Even bread beginners can pull off this homemade focaccia recipe! Topped with olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt, it's SO delicious and easy to make.
This focaccia recipe is our favorite bread to bake at home. We love it because it’s soft and pillowy in the middle, crisp and golden around the edges, and filled with rich flavor from olive oil and sea salt. And that’s just the start! The #1 reason we love this focaccia recipe is that it’s so easy to make.
When Jack first started baking bread (15+ years ago now!), he made lots of rustic ciabatta loaves. The ingredients were simple, and the bread came out delicious, but it required hours of rising and precise kneading. So when we discovered how simple it is to make really good focaccia bread, we didn’t look back.
Now, this focaccia recipe is our go-to. We first published a version of it in my cookbook Love & Lemons Every Day and have since revised the recipe to yield an even lighter, crisper focaccia that we can never get enough of. It’s a wonderful recipe for bread beginners and seasoned bakers alike—simple, forgiving, and always delicious.
What is focaccia bread?
Focaccia (pronounced foh-KAH-chyuh) is an Italian style of bread. According to Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, it’s most closely associated with the northwestern Italian region of Liguria and its capital city Genoa.
You can recognize focaccia by its flat shape and characteristic dimpled surface. Made with an olive oil-enriched, salted dough, it might be baked plain or topped with vegetables, herbs, and/or cheese. Find some of my favorite toppings in the post below!
Focaccia Bread Ingredients
Ready to bake? Here’s what you’ll need to make this focaccia bread recipe:
- All-purpose flour – Flour is the main ingredient in this recipe, so measuring it as accurately as you can will serve you well. If you have a kitchen scale, now’s the time to use it! Weighing the flour will give you the most precise measurement. If you don’t have a scale, your next best bet is spooning and leveling the flour to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Warm water – It hydrates the dough. Heads up: The biggest change we’ve made to this recipe over the years is increasing the ratio of water to flour. The dough is very wet, but this high level of hydration gives the bread a wonderful airy texture inside!
- Active dry yeast or instant yeast – Proof it in the water with a little cane sugar before mixing up the dough.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds rich flavor to the focaccia and makes its edges crisp and golden.
- Fresh rosemary – For topping. Find other topping suggestions below!
- Sea salt – Seasoned bread=flavorful bread. Mix fine sea salt into the focaccia dough. Before baking the loaf, sprinkle flaky salt on top!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Focaccia Bread
The first step in this focaccia recipe is making the dough. Start by proofing the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the water and sugar. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes, or until foamy. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast.
When the yeast is foamy, add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Then, increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. The dough will become very sticky and elastic. It will begin grabbing the sides of the bowl.
It’s time for the first rise! Brush a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use a spatula to transfer the dough from the bowl of the stand mixer to the oiled bowl. It will be too sticky to transfer by hand!
Use your fingers to brush any oil that’s pooling around the edges of the dough over its surface. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Next, shape the focaccia. Brush a 9×13-inch pan with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Tip
My favorite pan to use for this recipe is a nonstick aluminum 9×13-inch baking pan.
If your pan is not nonstick, I recommend greasing it with butter before adding the oil. It might seem excessive, but it’s essential for preventing the bread from sticking!
Uncover the dough and rub your hands with olive oil. Slide your hand under one edge of the dough and fold it into the center of the bowl. Continue working your way around the edge of the bowl, folding the dough into itself, until you have a rough ball that you can lift from the bowl (see above photo).
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and turn to coat it in the oil.
Press the dough to the pan’s edges. Let it relax, and then press it to the edges again.
Let the dough rise for a second (shorter) time. Cover the pan and set it aside for 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. 30 minutes into this rise, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Dimple the dough. Uncover the focaccia and drizzle 2 more tablespoons of oil on top of the dough. Rub your hands with olive oil and use your fingers to make indentations across the surface of the dough. You don’t have to be gentle here! Press all the way through the dough to the pan. Some air bubbles should pop up in the process. That’s good! They brown beautifully in the oven.
