How to make focaccia bread that’s perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Jump to the Easy Focaccia Recipe or read on to see how we make it.
One of our favorite yeast-breads to make lately has been focaccia. It’s olive oil loving crisp outside and soft inside makes it perfect to accompany dinner, soups, stews or even sliced in half and used for sandwiches. Our focaccia bread recipe is very simple to make – no fancy equipment is needed at all.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This recipe for Tender Turkey Meatballs in a light tomato sauce. These tender, moist turkey meatballs do not last long in our kitchen.
How to Make the Best Homemade Focaccia Bread
Homemade focaccia bread is one of our favorites. This recipe makes delicious fresh bread in no time and requires very little from you. Here are our best tips for making it.
Use a Good Olive Oil
The secret to the best focaccia bread is great tasting olive oil. Since there is quite a bit used, the bread really takes on the flavor. You don’t need to spend lots of money, just use an olive oil you love. We have Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our kitchen and love it.
Add Flavor with Infused Olive Oil
One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s completely versatile. In our case, we like to infuse olive oil with herbs and garlic. In our photos we have used a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you could use whatever herbs you love – fresh or dried.
If you prefer, leave the garlic and herbs out, it will still be delicious. Instead, you can just use plain olive oil. Or, add even more flavor to the dough before baking with sliced olives, halved cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes.
You can can even treat the baked focaccia like a pizza. Once baked, top the bread with your favorite cheese, pepperoni or tomatoes and bake until bubbly.
What to Do with Leftovers
Refrigerate or freeze leftover focaccia. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days and in the freezer for about a month. Day old bread can be toasted and used as croutons for a salad – You could always throw them on top of our Easy Caesar Salad Recipe. Another option is to cut into cubes and use in a bread pudding or strata.
If you loved this recipe, take a look at these:
- Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe with Basil — Our recipe makes garlic bread with crisp edges and a soft buttery center.
- Baked Ziti Recipe with Spinach — This is a fast recipe with lots of fresh spinach, artichokes, and a creamy pesto layer in the middle.
- Easy Baked Spaghetti Recipe — Everything we love about spaghetti with meat sauce plus a creamy pesto layer in the middle.
- How to Easily Roast Garlic at Home — Spreading some roasted garlic over the bread would be amazing!
- How to Make Homemade Flatbread –With a few simple ingredients and about 1 hour of hands-off proofing time, you can make soft and fluffy flatbread from scratch.
Recipe updated, originally posted January 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe with Garlic and Herbs
- PREP
Our focaccia recipe is very simple to make – no fancy equipment is needed at all. The secret to the best focaccia is a great tasting olive oil. Since there is quite a bit used, the bread really takes on the flavor. You don’t need to spend lots of money, just use an olive oil you love. For the herbs, we love a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you could use whatever herbs you love – fresh or dried. Or, omit the garlic and herbs all together and use plain olive oil instead. A note on pan size: In this recipe we call for a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, you can use a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides.
You Will Need
1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup (235 ml) warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 teaspoon honey
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
- Make Dough
- Bake Bread
In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and the black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour and a 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead the dough 10 to 15 times until smooth. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).
After 1 hour, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. (See above if you do not have this pan size).
Transfer the dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool baked focaccia bread on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Refrigerate or freeze leftover focaccia. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days and in the freezer for about a month.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Wonderful bread! I’ve made it many times and my family loves it. I like to put feta cheese, tomatoes, onions and olives on top (after it’s baked and cool) then broil it for a couple minutes. Soooo good!
I wanted to know if this will be good if made the night before and then put into a container and in the fridge or could it be left out in a sealed container.
Hi Sharon, If keeping overnight, we usually leave it out on the counter (lightly wrapped or in a container).
Can anyone tell me what kosher salt is? My shop sells table salt, himalayan salt, sea salt etc… What is most similar to kosher if you can’t find kosher salt?
Hi Andrew, Kosher salt is a little larger when it comes to the granule size. You can use any of the salts you mentioned above, just keep in mind that they will likely be a bit smaller in size so you will need to use less. I’d use 3/4 teaspoon of fine sea or table salt.
Great recipe! It was my first time making any sort of bread and I was pretty nervous, but following this recipe to the letter turned out amazing. Thanks!