This Homemade Focaccia Recipe is simple to make and tastes AMAZING! Not just bread with olive oil, this dough is infused with Italian flavor and topped with even more. Homemade focaccia is the perfect side dish for any Italian meal!
What is Focaccia?
How to Pronounce Focaccia
Focaccia is an Italian word pronounced fuh – kaa – chuh. If you are aiming for the proper Italian pronunciation, you will elongate the last sound since it is a double c.
You’ll love this Homade Focaccia Bread
This homemade focaccia recipe one of my family’s all-time favorite bread recipes. It does take time to make, but is much faster than a traditional bread recipe and is literally packed with flavor.
Homemade Focaccia Ingredients
- Warm water
- Instant yeast
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Basil
- Black pepper
- Rosemary
- Coarse salt
- Mozzarella cheese
Focaccia Flavorings
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
- Olives
- Pesto
- Baby asparagus
- Caramelized onion
- Goat cheese
- Leeks
- Pine nuts
- Pear
How to make Focaccia
- Combine both flours, yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder and herbs EXCEPT the rosemary in a large bowl.
- Slowly add and mix in 1 cup of the water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and then the rest of the water or enough to form a sticky dough.
- Knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- If you are using a mixer, the dough will stick substantially to the bottom of the bowl but clean the sides. If you are mixing by hand, it will be slightly sticky to the touch.
- Let rise (covered) in a lightly oiled bowl for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Oil a baking sheet (see note) generously with olive oil. Pour dough onto the sheet and, with oiled hands, spread it out. If it only spreads so far and bounces back, rest 5 minutes and spread it again.
- Once the dough has risen, press your fingertips into the dough to form dimples. Generously drizzle olive oil over the surface, letting it pool slightly in the dimples.
- Sprinkle the coarse salt, fresh rosemary, and mozzarella evenly over the top of the dough.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. It will sound hollow when tapped. Let cool before serving.
Homemade Focaccia Tips
Look at all those spices and seasonings!! If you have fresh, by all means, use them! Just be sure to chop them up really fine. In the pictures and video I made the whole recipe by hand, but of course, use a mixer if you have one!
I get the dough to this shaggy, mostly sticking together phase and then start to knead. This is what it should look like in the mixer as well, slightly sticky but enough moisture that the flour is all moisturized.
After you knead the dough for the FULL amount of time {seriously, don’t skimp!} it will smooth out. You will need to add flour periodically if you are kneading by hand to keep it from sticking too badly.
This picture is a good representation of how sticky it should be, just enough! Don’t make it too dry or you will have tough and dense homemade focaccia bread. And no one wants that!
This bread has two rise times, but they total about an hour and really are pretty quick. Don’t let the time hold you back! This homemade focaccia recipe is worth the time and effort!
Don’t be alarmed by the amount of oil in this recipe. It’s part of what makes focaccia bread actual Focaccia Bread. Promise 🙂 . Because there is a significant amount of oil in and on the homemade focaccia bread recipe, use a quality olive oil because you will taste it.
Once the dough has risen briefly for the second time on the sheet pan, you dimple it with your fingers, giving it that traditional look we all associate with focaccia bread. The dimples will fill and hold oil and be oh-so-delicious when the bread is finished!
YUM! Oh, you want to see another angle of this beautiful dough? Ok great, here it is.
I could keep going…..but I’ll just show you the final product. See how the crust is crispy and oily? The trick to keeping it crispy is to bake the bread, let it cool for 10 minutes, then let it finish cooling on a wire rack.
Just kidding. Use two spatulas and have the cooling rack right there so you can slide it slightly too.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!! Need a delicious pasta recipe to go with this bread? Check out my Spaghetti with Lemon Cream Sauce or my Homemade Marinara Sauce.
Serving Easy Focaccia Bread
Once the focaccia bread has cooled, cut it into squares. In a flat dish, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Dip the bread in the oil and vinegar mixture and enjoy!
Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe FAQ
Ciabatta is an Italian bread that is usually made with a pre-ferment. Focaccia is different because the dough doesn’t typically use a pre-ferment. There are also herbs and olive oil added to the focaccia dough. The last difference is how it is baked. Ciabatta is a loaf that is shaped by gradual layering. Focaccia is baked in a sheet pan with olive oil and fresh rosemary.
For this recipe, I use all-purpose flour. I also add a little bit of whole wheat flour for added texture.
There are a few differences between focaccia bread and other breads. Focaccia bread dough is made with olive oil and herbs. Additionally, it is baked differently. It is baked on a sheet tray with olive oil and fresh herbs on top as opposed to being baked in a loaf.
More Delicious Bread Ideas:
- How to Bake Bread From Scratch
- Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
- Classic Orange Rolls
- How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites
- Easy Dinner Roll Recipe
- 60 Minute Homemade Herb Bread
- Herby Garlic Cheese Bread
Easy Focaccia Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cup water warm
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for drizzling
- 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons thyme see note
- 1 teaspoon basil see note
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tablespoons rosemary fresh, see note
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine both flours, yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder and herbs EXCEPT the rosemary in a large bowl.
- Slowly add and mix in 1 cup of the water, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and then the rest of the water or enough to form a sticky dough.
- Knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- If you are using a mixer, the dough will stick substantially to the bottom of the bowl but clean the sides. If you are mixing by hand, it will be slightly sticky to the touch.
- Let rise (covered) in a lightly oiled bowl for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Oil a baking sheet (see note) generously with olive oil. Pour dough onto the sheet and, with oiled hands, spread it out. If it only spreads so far and bounces back, rest 5 minutes and spread it again.
- Once the dough is spread over the entire sheet, let it rise (covered) for 15 more minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, press your fingertips into the dough to form dimples. Generously drizzle olive oil over the surface, letting it pool slightly in the dimples.
- Sprinkle the coarse salt, fresh rosemary, and mozzarella evenly over the top of the dough.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. It will sound hollow when tapped. Let cool before serving.
Maria says
Hello Alli, a big compliment on the Focaccia bread recipe. I made it today and thought it was very shaggy, from kneading all the way to dumping it onto the cookie sheet. I did not keep adding flour to it, the breads just don’t turn out as light.
It did rise beautifully both times, I did get lost at what size cookie sheet to use and settled on the 19×13 inch one, which is an air sheet. I also mixed all the spices into the dough instead of saving salt/rosemary for the topping. And I used Parmesano reggiano on top.
Wow, this came out perfect, we couldn’t wait for it to cool and sample.
Thank you, this is going to be a staple in our house from now on, I image this as sandwich bread for sure.
Maria
Alli says
Thank you for the feedback! So glad you liked it, Maria.
Alli says
One of our favorites!