I’ve made this amazing focaccia so many times! This recipe is absolutely perfect for beginners. Plus, we make the dough with a homemade garlic rosemary olive oil, which makes the the bread taste incredible!
Focaccia was one of the first bread recipes I learned to make, and even though that was many years ago, I still come back to it. Focaccia bread is easy and perfect for beginners (I promise)!
With our focaccia recipe, you’ll make homemade focaccia that is soft, chewy inside, beautifully golden brown, and crisp around the edges. It also tastes amazing thanks to our easy garlic and herb infused olive oil (used in the dough and for baking the bread). For another easy bread recipe, try our homemade pita bread.
Key Ingredients
- Olive oil: Makes focaccia taste delicious, adding to its texture and flavor. The secret to the best focaccia bread is using a great olive oil. You don’t need to spend lots of money (use the olive oil you enjoy).
- Garlic, thyme, and rosemary: For extra flavor, I infuse the olive oil for this focaccia recipe with garlic and herbs. I love rosemary focaccia, so I use fresh rosemary, but you can try a different blend of herbs if you’d like to (or leave them out and just make garlic focaccia).
- Flour: All-purpose flour or bread flour is perfect for making focaccia bread. I use all-purpose most of the time since that’s what I stock in my kitchen.
- Instant yeast: The method for making focaccia below works with active dry or instant yeast, but I find that instant yeast typically has a bit more pep, so that’s what I keep in my kitchen. I also use instant yeast when making pizza dough.
- Sugar: A bit of sugar (1/4 teaspoon) helps wake up our yeast. Use sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
How to Make Amazing Focaccia Bread
The secret to truly delicious homemade focaccia lies in our garlic and herb infused olive oil. We’re not just drizzling it on at the end. We add it to the dough and use it to bake the bread (drizzling it onto the pan and over the top of the dough).
Don’t be alarmed by our focaccia dough’s initial shaggy and sticky texture (this is perfectly normal). A gentle knead, just 5 to 10 times, is all it takes to bring it together before its first rise in a warm spot. If your oven has a proof setting, use it.
This dough needs to rise for about 1 hour before being added to a baking pan. (For my tips on proofing focaccia dough in the refrigerator overnight, see our recipe tips below.)
When it’s time to bake, embrace the dimples! Pressing your fingertips all over the dough once in the baking pan creates those signature nooks and crannies that give focaccia bread its incredible texture.
Don’t be shy about using the remaining garlic and herb olive oil. Pour all of it over the top for flavor and that gorgeous golden-brown crust.
You’ll let the dough rise again, but for 20 minutes this time, and then bake in a hot oven until golden brown (about 20 minutes). It’s so delicious!
Easy Focaccia Bread
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This is my tried and true, easy focaccia bread recipe. You don’t need special equipment, and it’s basically no-knead. The secret to the best focaccia is using a great olive oil. We use a 1/2 cup of olive oil in this recipe, so use an olive oil you love. I often use Partanna olive oil since it’s mid-range in price and tastes great in this bread recipe.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup (235ml) lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, one 1/4-ounce packet
1/4 teaspoon sugar, honey, or maple syrup
2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Make Focaccia Dough
1Combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper in a cold medium skillet. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic. You are not looking to add color to the garlic. Keep the temperature low and remove the skillet from the heat before the garlic browns. Set aside and allow to cool.
2In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir a few times, then let it sit for 5 minutes.
3Add 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
4Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and the salt. When the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth (see video for reference).
5Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel, and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, for 1 to 2 hours. (See tips below if you’d prefer to proof the dough overnight in the fridge.)
- Bake Focaccia
1When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
2Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. See the tips below for other pan sizes.
3Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, then gently press it into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough, then drizzle the top with the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes until it puffs slightly.
4Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, and then let the baked focaccia bread cool completely on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Baked focaccia lasts at room temperature for 2 days. Keep it in an airtight container so that it does not dry out. For long-term storage (longer than 2 days), freeze your bread. Freeze your baked and cooled focaccia bread in an airtight bag or container for up to 1 month.
- Overnight focaccia: For the first rise, proof the dough in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature. Oil the dough, place it in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a sealed lid, and leave it for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. When ready to bake, leave on the counter for 2 hours to warm up. Then dump the dough onto your oiled baking pan and follow the 2nd proof and baking directions in the recipe above.
