Our focaccia recipe guarantees soft, bubbly, golden brown bread with perfectly crisp edges. This is one of my family’s most treasured recipes.
This focaccia is perfect for beginners (I promise)! It’s mostly hands-off and tastes amazing thanks to our easy garlic and herb olive oil.
You’ll use the oil for the focaccia dough, and for baking, adding it to the bottom and top of the bread before sliding it into the oven. It turns out so incredibly delicious! 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 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 this recipe. 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.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Amazing Focaccia
Tip 1: Garlic herb infused oil. 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).
Tip 2: The dough is supposed to be sticky. 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.
Tip 3: Sit back and let it rise. 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.)
Tip 4: 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 its incredible texture. Also, 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.
Tip 5: Second rise for the perfect bubbly texture. 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!
Our Favorite Ways to Serve Focaccia
We love dunking our 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.
Easy Focaccia Bread
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This is my tried and true focaccia 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 ½ 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
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (120ml)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup lukewarm water, 110°F to 115°F (235ml)
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, one ¼-ounce packet
¼ teaspoon sugar, honey, or maple syrup
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (325g)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Make the 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 ¼ 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
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 9×13-inch baking pan. 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 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 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 pan. If you do not have this, use a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides. For thicker bread, use a 9-inch round pie dish/cake pan or 9-inch square baking pan (baking time will be a few minutes longer).
- 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.
Great cooks
Great recipe! I have been searching for something like this; simple and it doesn’t NEED to proof overnight. I’m planning on an Italian style burger tonight with roasted red pepper, mozz… haven’t decided on the rest yet. Maybe a roasted garlic aioli. Anyway, Chef here, but a novice Baker. Adjusting this to rolls, what sort of time differential would you estimate? I was planning on using my pizza stone.
Hi there, we have not made this into rolls ourselves, so there will be some experimenting on your end. I’d imagine the baking time will be somewhat similar, though. Just keep an eye on them.
I made this dough yesterday and let it rise in the refridgerator over night. This morning I let it warm on the counter. Following the recipe, it baked in fifteen minutes at 450°It turned out great, made my husband hungry and we each had a slice. It made enough for two people.I’ll use more salt next time. I’ll try it next as pizza dough!
I had tried three different recipes before this for focaccia bread recipe. This is the KEEPER! So easy, so delicious. Making sandwiches with them for dinner!
Hello! Looking forward to trying this, but unfortunately only have a dark pan or ceramic that is the 9×13. Would you recommend setting the oven to 425°?
“Cool on wire rack”…..directly, or put pan on rack to cool?
Once the bread it cool enough to do so, I remove it from the pan and place directly onto the rack (maybe 5 minutes after coming out of the oven).
I made this and it is sooo easy! And tasty! Will certainly make it again.
Wow, this was both easy and fun to make and the result was so yummy! I used a teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil…I look forward to experimenting with different spices. A real keeper! Thank you!
I’ve used this recipe for years now and it is great. I’ve used white and whole wheat flour, both with excellent results. My wife is from Tuscany and there they call it schiacciata. She says that it is some of the best she’s had. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
This is my very first comment on a recipe and I’m so happy I found this one! I am a bread baker and a pretty good cook, this is the best recipe ever! I’ve made this exactly as written a few times and it is perfection. The past two times I made it with garlic infused oil with the dried herbs (bread dipper) and it turned out perfect again. ,.Well done!! Thanks so much, it is wonderful.
You are so welcome! 🙂
Loved this ! This was my first time making focaccia and the recipe was easy to follow and tasty.
We are thrilled that you love the recipe! 🙂
I’m a beginner in the kitchen, but good at following recipes. This recipe is amazing! I went to every store in my town looking for foccacia for Christmas, with no luck. I was like, well…I’ve never baked bread, but I can do it! Your recipe was a hit, everyone loved it. Thank you so much! I had to make it twice, because it doesn’t work with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose Gluten-free flour. It didn’t rise at all. 🤣 So my poor sister couldn’t eat it.
This was delicious. Easy and turned out amazing!
Absolutely Delicious!!! I added sauteed onions on top and followed the recipe! Thank you both for sharing!!
Looking at making focaccia with spinach and feta. When would you recommend adding them in?
Made this last night for dinner and late night snack. It was delicious. Soft and pillowy. Added precooked onion and cheese.Not alt Younmy
Wonderful! So happy our recipe worked so well for you!
