This is the BEST Italian focaccia recipe that is super easy to make. Topped with fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme, this bread is fluffy on the inside with the best crispy edges!
I love making homemade bread for dinner or to enjoy for a snack. This Italian focaccia recipe is not only super easy, but it has the most amazing flavor with the garlic and fresh herbs.
Serve this Italian focaccia recipe with air fryer calamari, rotini pasta with Italian sausage and traditional blackberry crumble for dessert!
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🌿 Ingredient notes
- Bread Flour - Bread flour contains a higher protein content than all purpose flour. This helps to produce a lot of gluten which is perfect for this Italian focaccia. All purpose flour can also be used if needed.
- Yeast - I typically use active dry yeast to leaven the bread, but instant yeast can also be used. The difference between instant and dry active yeast is that dry active yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid, while instant yeast can be mixed right in. Instant yeast will cause rising times to be less.
- Garlic & Herbs - Fresh garlic, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary are used as a topping to flavor this homemade focaccia bread. These can be omitted for a more plain simple focaccia or other herbs such as basil, sage, oregano or marjoram can also be used. If needed, ½ teaspoon of dried herbs can be used in place of fresh.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Toppings - Try using sliced olives, peppers, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or sliced onions for different ways to top the focaccia.
🥣 Step by step instructions
First, mix the warm water, honey and yeast in a mixing bowl and let it sit until its foamy. Next, whisk together the bread flour and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.
Mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined into a shaggy dough. Place 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a clean large bowl and turn the dough out into this bowl. Flip the focaccia dough to cover it in olive oil and then cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for the first time, in a warm place until doubled in size.
When the dough has completed the first rising, butter a 9x13 baking pan and drizzle in the remaining oil.
Starting with the top of the dough, pull it up and press it down into the middle of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Repeat this two more times until all four sides have been folded in. Mix together the olive oil with the garlic and herbs for the topping.
Turn the dough into the prepared baking dish and gently stretch it into a rectangle shape. Let the dough sit uncovered for the second rise until doubled in size.
Dip your fingers in the oil topping and press dough into the focaccia dough to dimple it over the entire surface. Drizzle the garlic and herb oil over the entire surface of the focaccia dough and sprinkle it with coarse or flaky sea salt.
Bake focaccia in a 450˚ preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Make sure your water is about 110˚ or luke warm when you add the honey and yeast. If it's too hot, it will ruin the yeast. If it's too cold, it won't activate it. Using an infrared thermometer helps to easily check the temperature.
- Mix the dough so no dry pockets remain so there isn't streaks of flour in the baked focaccia.
- This will be a pretty wet and sticky dough, but that is the way it is supposed to be.
- Letting the dough rise in a warm spot will allow it to rise properly.
- Make sure to let the dough rise for the second time uncovered, otherwise it will stick and deflate.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
This easy focaccia bread recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
🍅 More Italian recipes
If you loved this Italian focaccia recipe, check out these other Italian recipes that I know you will love too!
📖 Recipe
Best Italian Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
Focaccia Bread
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast or 1 packet
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- First, in a small mixing bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and honey and stir to combine. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until it is foamy.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour with the kosher salt.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir together into a shaggy dough until no dry pockets remain.
- Pour 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil into a large clean bowl and turn the dough into it. Turn the dough over to coat in the olive oil, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the butter and drizzle in the remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- When the dough is doubled in size, starting at the top, pull and stretch the dough from the top and fold it into the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter of a turn and repeat. Repeat two more time until all four sides have been folded into the middle.
- Turn the dough out from the bowl into the greased and oiled baking dish, letting any remaining oil in the bowl drizzle on top.
- Gently stretch it into a rectangle shape. Allow the dough to rise uncovered for another hour or until doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil with the garlic and herbs for the topping and set aside.
- When the dough is done with the second rise, preheat the oven to 450˚. Dip your fingers into the oil topping and press them down firmly into the dough to create dimples over the entire surface.
- Drizzle the oil topping over the entire dough, sprinkle with the sea salt and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes and slice into 12 squares.
Notes
- Use an infrared thermometer to help check the temperature of the warm water so it properly activates the yeast. It should be about 110˚.
- This will be a pretty wet and sticky dough, but that is the way it is supposed to be.
- Letting the dough rise in a warm spot will allow it to rise properly.
- Make sure to let the dough rise for the second time uncovered, otherwise it will stick and deflate.
Substitutions and Variations
- Flour - Bread flour contains a higher protein content that helps to produce a lot of gluten. All purpose flour can also be used if needed.
- Yeast - Either active dry yeast or instant yeast may be used. Dry active yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid, while instant yeast can be mixed right in. Instant yeast will cause rising times to be less.
- Garlic & Herbs - Herbs can omitted for a more plain focaccia or other herbs such as basil, sage, oregano or marjoram can also be used. If needed, ½ teaspoon of dried herbs can be used in place of fresh.
- Toppings - Try using sliced olives, peppers, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or sliced onions for different ways to top the focaccia.
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