Finally, top and bake. Add your desired toppings (flaky sea salt and rosemary are my go-tos!) and bake until the focaccia is golden brown, 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Let cool slightly, and then slice and enjoy! You can’t beat warm focaccia bread.
Focaccia Recipe Tips
- Oil your hands. This recipe asks you to oil your hands often. It might seems unnecessary or repetitive, but it makes a HUGE difference. Focaccia dough is wet and sticky, and it will stick to your hands if they’re not oiled, making it really difficult to work with. So, please! Oil your hands liberally. Just think of it as a little extra moisturizer!
- Temperature affects rising time. I’ve given estimated times for each rise in this recipe, but the primary indicator of when to move on to the next step should be the size of the dough. It might take more or less time to double depending on the temperature of the place it’s rising. Generally, the warmer dough is, the faster it rises. If it’s cold, it rises more slowly.
- Freeze the extras. Homemade focaccia is best on the day it’s made, but it will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like to have it on hand for longer, I recommend freezing it. It thaws and reheats nicely!
Recipe Variations
Most often, I make this recipe as written, topped with flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary. But if you’d like to experiment with other toppings, by all means, do! Any of these would be delicious:
- Sliced olives
- Roasted cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes
- Fresh thyme
- Caramelized onions
- Roasted garlic
- Thinly sliced Meyer lemon
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Let me know what variations you try!
How to Make Focaccia Sandwiches
This homemade focaccia bread is delicious as a snack and as a side for salads and soups…but it makes great sandwiches too!
Just slice the loaf in half horizontally and fill it with your favorite sandwich fixings.
I love to use it to make these easy Caprese Sandwiches!
More Favorite Bread Recipes
If you love this rosemary focaccia bread, try one of these easy recipes next:
- No-Knead Bread
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Garlic Knots
- Homemade Bagels
- Pita Bread
- Or any of these 25 Super Fun Baking Recipes!
Focaccia Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups warm water, 105° to 115°F
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar
- 1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast, 2¼ teaspoons
- 500 grams all-purpose flour, 4 cups
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for your hands
- Flaky sea salt, optional, for sprinkling
- Chopped fresh rosemary, optional, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir again. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast.
- Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. A very elastic, sticky dough should form and begin grabbing the sides of the bowl.
- Brush a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, using a spatula to scrape it out of the bowl of the stand mixer. It will be too sticky to transfer by hand. Use your fingers to lightly brush any oil that’s pooling at the edges of the dough over its surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Brush a 9x13-inch baking dish* with another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Uncover the dough and rub your hands with olive oil. As best you can, slide your hand under one edge of the dough and fold it into itself. Continue working your way around the edge of the bowl, folding the dough into itself, until you have a rough ball that you can lift from the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and turn to coat in the oil. Press the dough to the pan’s edges. Let it relax and pull away from the edges, then press it to the edges again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 30 minutes into this rise, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Rub your hands with olive oil, then use your fingers to make indentations across the surface of the dough, pressing through the dough to the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and rosemary, if desired. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Ok, this was stupendous. Easy to make. I love that it was part whole wheat. I could have put more rosemary on because it becomes crispy and light and delicious in the oven, and not overpowering. I used two whole roasted heads of garlic. It was a huge pan and really a show stopper with a simple soup. Husband and I gobbled up far too much.
Don’t be afraid to try this recipe. Jump in and proceed with confidence. It is foolproof!
I’m so glad you loved it!
First time ever making focaccia bread. I used all A/P flour (5 cups). Added to bowl of stand mixer the flour, oil, salt and yeast mixture and ran for 6 minutes. Did not form into a ball like I thought it would, so I’m not sure what I may have done incorrectly? I scraped it onto a floured surface and added flour until I could knead the dough without it sticking and form a ball. Placed the ball into a greased bowl. It looks like it is rising, so that’s a good thing! Perhaps A/P flour should be 6 cups to start?
Hi Kelli, yep, if you used all AP flour the dough would be sticker and could require a bit more. It sounds like you made the right corrections by kneading in some more.
