Quick and Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe
This easy focaccia bread recipe makes bakery-style bread with a crispy golden crust and a soft, airy center. Made with simple pantry ingredients and olive oil, this homemade focaccia is perfect as a side dish, sandwich bread, or appetizer. Whether you’re new to bread baking or already love homemade bread, this recipe delivers delicious results every time.
Focaccia is a traditional Italian flatbread made with a dough similar to pizza dough, but enriched with generous olive oil for its signature texture and flavor. Often called Pizza Bianca, or “white pizza,” focaccia is known for its crisp edges, airy crumb, and delicious savory taste.
This is a quick and easy focaccia recipe compared with traditional long-fermented versions, but it still needs time to rise for the best texture. I’ll show you step by step how to get a soft, airy interior and a crisp golden crust without an overnight fermentation.
Once you try homemade focaccia, you’ll be surprised how rewarding and delicious it is. If you enjoy baking bread, be sure to try my Japanese Milk Bread recipe next.
Watch Me Make Focaccia Bread
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better than store-bought bread
- Crispy outside, soft inside
- Quick, beginner-friendly method
- Great for sandwiches or dipping
- Uses pantry staples
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy focaccia bread recipe uses simple pantry staples to create soft, airy bread with a crispy golden crust. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-Purpose Flour
Use all-purpose flour for a soft yet chewy texture. I do not recommend self-rising flour for this recipe. - Salt
Salt enhances flavor and helps balance the richness of the olive oil. - Active Dry Yeast
Yeast helps the dough rise and creates focaccia’s light, airy texture. You can also use instant yeast; the dough may rise a little faster, so watch the dough rather than relying only on the clock. - Sugar
A small amount of sugar helps activate the yeast and encourages beautiful browning. - Olive Oil
Olive oil adds flavor, moisture, and the signature richness focaccia is known for. You’ll use it in the dough and on top before baking. - Flaky Sea Salt
Sprinkled on top, flaky sea salt adds crunch and boosts flavor. - Rosemary (Fresh or Dried)
Rosemary adds classic savory flavor and pairs perfectly with olive oil.
Optional Toppings
- cherry tomatoes
- garlic
- parmesan
- olives
- caramelized onions
How To Make Focaccia Bread
Making focaccia bread at home is easier than you think. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for soft, airy bread with a crispy golden crust.
Step 1
In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and olive oil. Add the flour and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough begins to come together.
Step 2
Add the salt and continue kneading until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
Step 3
Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.
Step 4
Gently press down the dough to release excess air.
Step 5
Transfer the dough to a greased 7-inch round pan or oven-safe skillet. Gently stretch the dough evenly using your fingertips. Cover and let it rise again for about 30 minutes, or until puffy.
Step 6
Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and rosemary. Use your fingertips to press dimples all over the dough.
Step 7
Bake on the middle rack for 12–13 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Cool slightly before slicing this homemade focaccia bread and serving it.
Expert Tips for Perfect Focaccia
Use these expert tips for the best homemade focaccia bread every time:
1. Use Good Quality Olive Oil
Since olive oil is one of the main flavors in focaccia, choose a good-quality olive oil for the best taste. It adds richness, aroma, and helps create a beautiful golden crust.
2. Let the Dough Rise in a Warm Spot
This recipe uses two rises, so keep the dough in a warm, draft-free place. The first rise usually takes about 1 to 1½ hours, while the second takes about 30 minutes. Watch the dough rather than the clock—it should double during the first rise and look noticeably puffy after the second.
3. Generously Oil the Pan
A well-oiled pan prevents sticking and helps create focaccia’s signature crisp, golden bottom crust.
4. Don’t Skip the Dimples
Use your fingertips to press dimples into the dough before baking. This helps hold olive oil and creates the classic focaccia texture.
5. Finish with Flaky Salt
Sprinkle flaky or coarse sea salt over the dough before baking for extra flavor and crunch.
6. Watch the Bake Time
Bake until golden brown. Overbaking can dry the bread.
