How to Make Focaccia Bread
Learn how to make focaccia bread, the classic Italian flat-bread. The process is simple and creates a high quality bread that can be flavored any variety of ways. This recipe can be made with dried yeast or a natural sourdough starter.
Overview
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Techniques Used: Autolyse
Focaccia is one of my most highly requested recipes from my readers. I make it frequently for my students to snack on during my Chicago Bread Workshops, and it always gets rave reviews. So today I want to show you exactly how I make it.
I use this same method for making the bread with dried yeast or with my natural sourdough starter, so you can use either in this recipe! I also make this as a no-knead focaccia. The method and ratios I use for the bread keep it very flavorful and moist, with extremely little effort.
What is Focaccia?
Focaccia is a classic italian flatbread. It can be kept plain with just a bit of olive oil and salt sprinkled over the top before baking, or it can be topped with an endless variety of toppings. My favorite is Focaccia al rosmarino which just means it has fresh rosemary sprinkled over the top.
Some people also use this bread as the base for pizza, and that is also absolutely delicious. It really is a very flexible bread that can be adapted for many different situations.
Ingredients
Focaccia bread is made with very few ingredients. The five ingredients include: flour, water, salt, yeast, and olive oil. That’s it!
You can use either bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. And I recommend making it simple without a lot of toppings the first time you make it so you can really taste the flavor of the bread.
How to Make Focaccia
Like most all bread recipes, there is not one singular way to approach focaccia. I have developed this method as my favorite way to make it to maximize flavor and minimize hands on time.
I like to use a very high hydration dough, meaning there is a lot of water in this recipe. This allows the bread to get a more open hole structure and keeps the crumb very moist.
Step 1: Autolyse
To start the process, we are going to mix the flour and water together without any of the other ingredients. This step is called autolyse and it allows the flour to fully hydrate and for the gluten structure to start building all on its own.
You want the flour/water mixture to autolyse for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. You can see in the above pictures how different it looks before resting (left picture) compared to after resting (right picture). This is because the gluten structure has begun forming.
Step 2: Mix the Final Dough
Once the autolyse step is finished, you can mix in the rest of the ingredients by hand. I use this exact same process and formula if I am making this with dried yeast or if I am making sourdough focaccia.
So you’ll sprinkle either your dried yeast or your sourdough starter over the top of the flour/water mixture along with some olive oil. I like to give this a rough mix by hand before adding the salt.
Next, sprinkle the salt over the top and continue mixing by hand until everything is well combined. Use the pincer method which involves pinching the dough all over and then folding it over itself until well combined. This usually takes about 2 minutes of mixing.
Step 3: Shape & Rest
Once your dough is fully mixed, grease a 9×13″ pan with olive oil and pour the dough into the pan. Turn the dough to coat it in oil and then gently stretch it (being careful not to tear it) to fill the pan. It will likely fight you and won’t let you stretch it all the way at this point.
Cover the pan and let it rest 20-30 minutes to let the dough relax so it will be easier to work with.
Step 4: Ferment
After the dough has rested, you will be able to stretch it to fit the pan more easily. Now it is time to let it ferment.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then you have two options: you can let it ferment at room temperature for about 8 hours, or you can refrigerate it for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours.
Slow fermentation allows the bread to develop a lot of flavor. If I plan ahead enough, I always opt for the long cold ferment because the flavor is amazing. But even 8 hours will produce a delicious bread.
Fermentation is done when the dough is filled with air and looks really puffy. If you pull your pan out of the refrigerator and it isn’t quite puffy yet, let it sit at room temperature for a bit before baking.
Step 5: Top and Dimple
Drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top of the dough and then add any toppings you like. At the very least sprinkle some coarse salt over the top. I also like to add some chopped fresh rosemary.
Before going into the oven, dimple the dough all over with your fingers. This creates little ridges for the olive oil and toppings to sink into and also gives it the classic focaccia look.
Step 6: Bake
Bake until golden brown. I like to bake focaccia at a high temperature to get it nice and crispy on top and bottom.
It should be airy in the center and the olive oil should have absorbed into the bread.
Focccia is one of my absolute favorite breads to make. Yes, it does take quite a bit of time, but it is almost all hands off. It is so easy to make and I’m telling you, people get VERY excited over this bread.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might like to try these other delicious bread recipes.
Easy No-Knead Focaccia
This recipe is for classic focaccia that can be topped with any topping you like. You can make this recipe with dried yeast or with a sourdough starter
Ingredients
- 500 gr (4 cups + 2 TBSP) bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 400 gr (1 3/4 cup) room temperature water
- 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast, or 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast, or 50 gr fed and ripe sourdough starter
- 28 gr (2 TBSP) olive oil
- 10 gr (2 tsp) fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 28 gr (2 TBSP) extra olive oil, divided (for the pan and finishing the dough)
- fresh rosemary or other fresh herbs or toppings of choice
- coarse salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- AUTOLYSE: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and water until well combined. The mixture will be incredibly sticky and wet. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This will help the flour fully hydrate and will jump start the gluten formation.
- FINAL DOUGH MIX: Add in the dry yeast or the sourdough starter along with the olive oil. Begin pinching and folding the dough by hand until the yeast and oil are somewhat combined. Then sprinkle the salt over top and continue pinching and folding the dough until everything is evenly combined. This is a very wet dough and it will take about 2 minutes of mixing by hand to combine everything.
