Easy Focaccia Recipe

This focaccia recipe is ultra-soft and chewy and my favorite bread to make as an appetizer or side dish for dinner. Making focaccia is super easy, only requires a few steps, and you can even turn this delicious recipe into edible focaccia bread art! The most important thing to have when it comes to making focaccia is patience. Don't rush yourself and you'll be very happy with the results!

In my house, we eat focaccia at least once a week. We typically buy it from a local bakery that is literally the only place within 20 miles that sells it. They sell out quickly so you have to arrive really early to make sure you get some. Sometimes they wouldn't even make it because the person who usually makes it isn't there. Talk about disappointment!

So I decided to make my own easy focaccia recipe that comes together quickly! Most of the time needed for this recipe is spent just waiting for the yeast to do its thing and create all that yummy flavor.

Focaccia Recipe Ingredients

Focaccia has a very specific texture. It's got a crisp outer layer and a soft and chewy interior with lots of flavor. I've had some really bad focaccia in my day, so I know what to avoid when it comes to focaccia recipes.

Bread flour - Bread flour is going to give you focaccia that has the best chewy texture and biggest bubbles, but you can use all-purpose flour if that's all you have. Bread flour has the highest protein content which results in more gluten development and a chewier bread.

Olive oil - Olive oil is arguably the most important ingredient you'll need other than yeast. Olive oil gives the focaccia that crispy outer texture, moisture, and flavor. You might think that there is too much olive oil in this recipe. But you have to trust me, you need it!

Toppings - I'm using rosemary on top of my focaccia, but you can use any fresh herb that you like along with your preferred cheeses, meats, or vegetables. The options truly are endless. Get creative!

Flake Salt - I love the texture and taste of flake salt which is a type of finishing salt but if you only have table salt then skip this step to avoid making the focaccia too salty.

How to Make Focaccia Step-by-Step

1. Combine 8 ounces of your warm water (110ºF or 43ºC), yeast, and sugar and set it aside for 5 minutes or until it's foamy. If your yeast does not start growing it may be dead so make sure you have fresh yeast before starting.
2. Put your yeast mixture and one cup of flour into the bowl of your Bosch stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix to combine. You can use a bowl and a spoon and then knead it by hand if you want to, but it will just take longer.
3. Next add in the rest of your water, the olive oil, and the salt, and mix to combine.
4. Then, keep adding in the rest of your flour while mixing on low until your dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Take the sticky dough out of the bowl and finish kneading it on the table with a tiny bit of flour until the dough looks smooth and bounces back when you touch it with your finger.
6. Next, put the dough into a bowl greased with olive oil.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the covered bowl in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. I put my bread in my oven turned OFF with just the light on to proof my bread, or in a proofing drawer.
8. Then, prepare your baking pan by covering the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. I know this looks like a lot but trust me, you need it. You want it to be a swimming pool of oil!
9. Take your very soft dough out of the bowl and stretch it with your hands to make it longer.
10. Next, place it into the pan with the oil and use your hands to stretch it out to the edges.

1. Combine 8 ounces of your warm water (110ºF or 43ºC), yeast, and sugar and set it aside for 5 minutes or until it's foamy. If your yeast does not start growing it may be dead so make sure you have fresh yeast before starting.
2. Put your yeast mixture and one cup of flour into the bowl of your Bosch stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Mix to combine. You can use a bowl and a spoon and then knead it by hand if you want to, but it will just take longer.
3. Next add in the rest of your water, the olive oil, and the salt, and mix to combine.
4. Then, keep adding in the rest of your flour while mixing on low until your dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Take the sticky dough out of the bowl and finish kneading it on the table with a tiny bit of flour until the dough looks smooth and bounces back when you touch it with your finger.
6. Next, put the dough into a bowl greased with olive oil.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the covered bowl in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. I put my bread in my oven turned OFF with just the light on to proof my bread, or in a proofing drawer.
8. Then, prepare your baking pan by covering the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. I know this looks like a lot but trust me, you need it. You want it to be a swimming pool of oil!
9. Take your very soft dough out of the bowl and stretch it with your hands to make it longer.
10. Next, place it into the pan with the oil and use your hands to stretch it out to the edges. If the dough shrinks back, let the dough rest for 20 minutes then come back and stretch it some more. Letting the dough rest relaxes the gluten and keeps it from shrinking. Keep doing this until you can get the dough all the way to the edges of the pan.
11. Cover the pan with some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The yeast will continue eating those sugars and rise very slowly. The next day, you should have some nice bubbles on top of the dough.
12. Preheat your oven to 450ºF (232ºC) and take your dough out of the fridge.
13. Use your fingers to pop the big bubbles and press dimples into the surface of the dough.
14. Drizzle olive oil onto the top of the dough so that it settles in those dimples.
15. Sprinkle a healthy amount of flakey sea salt and chopped rosemary on top of the dough.
16. Bake the dough in a preheated oven (450ºF or 232ºC) on the middle rack for 25 minutes or until it's golden brown!
17. Finally, brush the baked focaccia with more olive oil before serving.