What to Serve With Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is incredibly versatile and works as a side, appetizer, sandwich bread, or even a simple meal.
- Serve warm focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper dip, or your favorite savory dip.
- Slice it horizontally and fill it with cheese, grilled vegetables, deli meats, or chicken for an easy focaccia sandwich.
- Serve it alongside soups and stews and use it to soak up the broth or sauce.
- Toast slices and top with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and balsamic glaze for an easy appetizer.
- Turn it into focaccia pizza by adding sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings, then baking until the cheese melts.
- Serve it alongside pasta with olive oil or garlic butter.
Focaccia Bread Toppings and Variations
This focaccia bread recipe is delicious as written, but it’s also easy to customize. Try one of these flavorful variations:
- Sundried Tomato and Olive Focaccia: Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sliced olives for a savory Mediterranean-style focaccia packed with flavor.
- Garlic and Parmesan Focaccia: Top with minced garlic and grated Parmesan cheese for a rich, savory version with bold flavor.
- Caramelized Onion and Gruyère Focaccia: Add sweet caramelized onions and nutty Gruyère cheese for an elevated bakery-style variation.
- Herb Focaccia: Use rosemary, oregano, thyme, or basil for a fragrant herb focaccia that pairs with many meals.
- Cherry Tomato Focaccia: Top with halved cherry tomatoes and flaky sea salt.
Focaccia Bread FAQ
Yes. You can use the same amount of instant yeast. The dough may rise faster, so watch for it to double in size rather than relying only on the suggested rising time.
Yes, you can replace part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. Using only whole wheat flour may make the bread denser.
Dense focaccia is usually caused by not letting the dough rise long enough or adding too much flour.
Yes. You can refrigerate the dough overnight for deeper flavor, then bring it to room temperature before baking.
Use enough hydration, allow proper rising time, and handle the dough gently so the air stays inside.
Yes. Let it cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Rosemary, flaky sea salt, garlic, olives, cherry tomatoes, onions, and Parmesan are all delicious options.
Yes. This is a same-day focaccia recipe, so you don’t need to refrigerate the dough overnight. The dough rises twice at room temperature—about 1 to 1½ hours for the first rise and around 30 minutes for the second—before baking.
You can refrigerate the dough overnight if you want to prepare it ahead, but it isn’t necessary for this recipe.
More Bread Recipes to Try
How To Store Focaccia Bread
- At room temperature: Let the focaccia cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly. Keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- In the refrigerator: Store the focaccia in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Once completely cooled, wrap the focaccia tightly and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Warm the focaccia in a 300°F (150°C) oven for a few minutes until heated through and slightly crisp again.
⭐Did You Make This Recipe?
If you tried this focaccia bread recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience.
Quick and Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup warm water, you may need slightly less
FOR THE TOPPING
- Flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh or dried rosemary
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the warm water, sugar, yeast, olive oil, and flour. Knead for 5 minutes, then add the salt and continue kneading until the dough is smooth.
- Lightly oil the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place to rise for 1 to 1½ hours, or until noticeably risen.
- Gently press the dough down to release some of the air. Transfer it to a greased 7-inch round pan or skillet.
- Gently spread the dough evenly in the pan. Cover and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 374°F (190°C).
- Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and flaky sea salt. Using your fingertips, gently make dimples all over the surface.
- Bake on the middle rack for 12 to 13 minutes, or until golden and as crisp as you like.
- Transfer the baked focaccia to a cooling rack and allow it to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- For extra flavor, you can use garlic-infused olive oil in the dough or drizzle it over the focaccia before baking.
- Turn leftover focaccia into a quick snack by lightly toasting it and topping it with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese.
- To prepare the dough ahead: Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate it overnight. The dough will continue to rise slowly in the refrigerator. Before baking, let it come to room temperature, gently press it down, and continue with the second rise as directed in the recipe.
This looks like perfect focaccia. This is by far one of my favorite breads!
Can I freeze focaccia
Yes, you can place the bread in a Ziploc bag and freeze it for three to four months.
It’s my favorite, glad you liked the pics!
