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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.
I have made this almost daily (by family’s request) since I first tried it!!!! I just started doubling the recipe. I followed the instructions exactly the first time around. Next time, I only used garlic salt and rosemary!!! Thank you so much for sharing. It will be a must in our home from here on out. Is there a way to follow you on Pinterest?
Made this bread a few times. Has become a favorite that my family request a lot. I change up what we put into the oil. We added anchovies, garlic and Italian seasoning. After baking we sprinkle grated cheese.
That sounds so fun to switch up the flavor! Focaccia is a great one to do that with. I’m glad to hear your family enjoys the bread recipe!
Amazingly good
Would love to know what other toping I could use
Made it twice and came out great. Big hit for my family- I added my family’s favorite toppings (I.e. anchovies, lots of garlic and Italian seasonings). Will be making it again for the holidays.
My go to focaccia recipe! It’s so easy and so delicious, my family raves about this bread any time I make it!
Followed the recipe exactly but used bobs red mill 1:1 gluten free flour. It doesn’t necessarily rise but it’s good and definitely tastier than most shelf gfree breads!
8 hours recommended refrigerate time can it be refrigerated up to 12 hours or 8 max?
Yep! You can refrigerate for up to 24 hours, but at least 8 hours.
I have made this so many times and love it! I find myself out of white flour and am curious if I can substitute wheat flour 1:1 without changing anything else. Thoughts? Thanks!
I wouldn’t recommend doing a 1:1 swap with wheat… it may end up dense, course or dry. Here’s a great article that talks a bit more about swapping wheat for white and how to do it successfully! If you make it with wheat flour, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/06/22/how-to-substitute-whole-wheat-for-white-flour-in-baking
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for this! Simple,
Soft and fluffy like Foccacia should be!
This is my only Foccacia bread recipe now!
5 stars! ❤️
Oh thank you so much!! I’m so glad you loved the bread recipe!
I make this bread ALL THE TIME. It’s everyone’s favorite, and I almost feel guilty because it’s also the easiest bread I make. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome!! I’m all about easy and delicious…. best of both worlds, right? 😉
Could I use bread flour in place of AP flour? Also, I only have 1/4 oz. yeast packets. How many should I use? Should I use the “active dry yeast” or “fast/rapid rising yeast”? Sorry for so many questions.
Hi there! As a bread maker, I think it takes experiments and sometimes many tries to get any bread recipe perfect. Go ahead and try the bread machine flour instead of AP flour. Also open your packets of yeast and measure it into your teaspoons to see how many you will need. Or look online and find a conversion chart. I have used almost any kind of yeast and find they all seem to work out fine. Don’t be afraid to jump in and try! Good luck!
Smells amazing, but had trouble getting it to brown on top without getting overdone on bottom. We are attempting this for my son’s 4-H project.