1. 
2. Cover the pan with some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The yeast will continue eating those sugars and rise very slowly. The next day, you should have some nice bubbles on top of the dough.
3. Preheat your oven to 450ºF (232ºC) and take your dough out of the fridge.
4. Use your fingers to pop the big bubbles and press dimples into the surface of the dough.
5. Drizzle olive oil onto the top of the dough so that it settles in those dimples.
6. Sprinkle a healthy amount of flakey sea salt and chopped rosemary on top of the dough.
7. Bake the dough in a preheated oven (450ºF or 232ºC) on the middle rack for 25 minutes or until it's golden brown!
8. Finally, brush the baked focaccia with more olive oil before serving.

Focaccia Recipe Variations

Focaccia is an Italian-style flatbread that is very chewy and similar in texture to pizza dough. There are many ways to customize your focaccia recipe which is probably why it's so popular! Here are some flavor variations, including the one I am making today which is Focaccia al rosmarino.

1. Focaccia al rosmarino - Focaccia bread covered in olive oil, freshly chopped rosemary, and flakey sea salt (or kosher salt).
2. Focaccia alla salvia - Focaccia bread baked in olive oil and topped with freshly chopped sage and flakey salt.
3. Rosemary garlic focaccia - Top your focaccia with olive oil, chopped rosemary, garlic, and thyme.
4. Cheesy focaccia - Cover your focaccia in olive oil, garlic salt, and a good amount of Italian cheese like pecorino romano, parmesan or asiago. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley fresh out of the oven, and serve with marinara sauce.
5. Focaccia pizza - The options here are endless. Add marinara sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese or any pizza toppings you like!

FAQ

Understanding How Yeast Works

The basics of making a yeast-risen dough like this easy focaccia recipe are all the same, but different recipes may have slightly varied steps. This guide can help you understand how yeast-risen doughs work if you're not familiar.

Here you'll see an infographic showing you the steps of baking bread using yeast. While this graphic is not specific to this focaccia recipe, it gives you a general idea of the steps needed to use yeast leading up to when it's time to bake your bread.

1. Activate the yeast - Mix yeast with a warm liquid (90ºF-100ºF) so that it starts growing.
2. Develop a strong gluten structure - Make sure you mix your dough enough. It should look like a smooth ball and pass the windowpane test. Kneading is very important because under-kneaded bread will not be strong enough to trap CO2 gases created by the growing yeas and therefore will not rise.
3. Warmth + Time - Give your dough time to rise (proof) in a warm spot (80º-90º) until it doubles in size. I like the oven with the light on or some ovens have a proofing option. If you're using instant yeast, the rising will happen a lot faster if you are using regular active yeast it will take longer. Cold environments will also stunt your yeast and your dough will take a lot longer to rise. 
4. Shape your dough to prepare your focaccia (jump to the recipe to see the additional steps).
5. Let it rise until it doubles in size again and then bake!

When you add yeast to the flour and add in warmth and a little bit of moisture, the yeast begins to eat the starch in the flour. As it eats the sugar, it produces CO2 (yes, bread is made of tiny yeast farts). Then that CO2 gets trapped in the gluten we developed during the mixing stage and expands, giving rise to your bread. If you're missing one of these steps, your focaccia won't turn out. 

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