You did such a great job Muna! I love focaccia and yours look incredible!
My mouth is watering just by looking at it!!!
Gorgeous focaccia, Muna! This is one thing I’ve wanted to try making for a long time, but I still haven’t got the chance. Thanks for the reminder of how delicious it is! Your photos are stunning!
Thanks guys, I appreciate your kind words!
This has always been a favorite bread…looks fantastic!
Looks Fabulous…
Focaccia has always been my favorite….
You did a great job.
Thanks, I’m still working on my photography skill 🙂 believe me this bread looks even better than the picture.
looks brilliant munaty! very nice series on bread (:
Thanks Shu, I want to add more bread recipes, I love baking so much 🙂
Beautiful! This focaccia is perfect.
Cheers,
Rosa
No luck with this recipe! One cup of flour is not enuf. I just kept adding til I got the right consistency. Also baking temp was too low. My bread never did brown. It’s not a keeper for me!
Hi Lori, This recipe is for a small size Focaccia bread, hence I have mentioned that it can be baked in a 6-inch pan. You can simply double the ingredients for a bigger Focaccia bread! Usually, the bread doesn’t brown because the heat in the oven is not evenly distributed, you can turn off the oven and turn on the broiler 3 minutes before the baking time is up to help the bread brown evenly. Hope this helped.
I’m just curious why the video shows the steps almost completely backwards off what the written recipe says to do?
Hi Aaron! The result will be the same but I had some readers complaining about the dough not rising and I know that the salt is the culprit, so in the video, I added the salt later while kneading, but if you following the written recipe and the video will result in a delicious Focaccia bread 🙂
Easy and delicious recipe. Does not make enough for my family so will double the recipe next time.
Yes, I followed the written directions. I did not watch the video until I was done. Different directions in the video.
Does it matter which oil I use? I never ever have olive oil on hand! Thanks so much ❤️
Olive oil brings out a flavorful Focaccia bread, but yes, you can use any cooking oil to make this bread.
Love all your recipes, my 13 year old daughter always follow your recipes.
Wow! Thanks for making my day, I’m happy that your family enjoyed my recipes 🙂
Just made this recipe for the third time and it turned out great. I have shared as a tear off with dipping oil twice. Going to use with soup today. Nice job !
Hi Beth, thanks for trying the recipe. I’m glad that you have enjoyed it 🙂
The Focaccia bread looks good to taste. You really described the recipe in a straightforward manner.
This looks simple and easy to do. I haven’t tried baking bread before but this recipe I’d definitely consider making plus all the ingredients are available in the kitchen except for the active dry yeast and rosemary. Can I use fresh oregano leaves as substitute for the rosemary?
Hi Aleeza! You can use oregano and the bread will still taste good. Let me know how you like it 🙂
Wow! This is timely. I have always wanted to make my focaccia bread and here I stumbled upon your post. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to try making one. Wish me luck. 🙂
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and if you have any suggestions, I would like to hear it 🙂
It looks so fresh and yummy. I like how it turned out. It’s definitely worth the try.
Focaccia is amazing, at times I use the dough when making pizza. I hope you give it a try!
It looks so nice to eat. I have never tried this bread but now I might fr your recipe of this bread soon.
Hi Khushboo, you should give it a try! This recipe is for a small size bread, so you can practice making it 🙂
Totally addicted to focaccia bread and always order copious amounts at any Italian restaurant. The herbs and oil just add to its deliciousness.
Same here Kemi, I love focaccia and try to make different versions of it!
Oh my goodness this looks delicious. I’m going to have to save this to try for my husband, he loves bread!
I’m sure he will enjoy this bread!
I have never made a bread at home but my neices love baking breads. And focaccia bread is one of my favourites. I will share this recipe with them.
Thanks Monidipa 🙂
Ouuu thanks for sharing. I will have to try this.
Made this tonight. Loved the ease of the ingredients. For my first time making bread it came out pretty good, not as brown as I would have hoped. But will be trying it again. Thank you so much’
You are welcome Roobye, glad you liked baking this focaccia bread!
