Learn how to make focaccia bread with our tried and true method. This easy homemade focaccia recipe is perfect for beginners and, thanks to our easy garlic and rosemary infused olive oil, tastes amazing.
Watch the recipe
I can’t tell you how often I’ve made this easy focaccia bread recipe! I love it so much. If you aren’t a regular bread baker, don’t look away! Focaccia bread is easy to make and perfect for beginners. The inside is soft and chewy, and the outside turns crisp and tastes fantastic thanks to our easy-to-make garlic and herb-infused olive oil.
Our recipe calls for kneading the bread 10 to 15 times, so while it is not a no-knead focaccia, you are only looking at 30 seconds of kneading time. Use this garlic rosemary focaccia bread to make sandwiches or serve with your favorite meals, soups, or salad, like Caesar salad. I especially love this focaccia with our roasted tomato soup.
Focaccia bread ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil makes focaccia bread taste delicious. It adds to the texture as well as the flavor of the bread. The secret to the best focaccia bread is using a great olive oil. You don’t need to spend lots of money. Just use the olive oil you enjoy.
- Garlic & herbs make our garlic focaccia delicious. I use two garlic cloves but feel free to increase or use roasted garlic for more of a garlic kick. I love rosemary focaccia, so I always use fresh rosemary. In our photos, I’ve also added fresh thyme. While I love fresh herbs for this recipe, I’ve included dried substitutes below.
- Yeast, warm water, & sugar help the dough rise and give it structure — just like when making homemade pizza dough. The warmth of the water and the sugar wake up the yeast. Use honey, maple syrup, or sugar.
- All-purpose flour is perfect for making focaccia bread. Bread flour will also work in our focaccia recipe.
- Salt & pepper make our bread taste amazing.
How to make homemade focaccia bread
I love making homemade focaccia bread. Our easy recipe makes delicious fresh bread in no time, requiring very little effort from you.
To start, infuse the olive oil with garlic and fresh herbs. This simple step makes the bread unbelievably delicious. We’ll add the infused olive oil to the focaccia dough and use it to bake the bread in the oven.
Now it’s time to make our easy focaccia dough. Mix yeast with warm water and sugar or honey. The warm water and sugar activate the yeast, which helps the dough rise.
Then, stir in some flour and 1/4 cup of the infused olive oil. The dough is very wet at this point, so let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, add the remaining flour and some salt.
The dough may look shaggy, so knead it 10 to 15 times to bring it together. This recipe isn’t technically a no-knead focaccia, but we only need to knead for 30 seconds, so it’s still super simple!
Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. You can do this at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. At room temperature, it takes around 1 hour. For my tips on proofing focaccia dough in the refrigerator, see our make-ahead tips below.
Use a quarter sheet pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan to bake the focaccia dough. Oil the baking pan, and then drop the risen dough on top. Use your fingers to add lots of dimples to the dough, then pour over the remaining garlic and herb-infused oil. Before baking, let the dimpled focaccia dough rise for another 20 to 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown.
Make ahead tips
You can make focaccia dough up to 3 days in advance. Make the dough according to our recipe, but instead of proofing the dough at room temperature for the first rise, proof it in the refrigerator. Oil the dough well, place it into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a sealed lid, and leave it for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
When you are ready to bake the focaccia, dump the dough onto your oiled baking pan and add a little more oil. The dough is cold at this point, so it needs to come to room temperature before adding the dimples.
After 2 hours, your dough should be at room temperature. Use your fingers to press the dough down into the pan and add dimples. Pour over the rest of your infused olive oil, and let the dough proof for 20 to 30 minutes before baking it in the oven.
Storing tips
- Room temperature: Store homemade focaccia in an airtight bag or container for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: We don’t recommend storing the focaccia in the refrigerator since it tends to dry the bread out quickly. For long-term storage (longer than 2 days), freeze your bread.
- Freezer: Freeze baked and cooled focaccia bread in an airtight bag or container for up to 1 month. I like to cut the focaccia into portions and wrap them in foil before adding them to a freezer bag. To reheat, thaw at room temperature for an hour or two, then bake in a 375 °F (190 °C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes. If the bread seems dry, misting it before baking helps revive it.
- Dry or old bread: If your focaccia bread is past its prime, cut it into cubes and make homemade croutons! I love them on this Caesar salad.
Variations
One of the best things about this focaccia bread recipe is its versatility. The bread is quite delicious when you use plain olive oil instead of infused garlic and herb oil. Or add more flavor with sliced olives, halved cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes. You can even make focaccia pizza. When baked, top the focaccia with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings, then bake until bubbly.
What to serve with focaccia
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
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Our focaccia bread recipe is easy to make. You don’t need fancy equipment and only 30 seconds of kneading time. The secret to the best focaccia is a great olive oil. We use a 1/2 cup of olive oil in this recipe, so use an olive oil you love. I often use Partanna olive oil since it’s mid-range in price and tastes great in this bread recipe.
For the herbs, we love a combination of rosemary and thyme. I love fresh herbs, but I have added tips for using dried herbs in the recipe below. For plain focaccia with no herbs or garlic, leave them out and use plain olive oil.
Makes approximately 15 servings
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup (235ml) lukewarm water, about 110 °F to 115 °F
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast, one 1/4-ounce packet
1/4 teaspoon sugar, honey or maple syrup
2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Make Focaccia Dough
1Combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper in a cold medium skillet. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic. You are not looking to add color to the garlic. Keep the temperature low and remove the skillet from the heat before the garlic browns. Set aside and allow to cool.
2In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir a few times, then let it sit for 5 minutes.
3Add 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
4Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and the salt. When the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth–see video for reference.
5Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size, for 1 to 2 hours.
- Bake Focaccia
1When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 450 °F (232 °C).
2Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. See the tips below for other pan sizes.
3Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, then gently press it into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough, then drizzle the top with the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes until it puffs slightly.
4Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, and then let the baked focaccia bread cool completely on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Pan sizes: We call for a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, use a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides. For thicker focaccia bread, use a 9-inch round pie dish/cake pan or 9-inch square baking pan (baking time will be a few minutes longer).
- Yeast: Use instant yeast or active dry yeast in this recipe. Directions are the same for both. I prefer instant yeast when making bread since it’s usually more active and bubbly.
- Leftover focaccia: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 1 month.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories
144
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Total Fat
7.8g
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Saturated Fat
1.1g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
156.6mg
/
Carbohydrate
16.6g
/
Dietary Fiber
0.9g
/
Total Sugars
0.1g
/
Protein
2.4g