Thanks, I’ll make a note for next time. It turned out great! I didn’t have bulb garlic, so I placed small amounts of minced garlic in the holes, covered them with EVOO so the garlic wouldn’t burn while baking, sprinkled the pepper flakes, then sprinkled Maldon salt over the whole thing before baking. I’ll definitely make this again!
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it
Hi! can I use flour substitutes like oat flour?
Hi Josie, not for this recipe. I’d search for a recipe that’s specifically gluten free, if that’s a necessity.
Hi,
For how many days I can store this bread in a bread box? I mean, for how many days they will remain fresh?
Hi Asma, it’s best on the first day or 2nd day if wrapped in foil overnight. It also freezes really well.
Can you use 75% or 100% whole wheat flour?
Hi Ilana, no, it’ll be dense and dry. We prefer the combination.
this is a amazing and delicious recipe i love it it is amazing and incredible.
Will either Himalayan pink sea salt or regular table salt work here?
Hi Hayley, I’d stay away from iodized table salt since it has a bitter flavor. Fine grain sea salt is best, Himalayan salt might work unless it’s too coarse.
Wow, this recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it.
Made this today and it came out delicious. I dropped some off at my co-workers houses and they loved it as well! I used garlic powder instead of whole gloves, still came out delicious! Thank you!
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you loved it!
I would like to add lemon to it somehow ..how do I do that?
Not lemons on top but juice within….
Hi Bev, I would add lemon zest (of 1-2 lemons) to the dough and avoid juice because juice would affect the dry/wet ratio of the dough. You should get the lemony flavor you’re going for with the zest. Hope that helps!
Thank you
How many teaspoons of yeast do I use?
I am in Canada and measure by tsp.
Hi Bev, it’s 2 1/4 teaspoons
Hi! I love all your recipes, always delightful despite having to convert everything to the metric system! How much is a package of active dry yeast in the US (there different sizes here in France…) and I tend to prefer fresh yeast anyway… Thanks!
Hi Alix, it’s 7 grams. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks for your quick answer, it is rising!
With fresh Rosemary leaves it was delicious, airy on the inside and crusty on the outside. I served in with a few simple veggies, basil tomato with burrata, cucumbers with just a pinch of salt and roasted marinated peppers, perfect easy evening meal!
I’m so glad you loved it! Your evening meal sounds delightful 🙂
Ok. So I don’t have a stand mixer & I’m newer to bread making. Looking for guidance on doing this by hand.
Hi Ami, you can mix it in a bowl, with a spoon or rubber spatula, switching to your hands as the mixture gets thick. Mix it for 5-6 minutes or until it forms a ball and then move on to step 3 (more kneading). You basically want the dough ball to feel smooth before you put it in the bowl to rest.
Hope that helps!
Can you use only all purpose flour if you don’t have whole wheat flour?
Hi Heidi (sorry for my slow reply!). Yes, you can use AP flour.
I am part of a Supper Club and have made this recipe for the last two dinner gatherings. I first made your recipe (rosemary/garlic) and it was EASY to make and absolutely delicious. For the second dinner, I topped it with pesto and Everything seasoning (like what you find on top of an everything bagel) and it, too, was absolutely delicious. This is a no-fail recipe and you can get creative with toppings. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Hi Elaine, I’m so glad you loved it! Ooh I love the everything seasoning idea!
This recipe is great. Definitely brings something new to our Christmas feast.
Could you make it with GF flour?
Hi Kristine, I don’t think a 1/1 swap would work out the same on this one.
This recipe looks absolutely amazing! I tried making focaccia not too long ago but will absolutely have to give this one a go!
I made this today, it is delicious! We loved the flavors and how light it is. I used only white whole wheat flour (I do not use white flour in any of my baking). I also added chopped sundried tomatoes to the recipe. I will be making this on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Maureen, I’m so glad you loved it! I love your sun dried tomato idea!
great alternative to the same old bread recipe, thank you!
Just made this focaccia, turned out great – the dough is so pleasantly fluffy! Thank you for the recipe.