With sea salt, olive oil, and rosemary, this Focaccia Recipe is simple but ultra flavorful, with the perfect texture. Serve as an appetizer with extra olive oil for dipping or turn into sandwiches, pizza, and more.
Best Homemade Focaccia Recipe
Focaccia is the perfect example of a simple recipe using basic ingredients to make a standout dish. All you need is flour, yeast, sea salt, olive oil, rosemary, and sugar – things most of us always have on hand – but the end result is a flavorful, moist, and slightly dense bread that’s absolutely irresistible.
One thing I love about focaccia is just how easy it is to make. Yes, it takes some time as the dough needs to rise three times, but it doesn’t actually require skill or any special processes. You don’t even need a dough hook!
Why You’ll Love This Focaccia Bread Recipe
What makes this focaccia recipe the best? Here are a few things!
- Made with simple ingredients. You probably won’t need to run to the store before making this recipe! It’s made with pantry staples plus good quality olive oil and rosemary.
- No special tools or equipment. You don’t even need a dough hook to make this recipe. I prefer to knead my focaccia dough by hand!
- Versatile. Serve your homemade focaccia with the olive oil dipping sauce in the recipe or use it as a base for sandwiches, bruschetta, and more!
What You’ll Need
This Italian focaccia recipe is made with just a handful of simple ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Active dry yeast – Helps the focaccia rise in the oven.
- Granulated sugar
- Water – Warm, NOT hot, to activate the yeast.
- Olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Bread flour – Ensures there’s the right amount of gluten and creates a more tender bread.
- Sea salt
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary is key to a good focaccia recipe!
How To Make Focaccia Bread
Focaccia comes together in a few simple steps, though be sure to allow plenty of time for the dough to rise. Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Activate the yeast. Combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Let sit for about 5 minutes, until it foams.
- Make the dough. Stir in three tablespoons of olive oil to the yeast, followed by salt and 1/2 of the flour. Stir until mixed then continue adding flour until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.
- Knead the dough. Place the dough on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and satiny. You can also do this with a dough hook in the mixer if desired.
- Let rise. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Turn to coat all sides with oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1.5 hours.
- Shape and rise again. Shape the dough into a rectangle to fit in the pan. Push it into the corners with your fingertips. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about 45 minutes. It should rise but not quite double.
- Add texture and rise again. Use your fingertips to push dimples into the dough, pushing almost through to the pan. Cover with a damp towel and rise for another 45 minutes.
- Bake. Place sprigs of rosemary in each dimple and drizzle olive oil over the top. Add sea salt if desired. Spray the sides and bottom of the oven with water. Bake for 5 minutes then spray the oven again. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Tips & Tricks
Making focaccia bread is simple but there are a few important things to keep in mind.
- Fully knead the bread. If kneading by hand, you want to spend about 10 minutes kneading the bread. If you use a dough hook, it will be faster.
- Don’t add too much flour. Add flour just until the dough is no longer sticky. It should still be soft. Too much flour can lead to a dense, tough texture.
- Allow time for the dough to rise. There are three rise times in this recipe and each one is important. For all three, you want to select a warm spot to sit the dough. The time of the rise may vary depending on how warm the environment is.
- Add moisture to the oven. Spraying the sides and bottom of the water with oven is a trick that helps the crust form on the focaccia, as it creates a moist environment during baking.
Easy Slow Cooker Focaccia Bread
Making focaccia bread in the crockpot is the perfect way to get that authentic flavor while saving prep time. The way we achieve this is by using dinner rolls. Frozen yeast dinner rolls are the magical way we create this easy focaccia version.
- 17 each frozen yeast dinner rolls
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, place down 2 sheets of parchment paper in the pot.
- Place 17 frozen rolls all around the pot evenly spaced out, set on warm, and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, pour the oil all around and add the fresh rosemary and salt. then using your clean fingers poke holes all around the bread.
- Cook on high for another hour and a half.
- Carefully pull the paper to lift the bread out. Slice into slices and enjoy!
Ways To Serve Italian Focaccia Bread
There are so many ways to enjoy this focaccia. Personally, I love to serve it as an appetizer with an olive oil dipping sauce. I whisk together olive oil, Italian seasoning (or any herbs), garlic powder, and salt then serve it in a small bowl for dipping.
You can also use focaccia bread for sandwiches, as a pizza crust, to make bruschetta, or to spread your favorite jam on, like my Instant Pot cherry jam. Leftover focaccia can also be turned into super tasty croutons for soups! Sometimes I love to add toppings before baking like cheese, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes to name a few.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Focaccia can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. That said, it is definitely best the day it’s made!
- Freezer. Focaccia can also be frozen. Wrap it in plastic wrap tightly and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter.
More Bread Recipes
- Amish White Bread Recipe (4-ingredients)
- Beer Bread Recipe (3-ingredients)
- Homemade Honey Oat Bread Recipe
- Homemade White Bread Recipe
Homemade Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 envelope
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup water warmed to 95-105 degrees
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt plus 2 tsp. for sprinkling on top (optional)
- 7 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup fresh Rosemary sprigs
Ingredients for Dip
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Spray an approx. 10×15 inch cake pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast, sugar and water. Let sit until foamy (about 5 min). Stir in 3 Tablespoons olive oil.
- Add the 2 teaspoons salt and ½ of the flour and stir until mixed. Continue stirring and add in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft but not sticky dough.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny (about 10 minutes.) Can knead in mixer with a dough hook if desired.
- Oil a large bowl and place dough into it, turning once to coat top with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm area until double (about 1½ hours.)
- When doubled, roll dough into a rectangle to fit the size of your prepared pan. Place dough in pan and push it into the corners with your fingertips.
- Cover pan with a damp towel and let rise for about 45 minutes until not quite doubled.
- After risen, use your fingertips to push dimples into dough, across the entire surface. Push fingers deep into the dough, almost to the pan.
- Cover with the damp towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- After rising, place sprigs of the Rosemary into each dimple. Sprinkle 4 tbsp. olive oil across the top, allowing the oil to run into the dimples. Sprinkle with extra sea salt (if desired).
- Place pan into oven. Spray sides and bottom of the oven with water (the steam helps develop the crust of the bread).
- After 5 min. of baking, spray oven again and continue to bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Olive Oil Dip
- Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl for dipping.
Last Step:
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