Focaccia Bread Recipe

5 from 1 vote

A soft and fluffy Italian bread with a golden crust, infused with olive oil and topped with herbs and salt.

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 2

Total Time 3

Servings loaf

Calories 179kcal

Combine water, honey, and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes active and bubbly.
1 ½ cups warm water, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons honey
Stir in 2 cups of the flour. Then rest for 20 minutes. The dough will begin to get puffy and slightly bubbly.
4 cups flour
Add the olive oil, salt, and remaining 2 cups of flour.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Mix well and then knead by machine for 5 minutes.
Place dough in a bowl greased with olive oil.
Cover and let rise until double, about 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Gently push down in the center of the dough to deflate.
Grease your pan by first buttering with cold butter and then spreading with olive oil.
Buttering and then adding oil helps prevent the focaccia from sticking to the pan. If using a nonstick pan, you can omit the butter.
1 tablespoon butter, 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Add dough and gently push down on dough to help spread it out. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes and the dough is puffy.
Make the divets in the bread by pushing your fingers into the dough.
Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and fresh rosemary.
1-2 tablespoon olive oil, coarse salt, 1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
Bake in preheated 415°F oven for 30-35 minutes until the bread is fully cooked through (190°F).

- The 20 minute rest is optional. If you're running short on time, leave it out.
- Focaccia dough is sticky. Don't continue to add flour like you would do with most yeast dough.

- Use olive oil on your hands when handling the dough to help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

- When using a glass baking dish, rub it first with cold butter, and then add the olive oil. Using both helps prevent the bread from sticking to the pan. Make certain both the butter and the olive oil have covered every surface of the pan, including the sides and corners.

- Allow the cooked bread to rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then remove from pan and continue cooling on a baking rack. The bread is best if you allow it to cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- I've baked in an 7x11 inch pan. If using a larger pan (9x13) reduce the baking time by 5-8 minutes.
- Your bread is fully baked when the internal temperature reaches 190°F.
- If you bread is browning too quickly, light cover with a piece of foil the final 10 minutes of baking.