Learn how to bake the ultimate focaccia bread with the perfect combination of a crunchy outside and a soft, chewy inside. This no-fuss garlic focaccia recipe is great for both novice and seasoned bread bakers alike.
Check out the recipe
Related: If you’re out of yeast, try our soft and fluffy flatbread without yeast
Focaccia bread, our favorite yeast bread to take home
Focaccia is our favorite yeast bread that we bake at home. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, it’s perfect for serving with dinner, soups, stews, or even cut in half for sandwiches. Thanks to the ingredients, it is also naturally vegan. This focaccia bread recipe is super easy to make—no fancy equipment required.
Focaccia ingredients explained
Extra virgin olive oil makes focaccia so incredibly delicious. It contributes to both the texture and flavor of the bread. I firmly believe that the secret to the best focaccia bread lies in using a great-tasting olive oil. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, just use the olive oil that you like. We have Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our kitchen and love it.
Fresh garlic and herbs are essential for a perfect garlic focaccia. I use two cloves of garlic, but you can increase the amount for truly garlic bread. For herbs, use what you love and what is available to you. I love rosemary focaccia, so I always use fresh rosemary. In the photos below I’ve also added some fresh thyme. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, you can find dried substitute herbs in the recipe below.
yeast, warm water and sugar Help the bread rise and give it structure. The warmth of the water and sugar will wake up the yeast. Use honey, maple syrup or sugar.
all purpose flour is ideal for the preparation of focaccia bread. You can use bread flour, but the bread will be a bit tougher.
salt and pepper ensure that the bread tastes fantastic. Just like when flavoring soups and sauces, it is important to flavor the bread dough.
Prepare focaccia bread from scratch
As I mentioned above, focaccia bread is one of our favorite yeast breads to bake at home. It is perfect for beginner bread bakers. Our easy recipe makes delicious fresh bread in no time and requires very little on your part. Here are the basic steps with photos for making it. (The detailed focaccia recipe is below.)
Pour olive oil with garlic and fresh herbs. This simple step makes the bread incredibly delicious. Then mix yeast with warm water and honey. This will wake up the yeast so it’s ready to help the dough rise.
Add the flour, salt and some of the garlic herb oil to the yeast mixture, then knead the dough 10 to 15 times (no additional kneading is necessary).
Let the focaccia dough rise until it has doubled in volume (about 1 hour). Then transfer to a small baking sheet or casserole dish, add dimples to the top of the batter and coat with the remaining garlic herb oil. Finally, let the bread rise for another 20 minutes and then bake until golden brown.
Focaccia variations
The best part about this focaccia bread recipe is that it’s totally versatile. In our case, we like to refine olive oil with herbs and garlic.
If you want, you can omit the garlic and herbs and use plain olive oil and it’ll still taste delicious. Or add some extra flavor with sliced olives, halved cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes before baking. It would also be great to add roasted garlic chunks over the bread! You can even treat the baked one
Make-ahead tips
Since this recipe was published, many of you have asked if it is possible to let the focaccia dough rise overnight. You can! We recommend the following: instead of letting the dough rise at room temperature for an hour, place it in a resealable zip-lock bag and refrigerate overnight. You can also freeze it for future use.
The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up for 20 to 30 minutes before preheating the oven. Place the remaining garlic and olive oil mixture on a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet.
Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and then press into shape. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers and drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic and olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it rises slightly. Bake as instructed. (If you frozen the dough, let it sit at room temperature for a few hours first, or let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then follow the directions above.)
storage tips
Refrigerate or freeze leftover focaccia. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then in foil. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days and in the freezer for about a month. Day before bread can be toasted and used as croutons for a salad – you can always toss it on top of our Easy Caesar Salad. Another option is to dice it and use it in a bread pudding or bread layers.
What to serve with focaccia
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread
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PREPARATION
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COOK
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IN TOTAL
Our focaccia bread recipe is super easy to make – no fancy equipment required. The secret of the best focaccia is a tasty olive oil. Since quite a lot of it is used, the bread takes on its flavor really well. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, just use the olive oil you love.
For the herbs, we love a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you can use any herbs you like – fresh or dried. Or omit the garlic and herbs altogether and use plain olive oil instead. A note on pan size: In this recipe, we call for a baking sheet with a 9″ x 13″ rim. If you don’t have this, you can use a 9″ x 13″ rimmed casserole dish with taller sides.
Makes about 15 servings
Watch as we prepare the recipe
you will need
1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (235 ml) warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
directions
- make dough
1In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic but before the garlic starts to brown. Set aside and let cool.
2In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times and then let sit for 5 minutes.
3In bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup fortified garlic and olive oil mixture with yeast and honey. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour is moistened. Leave to rest for another 5 minutes.
4Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups flour and salt. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth.
5Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer spot in the kitchen.)
- baking bread
1After an hour, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2Use 2 tablespoons of the remaining garlic and olive oil mixture to oil a 9 x 13 inch rimmed baking sheet. (See above if you don’t have this pan size).
3Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and then press into shape. Make indentations in the dough with your fingers and drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic and olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it rises slightly.
4Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the baked focaccia bread cool on a wire rack.
Adam and Joanne’s tips
- Substituting Instant Yeast: Use 1 ¾ teaspoons of instant yeast in this recipe.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftover focaccia. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then in foil. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days and in the freezer for about a month.
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information below is an estimate. We used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, take a picture and tag it with the hashtag #inspiredtaste – we love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutritional value per serving
calories
143
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protein
3g
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carbohydrate
16g
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fiber
1g
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total sugar
0g
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total fat
8g
/
Saturated Fatty Acids
2g
/
cholesterol
0mg
Recipe updated originally posted January 2013. Since posting in 2013 we have tweaked the recipe to make it clearer. – Adam and Joanne