Rosemary sprigs around a 9 inch round focaccia bread

Easy Focaccia Recipe

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This easy focaccia recipe requires no kneading at all! It is crisp on the outside from the olive oil and soft and chewy on the inside. Add more flavor with the herb of your choice and serve this easy bread with any dinner, or slice in half to make delicious sandwiches!

Focaccia is my favorite bread to make and to eat! It is so easy and the flavor is so incredible!

I’ll be honest, writing this post has made me crave homemade focaccia again so I will have to go mix some up. But first, let’s talk about the easiest bread recipe.

Two round loaves of homemade herbed focaccia with rosemary.

Ingredients to make focaccia:

  • Yeast – This recipe has been tested using instant yeast. Go ahead and substitute active dry if that is what you have. Just make sure to proof the yeast in the warm water for a few minutes before adding to the flour.
  • Sugar – The sugar is in this recipe to help ‘feed’ the yeast and get it working and also to aid in the browning of the focaccia during baking.
  • Flour – I use all-purpose flour in this focaccia recipe but you could use bread flour if you prefer. They will both produce plenty of gluten during the long proof in the refrigerator. You don’t even have to knead it the way that you do with most bread recipes.
  • Water – Using warm water in this focaccia recipe will help to get the yeast active and growing. You could use cold water and the recipe will still work but the dough will proof slightly slower.
  • Salt – Every recipe needs salt. Salt intensifies the other flavors that are present. You won’t taste salty bread but there will be a noticeable difference and flat flavor if you leave the salt out of any bread recipe.
  • Olive Oil – Any olive oil will work in this recipe. I like to use robustly flavored olive oil. This is one recipe where you will welcome that beautiful flavor!
  • Herbs – Rosemary is a favorite herb of mine. I use it constantly but you can easily use any herb that you like and have on hand. Fresh or dried herbs work well in this recipe.
  • Sea Salt – In my opinion, a good dose of flaky sea salt on focaccia is amazing! It is second only to the crispy exterior that the olive oil creates in your focaccia.
Large air pockets in the crust of easy focaccia.

How to make easy focaccia at home

This easy focaccia recipe couldn’t be easier for you to whip up at home. There is no kneading, just mixing up in a bowl.

This recipe does require a bit of patience though. The longer that the dough sits in the refrigerator to prove, the more flavor your focaccia will have.

I prefer to mix it up in the evening and take it out the next day in the early afternoon.

This will give it enough time to come to room temperature and bake up for dinner!

Making this recipe:

  1. Mix up the ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or danish whisk.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
  3. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half.
  4. Prepare two 9 inch round pans with a little olive oil.
  5. Place the one piece of dough in each pan. Using your hands, gently stretch and push the dough out so that it is about the same size and shape of the pan.
  6. Cover and proof at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. The dough should pretty much fill the pan and it will be fluffy.
  7. Preheat your oven to 450ËšF.
  8. Drizzle on some more olive oil and make the dimples in the dough by driving your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan (photo below).
  9. Sprinkle on chopped herbs of your choice – rosemary, thyme, chives – add garlic as well, if desired! Sprinkle well with flaky sea salt. This is my favorite part!
  10. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 425ËšF. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
  11. Remove and cool. Then enjoy!
  12. If you are super tempted to eat ALL of the focaccia in one day like me, wrap one of the round loaves in clingfilm and then in foil after it has cooled completely. Store in the freezer for up to a month! Thaw, unwrap, and then reheat in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes before serving.
Making deep holes in focaccia dough prior to baking.
Two rounds of easy Focaccia Bread.
Focaccia can also be made in a rectangular pan as one large loaf.

Ways to serve this easy focaccia:

Focaccia goes so well with any meal. I love to tear off chunks and dip in soups and stews or use it to soak up sauces or gravy.

You can also slice up your focaccia (right down the center) and use it to make a sandwich. Trust me, you will thank me!

Or top your baked focaccia with tomato sauce and your choice of pizza toppings. Bake for a few minutes and enjoy a delicious focaccia pizza!

Cut up your focaccia and serve on a charcuterie board with cheese, meats and fruits. This easy focaccia will be a welcome addition to any appetizer!

Focaccia Topping Ideas

Focaccia is one of those things that is easy to customize at a moments notice. You can top it with whatever you have on hand and change things out according to your cravings.

Try some of these on top of your focaccia:

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Olives
  • Caramelized onions
  • Thinly slice potatoes
  • Thinly sliced apples
  • Bacon
  • Garlic
  • Parmesan
  • Mozzarella
  • Sun-dried tomatoes
  • Mushrooms
  • Thinly slice pears
  • Chives
  • Cheddar

What is your favorite topping? Let me know if the comments below!

Tag me on Instagram @globalbakesbytanya when you make focaccia!

Happy Baking!

Easy Focaccia
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Easy Focaccia

Recipe by Tanya Ott
Servings

16

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

  • 480 mL (2 cups) warm water

  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 500 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil, for dough

  • 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling

  • Chopped rosemary, thyme, or other herb of your choice

  • Sea Salt

Directions

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and instant yeast. Stir well and add the warm water. Using a Danish whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon, mix until all of the flour is incorporated. There should be no small pockets of flour left that are not mixed in. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours. The longer the better to build flavor.
  • Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into each of the 9-inch pans. Divide the dough in half with knife or bench scraper and place one piece of dough in each pan. Turn the dough to coat with oil on both sides. Push the dough out to roughly the shape and size of the pan.
  • Cover each pan with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 2 to 3 hours. The dough should cover most of the pan.
  • Preheat oven to 450ËšF with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.
  • Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over each piece of dough. Using both hands, press straight down and create deep dimples in the dough that go all the way through the dough. If needed, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan.
  • Sprinkle the top of each dough round with the herbs of your choice and flaky sea salt.
  • Place the pans in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 425ËšF. Bake for 24 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden and the undersides are crisp. Carefully remove from the pans with a spatula and cool on a cooling rack.
  • To freeze, allow focaccia to cool completely, then transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw and enjoy at room temperature or warm for 10 minutes in a 350ËšF oven.

For more easy bread recipes, check out these ideas!

Cheddar, Garlic & Chive Scones

Easy Garlic Naan

Braided Pesto Loaf

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