Tried focaccia when I was in Pisa. Never cooked at home. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try!
The ingredients are easy to follow, but I have realize that one cup of flour was not enough. It was so sticky that it did not come into a smooth texture. I actually had to double the flour. But after the kneading with the flour increased, and adding the oil it seem to be the right consistency. I hope that it rises! I will keep you updated on how it turned out.
Hi Lexi, when kneading it’s best to add the liquids gradually while kneading since every brand of flour requires more or less liquid. This besides kneading the dough for a longer time (7 to 10 minutes) will turn it into a smooth dough. Adding more flour and oil will result in a dense bread. I hope this helped!
Made this with dinner tonight and it was wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect! I did not have rosemary, so I sprinkled an Italian Herb mixture on top. Perfect! Thank you!
Thank you for trying the recipe and for your feedback Nana, I’m glad that you have enjoyed it 🙂
I have already tried this recipe 3 times…. delicious each time.. thanks so much for posting. I was wondering, could I use this recipe as a pizza dough? I thought of doubling the ingredients…what do you suggest? Thanks 😊😊
I do use it as a pizza dough and my family love it, go ahead and try it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the flavor 🙂
What a great way to start out the new year! I’ve never made focaccia at home.
Glad you liked it 😊
Love how fool proof this recipe is. Turns out perfect every time 🙂
Thank you so much for the feedback 😊
Haven’t tried the recipe yet – I’m trying to watch the video, but the “video” link doesn’t seem to be working. Do I need to subscribe to something in order to watch? I’d be very grateful for anyone’s help with this!
Hi Nadia, I have tried the video, and it is working fine. It is located in the recipe card but if you have activated an Ad Blocker then you won’t be able to view it.
Hi Muna,
This recipe is amazing.
I tried it last night. As I was making it I realized that there was not enough dough to fill the rectangle pan I wanted to use so I made 3 separate balls in 3 separate bowls. After the first rising period I put one ball in to a 7 inch iron skillet and then the other two balls I put in to the rectangle and and then just spread the two balls in to that. The focaccia was AMAZING so light and tasty and delish. I did have to cook it for 25 minutes (not 12-14 mins) but I know every oven is different. (25 mins on 375)
I am in the process of making it again tonight, two balls that I have spread in to one larger rectangle pan. It just came out of the oven and it looks and smells amazing.
QUESTION: In order to make just one big ball of dough to fit the larger rectangle pan should I just DOUBLE ingredients? so for example 3 teaspoons of yeast, 1 cup of warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 table spoons of oil and 2 cups of flour? Then let first proofing be for 1 1/2 hours as per original recipe?
Thank You so much,
Lindsey
Hi Lindsey, Thank you for the comment. For a large pan, I think it is better to tripple the recipe. The time of roofing the dough should stay the same 😊. Hope this helped
i love this little focaccia recipe, perfect for a household of 1 or 2! and easily doubled if you want to make ahead and freeze one.
Thank you so much Lauren, I’m glad you liked my recipe 😊
Fast easy and I just add different things to the top. I add cheese sliced grape tomatoes fresh basil and occasionally kalimada (sp) grapes
Thank you so much for your comment, I’m happy that you liked the recipe 😊.
Super simple and easy recipe, quick also.I’ve made it numerous times with different toppings. Always with great results! Delicious and tender.
Hi. Made this tonight was a little bit pale looking but the bottom turned a nice crispy brown bottom since I cooked it at the bottom rack for 5 minutes before I moved it up to the top. Anyway to make this world golden brown the next time?
If you have a fan in your oven, turn it on for better circulation, otherwise, the last two minutes of baking turn on the broiler.
I will be making this again and again. I did 1 1/2 of the recipe to accommodate my slightly larger cast iron pan. I added some minced garlic and minced onion to the dough. Put basil and rosemary on top with some fresh grated parmesan and grape tomatoes. Yum! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m glad you liked the recipe Gina, and thank you so much for the serving suggestion, it sounds super delicious ☺️