This is my second time making the focaccia, i think i may be addicted. This thing is genuinely so easy to pull together. Last time, i made it within a single day and it was excellent. This time i let it rest longer overnight. The original recipe doesnt call for this, but i put tons of vegetable toppings on my bread and it tastes so good. Diced tomato and bell pepper, red onion, thin sliced carrot, black olive, spinach leaf, and tons of herbs…i also enjoy the fact that i can make smiley faces, sunshines, and flowers with the vegetables, LOL! Life is too short not to make a fresh focaccia!! Thank you guys for the recipe!! I love how its quick and fun to make!! No stress and no worrying!
This is wonderful, Hannah! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
This is the first focaccia recipe I came across in the pandemic and it’s been a winner every time. The instructions are easy to follow and the video is great too. I made it for friends tonight and one said, this is like bakery quality. Needless to say it was a hit. Thank you!
Hi Estee, We are so happy you found our recipe, and how incredible that you’ve been with us so long!
This recipe was so easy and amazing! My bread came out exactly like the picture and my family ate it all in one day! This is my go to recipe for focaccia from now on.
That’s incredible Katerina. Thank you so much for coming back.
A fantastic recipe. Easy and delicious.
Ive never made any bread before. I was able to pull this together within the afternoon. Incredibly easy. I enjoyed topping it with red onions, bell peppers and tomato, and I made flower shapes with it…It got really nice and puffy in the oven. Ill definitely be returning to this one. Thank y’all.
Amazing! So happy you found our recipe and thank you for coming back!
So happy you think so, Nicki!
This recipe was super easy and quick to put together. I loved the smell of thr garlic and herb oil! The bread came out perfect, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The only thing I noticed was it seemed to be a little bland in relation to salt. I used the 1 tsp in the recipe and I am not one to add much salt to my food. I wonder if focaccia is just typically a little more mild in thr bread flavor than I expected. I’ll try 1.5 top of salt next time.
You can definitely add a bit more salt or wait until baked and sprinkle some flaky salt over the top.
I made this yesterday – the first time I’ve ever made focaccia bread, and OMG, I could have eaten the entire loaf in one sitting. It was SO delicious!!!
I’ve made this before and the recipe was fantastic. I’d like to make this and freeze it to gift for Christmas -what reheating directions should I include?
Hi Jennifer, What a lovely gift! I’d recommend thawing it first, then reheating in a toaster oven or the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Thank you!
I have made this recipe numerous times because it always is a crowd pleaser. I have been known to add a bit or parmasean cheese or powdered garlic butter into the dough. I’m still playing with ratios for those but right now I need to get back to the kitchen to help my neighbor learn how to make this.
I have been making this recipe for years and have shared it countless times. I usually make it as recommended but sometimes will replace the herbs with chili flakes and sometimes I make it in a deep dish pan for a thicker bread. It’s always delicious and reliable.
Love the addition of chili flakes!
This recipe works so well, its easy and quick and you don’t even need bread flour. The bread turned out super tasty.
Just made the focaccia bread it’s still rising. Looks great. Always lovely playing with dough.
Love this recipe so much! Easy and delicious. Do you think I’d be successful in freezing the dough?
We haven’t tested freezing the dough but it should work just fine. Let’s us know if you test it, we would be happy to update the recipe 🙂
Excellent recipe! Approved by a mom from Southern Italy!!
Now that is a review! So glad you love the recipe 🙂
if the oil is too warm can it kill the yeast when you add the 1/4 cup?
Yes, the yeast will be happy with 110-115 degrees F.
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 🙂
This is 10 out of 10 and beyond. I’ve made the oil with dried herbs with some dried chilli flakes. Then placed olives and sun-dried tomatoes on the top at the end. Absolutely delicious. The best focaccia recipe I’ve tried.
Can I use measure to measure gluten free flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi Anam, I don’t recommend using a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour for this focaccia. Because it’s a yeasted dough, it needs the gluten structure to rise properly, and most gluten-free blends won’t give the same texture. If you need a gluten-free option, it’s better to follow a focaccia recipe developed specifically for gluten-free flours.
Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Do you really have to cook the focaccia entirely before adding pizza toppings?
Hi Lynette, I do. That way the crust becomes golden. You can experiment, though!
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.