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Focaccia

October 7, 2021

Dimpled, fluffy and slicked with just the right amount of olive oil, this easy focaccia recipe is fool-proof and fantastic.

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homemade focaccia bread with olive oil and salt

Nothing Less Than A Trusty, Basic, Homemade Focaccia Recipe

Focaccia bread is having as much of a moment as sourdough, and rightly so! This olive oil-enriched, yeasted bread, dusted with flaky salt and baked to golden perfection is so easy to make, it almost feels like cheating. Our focaccia recipe is easy enough for even the most nervous bread-baking beginners—promise!—and the bread that it yields is just so, so good. Rich, tender, fluffy perfection. No store-bought bread will ever compare to the way that bread made by your own two hands will taste. There’s a special magic about homemade bread, and focaccia is one of the very easiest to master. Focaccia goes with everything, too. Homemade focaccia turns even the most basic meal into a special event. Serve your warm-from-the-oven focaccia alongside a simple salad and call it a light summer dinner, or with big bowls of pasta and plenty of good wine for a true Italian countryside feast. You can even use leftovers the next day as the world’s greatest sandwich bread if you have any leftovers (which we never do.)

bowl of all purpose flour, olive oil, salt, water and yeast on the counter

What is Focaccia?

Focaccia is an Italian bread with ancient roots. Focaccia is sometimes referred to in Italy as pizza genovese, because it is considered an iconic food of Liguria (you haven’t lived until you’ve eaten slabs of acciuga-topped focaccia on a beach in the Cinque Terre), and is particularly associated with Genoa, the capital of Liguria. Focaccia bread is thick and a bit spongy and gloriously olive-oiled, with that golden elixir pooling in the many little dimples that dot the top crust of the bread. You can eat it in its simplest form—our recipe is as basic as can be, just olive oil and salt flavor the simple dough—but it is not uncommon to top it with a few carefully-chosen delicious things. Classic focaccia toppings include:

  • Fresh rosemary and olives

  • Thinly sliced tomatoes and anchovies

  • Thinly sliced onions

a large bowl of warm water and yeast
flour and salt mixed together in a bowl
flour, salt, water and yeast in a bowl for homemade focaccia bread
flour, salt, water and yeast mixed together in a bowl for homemade focaccia bread

Four Simple Pantry Ingredients Are All You Need to Make the Best Focaccia Ever

Here’s the one thing you really need to know about making focaccia at home—make sure your packet of yeast is FRESH. If you’re not sure how old the packet is, toss it and get a new one. Your yeast much be active for this focaccia bread recipe to work. If your yeast is happy, your bread will turn out! Promise. Here are the four main focaccia dough ingredients:

  • Instant yeast.

  • All-purpose flour.

  • Salt. We call for two kinds in this focaccia recipe—kosher salt for the dough and flaky sea salt for finishing.

  • Extra virgin olive oil.

homemade focaccia bread dough rising in a bowl with olive oil
homemade focaccia bread dough rising in a bowl with olive oil
homemade focaccia bread dough in a baking dish with olive oil
homemade focaccia bread dough dimpled in a baking dish with olive oil

How To Make Focaccia Bread

Our focaccia bread recipe could be considered a quick focaccia, because—although it needs a two hour rise—it’s a lot faster start to finish than the increasingly popular no-knead focaccia recipes that are out there. For us, a ten minute kneading session is worth it to save the 8-hour (or overnight) rising time that no-knead recipes call for. Plus, kneading is fun! We’d even call it downright therapeutic. Here’s how to make our easy focaccia bread recipe:

  1. Activate the yeast! Bring some water to 110°F, and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it get happy and active for about 10 minutes. It should be bubbly and expanding.

  2. Begin the focaccia dough. Whisk together the flour and salt, and work the yeast mixture in with your hands just until it comes together. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

  3. Knead the focaccia dough! Work the dough until smooth, about 10 minutes.

  4. Let the focaccia dough rise for two hours, or until it has doubled in size.

  5. Shape the dough in the pan. Turn the focaccia dough into an oiled pan.

  6. Dimple the focaccia! To make the characteristic focaccia dimples, oil your fingertips and press firmly into the top of the focaccia. As you work, stretch the focaccia dough evenly into the pan, until it reaches all the edges of the pan.

  7. Let the focaccia rise again for 30-60 more minutes.

  8. Bake the focaccia! Drizzle the focaccia dough oil and a dusting of flaky sea salt and bake it until it’s puffed and lightly golden brown.

homemade focaccia bread dough ready to bake in a baking dish with olive oil
fresh baked focaccia bread recipe in a baking dish

Tools You’ll Need

best focaccia bread recipe with olive oil and salt
homemade focaccia bread on the counter

More Homemade Bread Recipes

homemade focaccia bread
homemade focaccia bread with olive oil and salt

Homemade Focaccia Bread Makes Every Meal Just A Little Better

Try this easy focaccia recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? We always want to hear about your kitchen wins, and we especially want to hear about your bread triumphs! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Focaccia

  • Serves:  12
  • Prep Time:  3 hrs
  • Cook Time:  30 min
  • Calories:  233

Ingredients

  • 1 (.25 oz) pack instant yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
  • 1 3/4 cup warm water (110°F to 115°F)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
  • flaky salt for serving

Method

  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Whisk briefly, then set aside to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the bubbly yeast water to the flour and using your hands or a spatula mix until a shaggy dough forms. Set aside for 10 minutes.

  3. Grease a second large bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough with floured hands until smooth, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside for 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

  4. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with 3 tablespoons of oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Lightly oil your fingertips. Using your fingers, press firmly into the focaccia all over, making dimples as you go, stretching it to the corners of the pan. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot for 30-60 more minutes.

  5. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Carefully drizzle the focaccia with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle it all over with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and lightly golden brown all over, 25–30 minutes.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 233
  • Protein 4 g
  • Carbohydrates 32 g
  • Total Fat 9 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 390 mg
  • Total Sugars 0 g

Focaccia

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Gisela

    Can I use a stand up mixer to make the dough? Thank you!

    Yes you can!

  • Emily

    Any way to make this flavored? If I wanted to add rosemary how would I do that?

    You can top it with a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary before baking, hope you enjoy Emily!

  • Karen

    How many servings in this loaf.

    12. Hope you enjoy!

  • Matt

    I made this for the first time today. It was good but I want to make a few modifications moving forward.
    The first batch was dense and overworked. I recommend way less than 10 minutes of kneading.
    I needed (much) more olive oil on top. The bread was good but didn't have the oily characteristic you expect in a focaccia. I'm going to try 4-6 tbsp oil before going in the oven.
    I needed to be more aggressive with the dimples. Most of my dimples vanished in the final proof and bake. The recipe says "firmly" but really go for it. Like press hard against the bottom of the pan. I've even heard some people say you should press so hard that you form actual holes through the bottom.

    Nothing beats freshly baked bread. This recipe is a good starting point. Refining the methods and ratios will bring it to 5 stars.

    Thanks for the feedback!

  • Jenn

    I had a lazy Saturday at home so I decided to make this since and it was so good. My kids loved it!

    Thanks Jenn, we are so happy you all loved it!