- Pan sizes: We call for a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, use a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides. For thicker focaccia bread, use a 9-inch round pie dish/cake pan or 9-inch square baking pan (baking time will be a few minutes longer).
- Our favorite ways to enjoy focaccia: Dunk the freshly baked bread into one of our soup recipes, like this creamy vegetable soup or this homemade tomato soup. Or, make a sandwich. I love it with tuna salad or this egg salad. It’s also excellent for dips. I especially love this easy olive oil dip and our easy spinach artichoke dip. It also goes really well with anything Italian, like these big Italian meatballs or lasagna.
- Make focaccia pizza: Bake the bread as directed, and top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings. Slide back into the oven and bake until bubbly.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
I’m back again, this time to share that this is not just great as bread and pizza, but as dough for steak and cheese. I swap the spices in my oil to oregano, basil, and parsley for this and pizza. I spread the dough a little thinner in the pan, bake it for about 7-8 minutes by itself, then add the steak and cheese to half, fold it over, and finish baking. I have requests for this all the time from family members. Thank you for this great recipe!
I generally don’t leave reviews on recipes, but this legit was the best focaccia recipe I’ve ever made. My family loved it, and the pan did not survive more than 4 hours. Very simple recipe as a new-ish baker.
lol…yeah, in our household the bread doesn’t last long. We usually end up making a double batch to be on the safe side 🙂
Very easy and impressive recipe. Love foccacca bread. Can I omit thyme since I don’t have it or use more of the rosemary? Can I use regular yeast since that’s all I have? Thanks so much.
Yes, you can omit the thyme. For the yeast, active dry or instant yeast work in our recipe without any changes to the method.
Beautiful, loved bread in our house it would be better if someone else could make it daily, that would surely be nice no one else is willing to make it so they have to wait until I have time😂 We love this focaccia recipe with the garlic and fresh herbs😋😋thank you for the wonderful recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it, Rina. Thank you for coming back and letting us know!
Thank you for the recipe. It’ delicious! Question, if I double the recipedo I double the yeast. thank you
Hi Maria, Yes, I would just double everything. Technically you can probably get by with less yeast, but the proof time may be a little longer.
I AM HORRIBLE IN THE KITCHEN BUT UR WEBSITE MADE ME COOK THE MOST AMAZING DISHES AND I AM SO CONFIDENT NOW I STARTED COOKING AND BAKING EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!
That’s amazing, Melly! I am so happy we could help!
Trying out the recipe now! If I want to do overnight, do I put the kneaded dough in the oiled bowl and put it in the fridge overnight… Then put into the pan for cooking and leave for 2 hours or rise and put straight into the oven?
Yep, you’ve got it. The 2 hours after the fridges makes sure the dough gets to room temperature and has that last rise.
First time to make focaccia and I’m so glad this is the recipe I tried! So easy and so good. This will definitely be my go to!
Yay! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review. So happy you loved your homemade focaccia 🙂
I used 1:1 ratio Fluten free flour and it is crumbling. Otherwise, the instructions were followed completely. I am not sure what to do next to save the dough.
Hi Anne, Unfortunately, I have never made this recipe with gluten-free flour so I can’t say what happened here.
Ready to try your recipe. Totally appreciate your inspiring easiness to this amazing bread!
I’ve made this focaccia bread so many times now. I’ve also searched high and low for a recipe that is simple and delicious. THIS RECIPE IS A MUST! Gotta go, as I can smell my garlic and herb focaccia bread baking!! Thank you so much Joanne and Adam. Love from Oz!!
I’ve tried different focaccia recipes and this is by far my favorite! Comes out perfectly every single time😊
That’s so great to hear, Marie! Thank you for sharing!
The most fluffiest bread dish I’ve ever made. I added extra salt after cooking… Amazing .. will make again very soon! Thank you
Amazing! Thanks for coming back!
This was a really good recipe. It was easy to follow. It’s very tasty. I will make this a regular bread for my family.
The easiest and most delicious focaccia I’ve made thus far. Looks impressive, and a real winner for guests! Thank u so much.
Turned out great! First time I attempted focaccia I used a different recipe with shorter proof times. Following this one exactly gave me a nice airy bread. 🙂