THE REMAINING PART OF THE RECIPE. IT WAS THE BEST HOMEMADE BREAD I’VE MADE IN AWHILE! ONE NOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING THIS: THE DOUGH IS REALLY LOOSE AND STICKY, I WAS TEMPTED TO ADD MORE FLOUR BUT DIDN’T, AND IT TURNED OUT BEAUTIFULLY.
I am so glad it turned out & that you liked it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hello!
Not sure if it will come out well without Oil.
The mEasuRements seemed off. I had to aDd flour because the dough was too wet. Also the esTimated time is off by two hours. After thE dough is in the fridge for eight hours it needs two hours in the pan (a little frustraTing). HopIng it turns out well after this many hours Going into it.
You may have needed a little more flour. It can be in the fridge up to 24 hours, but, at least 8 hrs & then 2 hours in the pan. That 2 hours is not included at the top, sorry about that.
And yet, you still haven’t changed the time on the recipe.
I have not made This yet but was wondering if you can use bread flour for this recipe? Thanks!
I haven’t personally tried, but you sure could 🙂 Enjoy!!