Homemade Focaccia: Easy Italian Bread Recipe

If you’ve ever wanted to make homemade bread, this easy focaccia recipe is the perfect place to start. With simple ingredients like flour, yeast, olive oil, salt, and rosemary, you’ll create a delicious Italian focaccia bread that’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

This recipe appeared in the August Meal Plan of Emma Frisch’s Substack newsletter, Time For Dins. To see all meal plans, head to the Meal Plan Index.

Being half-Italian and living in Upstate NY means I don’t get to share my language and love of authentic Italian food as much as I’d like. So, when I met Giulia at the playground, the mom of my daughter’s friend, I was delighted to learn she was from Rome. After school pick-up, while the kids played, we would chat about what we made for dinner last night or what we were planning for the evening ahead.

One day, she brought me a fresh loaf of focaccia, a classic Italian bread. It was wrapped in brown paper, with the oil seeping through. I immediately tore off a piece and took a bite. Spectacular! She claimed it was easy to make and a staple in her meal rotation. After all, you can do almost anything with homemade focaccia: slice it in half for a mozzarella, prosciutto, and pesto sandwich, or simply serve it alongside a picnic spread of charcuterie, cheeses, olives, and fresh fruit.

We decided to make a date the following week to try her recipe together, since my last attempt at making focaccia was eight years ago when I was pregnant with my first daughter, and it turned out more like flatbread.

There’s something so satisfying about homemade bread. If you’ve ever wanted to make it, this easy focaccia recipe is the perfect place to start. I hope you give it a try!

Ingredients for Making Homemade Focaccia

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1⁄2 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water
• Rosemary, to garnish
• Coarse salt, such as Burlap & Barrel’s Pearl Salt

How to Make Homemade Focaccia

Prepare the Dough

1. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and 1 1⁄2 tsp of instant or rapid rise yeast. Mix well.
2. Add salt and sugar: Add 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of white sugar to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
3. Incorporate wet ingredients: Add 1 Tbsp of EVOO and 1 1⁄2 cups of lukewarm water. Mix vigorously with a fork for 1-2 minutes until the dough is wet and sticky.
4. Prepare the dough: Grease the inside of a clean bowl with olive oil. Using your hands, loosely form the dough into a bowl and transfer to the bowl.

Let the Dough Rise

1. Rest the dough: Cover the bowl with a damp, clean tea towel, then let the dough rest for 2.5-3 hours in a warm place like a sunny window, near a stovetop that’s on, or near a radiator, until it has doubled in size.

Prepare for Baking

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C).
2. Prepare the baking tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and coat it generously with oil.
3. Shape the dough: Lightly stretch the dough on the parchment paper with your hands to cover most or all of the tray. Use your fingertips to gently prod the surface of the dough to spread it; be gentle and avoid tearing or ripping the dough. Then, let it rest for another 30-45 minutes in a warm place.

Bake the Focaccia

1. Create fingerprints: Using your fingers, create indentations all over the dough by pressing down firmly.
2. Add toppings: Drizzle EVOO generously over the dough and sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt.
3. Bake: Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Check the focaccia, and if needed, bake for a few more minutes until it’s golden brown.
4. Rest: Remove the focaccia from the oven and cover it with a kitchen towel for 20 minutes before serving.

Tips for Perfect Focaccia

• Use fresh yeast: Ensure your yeast is fresh for the best rise.
• Warm environment: Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for the best results.
• Generous with oil: Don’t skimp on the olive oil; it gives the focaccia its characteristic crispy texture.

How to Enjoy Your Focaccia

Focaccia is incredibly versatile. Enjoy it as a side with soups and salads, use it for sandwiches, or simply snack on it with some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can also slice it in half to make focaccia panini sandwiches!

More Bread Recipes

If you enjoyed this homemade focaccia, you might like these other bread recipes:

• The Most Amazing Nut and Seed Bread (Gluten-Free)
• Easy Skillet Cornbread (Gluten-Free)
• Crock Pot Cheddar Cornbread (Gluten-Free)
• Amazing, Easy Irish Soda Bread
• Jamaican Coco Bread
• Grape Rosemary Focaccia

I hope you try making this easy, homemade bread… and enjoy it!

Homemade Focaccia: Easy Italian Bread Recipe

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This easy, homemade focaccia recipe is a must-try, and the perfect recipe to accompany a picnic spread with olives, cheese, fresh fruit (try cantaloupe and prosciutto!), and charcuterie. 

• Author: Emma Frisch
• Prep Time: 10 minutes active, 3 1/2 hours inactive
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: About 4 hours (3 1/2 inactive)
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• Rosemary, to garnish
• Coarse salt, such as Burlap & Barrel’s Pearl Salt

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour and 1 1⁄2 tsp of instant or rapid rise yeast. Mix well. Add 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of white sugar to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
2. Add 1 Tbsp of EVOO and 1 1⁄2 cups of lukewarm water. Mix vigorously with a fork for 1-2 minutes until the dough is wet and sticky.
3. Grease the inside of a clean bowl with olive oil. Using your hands, loosely form the dough into a bowl and transfer to the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp, clean tea towel, then let the dough rest for 2.5-3 hours in a warm place like a sunny window, near a stovetop that’s on, or near a radiator, until it has doubled in size.
4. Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and coat it generously with oil.
5. Lightly stretch the dough on the parchment paper with your hands to cover most or all of the tray. Use your fingertips to gently prod the surface of the dough to spread it; be gentle and avoid tearing or ripping the dough. Then, let it rest for another 30-45 minutes in a warm place. You should see subtle, large bubbles forming in the dough, and the dough to rise slightly.
6. Using your fingers, create indentations all over the dough by pressing down firmly. Drizzle EVOO generously over the dough – don’t skimp! It gives the focaccia its crispy texture. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt.
7. Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Check the focaccia, and if needed, bake for a few more minutes until it’s golden brown. Remove the focaccia from the oven and cover it with a kitchen towel for 20 minutes before serving.
8. Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers in a brown paper bag or ziplock bag. 

Notes

Use fresh yeast: Check the expiration date and ensure your yeast is fresh for the best rise.

Additions: Experiment with your own flavors! You can add olives to the dough, Za’atar seasoning, or other herbs and spices. 

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