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 (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 to make dough and for baking the 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. Sugar: A bit of sugar (1/4 teaspoon) helps wake up our yeast. Use sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
How to Make Focaccia Bread
To make homemade focaccia, we’ll first make our garlic and herb olive oil. It’s so easy and makes the bread unbelievably delicious. I combine the olive oil with minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper in a skillet over low heat. I’m not trying to brown the garlic and herbs, only warm them to release flavor and oils into the olive oil. While the oil cools, start your dough. Just like making pizza dough, the first step for focaccia is to wake up your yeast. So add it to a bowl with warm water and a small amount of sugar. Stir a few times, and then let it start to bubble. If you don’t see any bubbling after 5 minutes, you probably have dead yeast, so you will need to get more yeast and try again. You can see the bubbles around the edge of the bowl in the next photo (they look small and foamy). Now stir in some of the flour and some of the infused olive oil, then let the wet dough sit for 5 minutes before adding the remaining flour and salt (salt can inhibit yeast, which is why we are adding it now as opposed to earlier). At this point, the focaccia dough looks shaggy and may be sticky. I gently knead it 5 to 10 times to bring it together, then allow it to rise in a warm(ish) area until doubled in size. If your oven has a proof setting, use it. It proofs for about 1 hour. (For my tips on proofing focaccia dough in the refrigerator overnight, see our recipe tips below.) Now it’s time to bake your focaccia, so empty the dough into an oiled 9×13-inch rimmed baking sheet or pan. Add lots of dimples with your fingertips, and then pour over more of your infused olive oil. 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!
What to Serve with Focaccia
Our family makes a lot of homemade focaccia! We love using it for sandwiches. I love it with this tuna salad or this egg salad. It’s amazing dipped into soup. Try our creamy vegetable soup or this homemade tomato soup. You can serve focaccia with dips. I especially love this easy olive oil dip and our creamy spinach and artichoke dip. And, this bread goes really well with anything Italian like these big Italian meatballs or lasagna. You can even turn this into 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. Proof and bake the same day with our easy recipe or follow our tips in the article for proofing the dough overnight in the fridge. 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 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.) 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.
