Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Is there anything better than pairing extra-virgin olive oil with fresh rosemary, especially when embedded in bread?! The salt on top of this bread doesn’t hurt either.
Texture: The best part of homemade focaccia bread is the texture, am I right? It’s somehow magically chewy yet soft, rich, and just slightly crunchy and crusty at the edges. It’s perfection in every bite.
Ease: SO easy – you don’t even have to knead or use a mixer.
Pros: Just amazing all-around.
Cons: Patience while the focaccia bread rises.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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I love baking bread (like this Focaccia Bread!) and I frequently receive messages from readers, saying you love seeing bread-baking-related recipes, tips, tutorials, and videos. That makes me SO happy.
The idea of making homemade bread can be daunting – and can also feel like something only done in decades past. How many of you have grandmothers who only baked bread from scratch?
I am thrilled about the more recent trend toward scratch-made cooking and baking and the increased importance placed on quality ingredients and food. That is what I am ALL about! Bread baking gets a bad rap – but in reality, all it requires is patience. I promise it’s not as scary as it seems.
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I recently binge-watched Salt Fat Acid Head on Netflix and LOVED it.
Samin Nosrat has such a pure and joyful love and curiosity for food and culture that’s positively contagious. In the “Fat” episode, she makes a batch of Ligurian Focaccia. It looks so perfect and incredible that I knew I needed to make a batch myself, STAT.
So I took my original easy focaccia bread recipe from years ago (first published in 2014!) and added elements to it inspired by Diego and Samin in the show.
I reduced the amount of yeast and added a longer rising / fermentation time, to develop a better flavor and texture inside. It’s totally worth the wait. Not only that, but in doing so, I was able to switch this to a ‘no knead’ method recipe, so you don’t even need a stand mixer!
Then I added a salty brine on top of the dough just before baking, to give the focaccia that crispy salty crust that’s so mouthwatering and addictive.
More tips for this chewy focaccia bread recipe below!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Focaccia Bread
Ingredients for Rosemary Focaccia Bread
- Active dry yeast – Learn about the differences between active dry vs. instant yeast here.
- All-purpose flour – The backbone of our focaccia bread. You can use bread flour if you prefer, but all-purpose works great here.
- Granulated sugar – Just a little, to help feed the yeast as the bread ferments.
- Salt – Do not skip the salt!
- Fresh rosemary – For the most incredible flavor!
- Extra virgin olive oil – This is where the magical flavor and texture comes from!
How to Make Crispy Focaccia Bread
To guarantee crispy golden brown edges, I like to use a pizza stone to bake the tray of focaccia dough on. If you don’t have one, simply invert a high-quality rimmed baking pan and use in place of a stone.
Variations for Homemade Focaccia Bread
- Fresh herbs – Feel free to add whatever herbs you like to this focaccia bread. Fresh sage is a delicious alternative/addition. Fresh thyme, basil, and chives are also fabulous options.
- Toppings – You can also top the bread with whatever you fancy. I like shredded cheese (parmesan cheese works great), crumbled feta or goat cheese, torn fresh mozzarella, olives, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, or even caramelized onions.
- Homemade everything bagel seasoning adds a fun touch.
- Garlic cloves – Add fresh, finely minced garlic to the dough.
- Pizza – Make a Focaccia Pizza!
- Sandwiches – Use a serrated knife to slice your cooled bread in half and make focaccia sandwiches.
- Dip into your favorite soups!
How to Make Focaccia Bread Ahead of Time
You can make focaccia bread ahead of time by letting the dough chill in the fridge, covered, for a few days before shaping. The longer it ferments, the more flavor will develop! Allow to come to room temperature before shaping and allowing to rise for the second time.
How to Serve & Store or Freeze Focaccia Bread
The focaccia bread is definitely best served the day it’s made. However, you can freeze any leftover focaccia. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for one month. Allow to defrost at room temperature then refresh in a 325°F oven until warmed through and crispy again, about 5 minutes. Day-old bread can also be chopped up, baked at 375°F for about 10 minutes, and used as croutons!
