With sea salt, olive oil, and fresh rosemary, this Focaccia Recipe is straightforward yet full of flavor, with a tender crumb and crisp, golden crust. Serve it as an appetizer with olive oil for dipping, use it for sandwiches, or turn it into a pizza base—focaccia is versatile and delicious.
Best Homemade Focaccia Recipe
Focaccia showcases how a few pantry staples can create an outstanding bread. Using flour, yeast, sea salt, olive oil, rosemary, and a touch of sugar, you’ll end up with moist, slightly dense bread with rich olive oil flavor and an irresistible crust. The process is largely hands-off: the dough needs several rises, but it doesn’t require advanced techniques or special equipment.
Why You’ll Love This Focaccia Bread Recipe
This recipe stands out for several reasons:
- Simple ingredients. Most items are pantry staples—use good quality olive oil and fresh rosemary for the best flavor.
- No special tools required. You can knead by hand; a mixer with a dough hook is optional.
- Very versatile. Enjoy it with an olive oil dip, use it for sandwiches, bruschetta, or as a base for pizza. It also takes toppings well—cheese, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and more.
What You’ll Need
This focaccia is made with a handful of simple ingredients. Scroll to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Active dry yeast – to leaven the dough.
- Granulated sugar – a small amount to activate the yeast.
- Warm water – around 95–105°F (35–40°C) to proof the yeast.
- Extra virgin olive oil – for the dough and for drizzling.
- Bread flour – gives the dough structure and a tender crumb.
- Sea salt
- Fresh rosemary – key for authentic flavor.
How To Make Focaccia Bread
The steps are simple but allow plenty of time for rising. Exact measurements and timings are shown in the recipe card below.
- Activate the yeast. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and wait about 5 minutes until foamy.
- Make the dough. Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil, add salt and half the flour. Mix, then add more flour until the dough is soft but not sticky.
- Knead. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny (about 10 minutes by hand). A mixer with a dough hook also works.
- First rise. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1½ hours.
- Shape and second rise. Press the dough into a rectangle to fit a 10×15-inch pan, pushing into the corners with your fingertips. Cover with a damp towel and let rise about 45 minutes; it should rise but not double.
- Dimple and final rise. Use your fingertips to create deep dimples across the surface, nearly to the pan. Cover and let rise another 45 minutes.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place small rosemary sprigs in the dimples, drizzle olive oil over the top (allow it to pool in the dimples) and sprinkle sea salt if desired. Add moisture to the oven by spraying a little water on the sides and bottom before baking; this helps develop a crisp crust. Bake 5 minutes, spray again, then bake an additional ~20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Tips & Tricks
A few key points will help you get the best focaccia:
- Knead fully. If working by hand, knead about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth; a mixer is faster.
- Avoid adding too much flour. Stop when the dough is no longer sticky but still soft—too much flour makes the bread dense.
- Respect the rises. There are three rises in this method. Choose a warm location and allow the dough time to develop flavor and structure.
- Create steam in the oven. Spraying the oven before and shortly after baking helps the crust form by creating a moist environment.
Easy Slow Cooker Focaccia Bread
If you prefer a no-oven option, you can make an easy slow cooker focaccia using frozen yeast dinner rolls. This method is convenient and produces a soft, pull-apart bread with focaccia flavors.
- 17 frozen yeast dinner rolls
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Line the slow cooker with two sheets of parchment paper.
- Arrange the frozen rolls evenly in the pot, set the cooker to warm, and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, pour the oil over the rolls, sprinkle rosemary and salt, then use clean fingers to poke holes across the surface.
- Cook on high for an additional 1½ hours. Use the parchment to lift the bread from the pot, slice, and serve.
Ways To Serve Italian Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is wonderful as an appetizer with an olive oil dip made from olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. It also makes excellent sandwiches, bruschetta, or a pizza base. Spread with jam for a sweet twist, or cut leftover focaccia into cubes and toast as croutons for soups and salads. Popular toppings to add before baking include cheese, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Focaccia is best the day it’s made.
- Freezer. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Bread Recipes
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- Beer Bread Recipe (3-ingredients)
- Homemade Honey Oat Bread Recipe
- Homemade White Bread Recipe
Homemade Focaccia Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2½ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup water, warmed to 95–105°F
- 3½ cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (plus 2 tsp for sprinkling, optional)
- 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup fresh rosemary sprigs
Ingredients for Dip
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Spray an approximately 10×15-inch cake pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit until foamy (about 5 minutes). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add 2 teaspoons salt and half the flour. Stir, then add remaining flour as needed to form a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. A mixer with a dough hook may be used.
- Oil a large bowl, place dough inside, turn to coat with oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1½ hours.
- When doubled, shape dough into a rectangle to fit the prepared pan and press into the corners with your fingertips.
- Cover with a damp towel and let rise about 45 minutes until not quite doubled.
- Use fingertips to push dimples across the entire surface, pressing nearly to the pan. Cover and let rise another 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Place rosemary sprigs into some dimples. Drizzle about 4 tablespoons olive oil over the top so it pools in the dimples. Sprinkle extra sea salt if desired.
- Place the pan in the oven. Spray the sides and bottom of the oven with water to create steam, which helps develop the crust.
- After 5 minutes, spray the oven again and continue baking about 20 more minutes until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Olive Oil Dip
- Whisk all dip ingredients in a small bowl and serve alongside the warm focaccia.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 41 g
| Protein: 7 g
| Fat: 22 g
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