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 made this bread for the first time last week and received rave reviews. It is so easy to make and amazingly delicious! I doubled it to make two loaves and it disappeared in no time. My family asked for more on Thanksgiving, so I’m planning to triple the recipe and use different toppings on each loaf.
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved the focaccia bread. What a fun idea to use different toppings for the different loaves. So glad you can use it for Thanksgiving, too!!
So easy and great with pasta sauces!!! Family absolutely loves❤️
Oh yay! So happy to hear that. Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try.
I made this bread today…to die for. Came out of the oven perfect after 22 minutes. Mine did stick to the bottom of the cake pan, so I just dug it out with a metal spatula. I will try parchment next time, other than that it’s a keeper. I like it because it’s a smaller “loaf” for a dinner. I have been using bread recipes that sit overnight for a while now. Will never go back to the old way. Texture and taste…wow!
Oh I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the Focaccia! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Hi Cynthia, I put about 3 tAblespoons of
Oil instead of 1 and it turned out perfect and didn’t stick
I’m wondering if I could put this in crumpet rings for individual sandwich thins? Anyone ever tried this? How long in the oven
I have never tried doing that, but you could give it a try! I’d suggest keeping a real close eye on the baking time. I’d reduce it quite a bit, depending on the size of your crumpet rings. If you do try it, you will have to let us know how the individual focaccia’s turn out.
Delicious and easy.
Yay!! That’s totally what we go for with our recipes. Thanks for giving it a try!
This is definitely a keeper even with the minor tweaks. I weighed my flour at 250 grams, which is a must for any baking, plus reduced the salt flakes and basil to 1/2 and while I added 1 tbsp to the bottom and internal side of my round baking I honest simply drizzled my own desired amount atop before baking. This recipe is universal and quite honestly any topping can be replaced with anything else. My family loved it. Not dense but rather light and delicious.
Yay! I’m so glad your family loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing your tweaks and for giving the recipe a try!
Fantastic recipe. Easy to make and LOVED (and I mean LOVED!) by all. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for giving it a try.
So easy and so good.
Thank you!! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This is delicious! I’ve made it twice, the first time I followed the directions and added freshly grated parmesan cheese. The second time, and my favorite, I omitted all the seasonings and sprinkled everything bagel toppings and sunflower seeds. So good!!
Ooh both ways sound delicious. Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
Delicious and so easy! Sprinkle half with everything bagel mix and it was awesome!
Ooh that sounds delish! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!