Bake Your own Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is an easy bread to make. It is much less temperamental than loaf-style bread and has an incredibly rich flavor from olive oil and herbs. Plus, you don’t need any special tools to make it. Just your hands!

This focaccia recipe requires just a few delicious ingredients and a little patience for rising. Keep reading for tips to make homemade focaccia, store it, and a few recipe variations to make it your own!

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
• ½ cup olive oil + more for greasing
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sugar
• 2½ cups all purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt + more for sprinkling
• Black pepper

How to Avoid Dense Focaccia

The trick to making soft and fluffy focaccia is patience. Let the dough rise for at least 1 hour in a warm spot in your kitchen. 

Be sure to let it rise again on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes before baking. Not giving the dough enough time to rise results in flat, dense focaccia. It still tastes good, but the texture isn’t as fluffy and delicious!

Instructions

Here are all the steps to making this delicious rosemary focaccia recipe at home.

Step 1 – Infuse the Olive Oil

In a small saucepan, add the olive oil, minced garlic, chopped thyme, and rosemary. Warm it over medium-low heat and cook in gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 2 – Proof the Yeast

Combine the warm water, yeast packet, and maple syrup in a large bowl. Give it a gentle stir to mix the yeast and the water. Let this sit for 5 minutes so the yeast can bloom.

Step 3 – Start the Dough

To the yeast mixture, add 1 cup of flour and about half of the infused olive oil. Stir gently to combine. Let this mixture sit for another 5 minutes.

Step 4 – Finish the Dough

Add the additional 1 ½ cups of flour and add the 1½ teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured board. Knead the dough about 15 times until it becomes smooth and pliable. Form it into a large ball. 

*Note: You can also knead the dough with a stand mixer. For instructions, see below.

Step 5 – Let the Dough Rise

Place the dough into a large, clean bowl coated with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel. Set the bowl in a warm area in your kitchen. I have a spot in my kitchen that always gets sun, so I set mine there!

Let the dough rise for 1 hour. 

Step 6 – Transfer to A Baking Sheet

After an hour, coat a large 11×17 baking sheet with about 2 tablespoons of your infused olive oil. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and use your fingers to press it into a rectangular shape, taking up the entire baking sheet.

Use your fingers to press deep pockets into the dough. Don’t be afraid to press pretty hard! You want to create that dimpled texture. 

Now is also a great time to preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). 

Step 7 – Let the Dough Rise Again

Let the dough sit on the baking sheet for another 20 minutes. It will puff up a little more.

After 20 minutes, give the dough a few more dimples with your fingers and pour the remaining infused olive oil over the top.

I also like to sprinkle more salt over the top and a few twists of fresh ground black pepper.

Step 8 – Bake the Focaccia

Place the focaccia in a 450°F (232°C) oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until it is lightly golden. 

Cut and serve while it’s still warm.

Cookware Used

These are the items I find helpful when making this focaccia at home.

Baking Sheet: I use an 11×17 baking sheet for this. I like this rosemary focaccia to be thin because my family loves to use it for sandwiches or pizza crust. You can absolutely use a smaller sheet pan or a 9×13 casserole dish for this! The focaccia will be slightly thicker when using a smaller pan.

Stand Mixer: You can also use a stand mixer to mix your dough rather than your hands. See below for instructions on how to knead focaccia with a mixer.

Can You Make Focaccia Ahead of Time?

Yes! Before letting the dough rise in step 5, place the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. It will not rise much in the fridge, but that’s okay!

When you’re ready to bake the focaccia, remove it from the fridge and let it warm up for 30 minutes.

Begin step 6 and let the dough rise on the baking sheet for 20 minutes—Bake as instructed above.

How to Store Focaccia

If you somehow can’t eat the focaccia you’ve made, you can store it for later. Wrap the focaccia tightly in plastic wrap and then again in foil. It will last in the fridge for about 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

Kneading Focaccia with a Stand Mixer

If you have a stand mixer with a dough attachment handy, you can whip this dough up without getting your hands dirty. 

In step 1 above, add your warm water, yeast, and honey to the bowl of your stand mixer. Let it proof. 

After the yeast has proofed for 5 minutes, set your mixer to a low speed and add the flour, half of the infused olive oil, and salt. 

Mix on medium-low for 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. If it is sticking to the sides, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it forms into a ball.

Continue with step 5.

Alternative Herb Mixtures for Focaccia

I love the classic herb combination of making rosemary focaccia with thyme, but you can absolutely get creative with the toppings you use. Some of my other favorites are:

• Dried Italian seasoning and grated parmesan
• Everything bagel seasoning
• Olives
• Mushrooms
• Zucchini

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