More Savory Recipes You’ll Love:
Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups lukewarm water, about 100° to 110°F
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, chopped and divided
- 5 1/4 cups (670 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt for sprinkling
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
For the brine:
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Add in 2 teaspoons of the chopped rosemary, half the flour, and the salt, and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup olive oil. Gradually add in the remaining flour until a shaggy mass forms. Only add in as much flour as you need to create a shaggy, slightly sticky dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment at room temperature for about 8 to 10 hours, or until doubled in size. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for several days until ready to bake. This will also develop more flavor.
- Coat a rimmed half-sheet pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Turn the dough onto the pan and begin pressing it out with your fingertips to fit the size of the pan. Coax and stretch the dough to fit the entire pan, or just about. If the dough springs back, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes before proceeding. Spread your fingers to make little dimples all the way through the dough.
Make the brine:
- Combine the warm water and salt together until the salt is dissolved. Pour all over the dough to make little pools of water in the dimples. Cover loosely with plastic and allow to rise again until the dough is puffy, about 45 minutes.
Bake the bread:
- Meanwhile, place a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F. If you don't have a baking stone, invert a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to preheat.
- Sprinkle the dough liberally with coarse sea salt and the remaining rosemary leaves. Bake with the sheet pan on top of stone until the focaccia is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
This recipe was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This looks wonderful! I’m new at this, so I have a stupid question. I plan to make it the night before, do I need to let it rise for an hour before putting in the plastic bag?
First of all…let me salary, THIS IS THE BEST FOCACCIA RECIPE EVER! Second, having made it…I tried a bit of an experiment. I used the correct amount of flour, but divided the flour making half of it BREAD FLOUR, the other half, using regular flour. It not only worked out fine…it is delicate, fluffy, crunchy yumminess! I also infused the olive oil with garlic, rosemary & cracked black pepper, then added onions to the top…along with some toasted garlic. Yes! I said “Toasted Garlic”! It comes pre-prepared in a jar & lots of Jewish bakers use it to make their Sabbath Challah Breads with. It lends itself quite well to this recipe. If I could have submitted a pic to go with this comment, I would have! Tessa, you are the most amazing chef & top baker EVER! Thank you once again for your amazingly easy, yet spectacularly mouthwatering recipes!❤️
I tried this yesterday and it was delicious. I have always made my bread in a 9×13 pan as I like it thicker and not so much crust. it worked out perfectly/ /I was a baker for 25 years and when I retired I missed having a proof box to raise my breads in so I came up with an alternative, I wash a load of dishes in my dishwasher leaving the top shelf empty. As soon as the drying cycle starts I pull out top shelf , load my pans of bread and quickly shut door. the moist warm heat raises bread quickly and works as well as my proof box in the bakery. Try it, you will love it, just be sure it is on drying cycle and not just in between wash and rinse or you will end up with a pot or water in your bread pan, enjoy!
It looks delicious, Can I use Sourdough starter instead of instant yeast, if so how much should I use for 670g flour? tks
The dough was not sticky because % 1/4 flour is toooooooo much!
Hi Tessa, I am planning on making this recipe soon and realized I don’t have a jelly roll pan. I think it’s probably time to invest in one if I will be making this focaccia bread as much I think I will be.hehe 😉 Your link to your jelly roll pan is not working and I was wondering what size yours is? Thank you! Beautiful site and recipes!
Hey, Could you please tell me the amounts of the recipee on grams and mls because i am not sure which cup size to use.
Thank you very much!
A. Maze. ING. !
Made it 2x and have several requests from friends for more. Definitely going to make a few for the holidays
Oh my gosh, my Italian Bakery is closing after 107 years. I have purchased their focaccia bread for as long as I remember. I’ve been looking for a great recipe to try and make my own at home. After looking at your site, I believe I found just what I was looking for. The only difference is, I will be making mine with mushrooms and sausage on the top. Also, another one with pepperoni and cheese.
Thank you so much for the recipe and I will let you know if mine is at least close to the bakeries focassia.
Awww, how sad! I hope this recipe can be a good replacement!
I love this receipe! Thank you so much for the great directions and photos. I have made this a many times and it ALWAYS turns out perfect.
So happy to hear that!!
Hi Tessa! Wd I b able to half the recipe or it wdnt work?
I just tried this recipe . it was awesome. the best !!!! I put the oil on a baking pan then preheat the oven together with the pan . After spread the dough and bake. I saw some bakery did it like this and it turns out super good and crispy! try it!!!
Great tip, Lily!! xo