- SHAPE: Grease a 9x13" pan with about 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Transfer the dough into the pan and turn to coat it in oil. Start stretching the dough to fit the pan. It will likely not stretch completely and will want to fight you and snap back in place. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to relax.
- FERMENT: After the dough has relaxed, stretch it again until it fits the pan completely. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature for about 8 hours or in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. The cold temperature will slow down the yeast activity and will allow the dough to develop more flavor.
- PREHEAT the oven to 450 F (230 C) for about 45 minutes before baking.
- TOP THE DOUGH: When ready to bake, the dough should be puffy and full of air. If you pull yours out of the refrigerator and it isn't quite full of air, you can let it sit in a warm spot for a while before baking. Sprinkle toppings over the dough as desired. I like to drizzle about 1 more tbsp of olive oil over, add some fresh rosemary, and a sprinkle of coarse salt.
- DIMPLE the dough by taking your fingers and pressing in all over the top. This gives the bread that iconic focaccia look.
- BAKE the focaccia at 450 F (230 C) for 18-23 minutes until golden brown.
- STORE uneaten focaccia at room temperature loosely covered by foil or plastic wrap for up to 48 hours. Then slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to a month.
73 Comments on “How to Make Focaccia Bread”
I cannot wait to try this !!!! Looks “butterly” delicious !
You’ll have to let me know if you do Donna! It is one of my favorites and my husband was obsessed with it. He couldn’t believe that I actually made it myself. (I’m a baker and he couldn’t believe it. Lol!)
Oh yum! This looks incredible!
Thanks Sarah!
p.s. I too have become enchanted by the miraculous process that is bread making. I haven’t used the autolyse method yet, but I have heard of the digestive benefits of soaking grains before baking, and clearly there are benefits to those of us using the hand-kneading method as well! I’ll be giving this a try as soon as I buy a new rosemary plant, my last one died.
Right Sarah?! Bread making is like magic. I love learning all about it. There are endless techniques and things to learn. So fascinating!
I wish you had taught me science in school-I can get behind science when used for food ;P
This focaccia bread looks so gorgeous and perfectly herb-ed up and so chewy and yummy!
I like to do as much two-day prep as possible. Has anyone tried this with the final rise in the refrigerator overnight?
I have not tried it, but that should work. Please let me know if you do try it!
Tried your recipe for focaccia. Honestly it was just ok. Personally I hydrate my dough to about 70%. and I use semolina and bread flour You needed 2 or 3 more Tablespoons of olive oil in the dough
and the topping you suggested well, I used salt, rosemary and thyme. (sometimes I use fennel seed)
I think focaccia should be kept simple. After all the purpose of autolyze is actually to bring out the taste of the grain. you start adding too many toppings and there really isn’t any point to it.
Love your website and I follow you on Instagram (your cat is too cool)
Hi Edward,
Thanks for your comments. I have been meaning to update this recipe and tutorial for some time as it is quite old. I agree, focaccia is delicious simple, but I do love it with toppings! At an Italian restaurant I used to work at our staff meal would frequently be a focaccia pizza of sorts and it was one of my favorite things to make. But everyone has their preferences!
I have refrigerated focaccia dough and it works quite well.
After the final ferment, shape and pan your dough. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
when you remove the dough set it on a counter and let it come to room temperature. top the dough,
dimple it, top it, cover it then let it rise. I have kept dough refrigerated up to 4 days
Great to know! Thanks!
Hi – I am going to be making this soon. I am surprised that the recipe doesn’t call to add the yeast to the water before making the dough. Since this step isn’t listed would it be better to use instant yeast?
Joanne Maxwell I was wondering the same thing. Should it not proff 1st??
Hi! Proofing the yeast first is an optional step. That step is done to make sure that your yeast is alive and active before adding to your dough. Proofing the yeast does not affect the finished bake as long as your yeast is alive.
Thank you a grat, eady to follow recipe. It worked beautifully and was eaten so quickly i need to make another batch.
Thanks Betty for some amazing recipes with sour dough. Your tutorials are the best. I can’t believe I have been baking so much bread with zero past baking experience.
I have followed this one – Focaccia sourdough – exactly with sourdough starter. But I split the dough in two trays. (Over night in fridge. Lots of bubbles.) One a regular rectangular baking pan. This came out great. Taster n texture.
However the second one which which was in round Pyrex glass pie-baking pan got stuck to the bottom. I had plenty olive oil n bubbles in both starters.
If you could please tell me what did I do wrong. Thanking you in advance.
The recipe says 1/2 tsp of starter. Is this a typo error or is it really 1/2 teaspoon of starter? Seems like it isn’t enough for 4 cups of flour. Thanks for your reply. I’ll wait to hear back from you before I jump in to bake focaccia.
Please use 50 grams of sourdough starter which is about 1/4 cup.
Does the recipe call for 1/2 cup starter or 1/2 tsp starter?
Hi Teresa, it’s 50 grams of starter which is about 1/4 cup.
I’ve now tried this recipe twice and keep having the same issues (baked with sour dough starter). First it doesn’t get full of air, and second the bread completely sticks to the pan.. Any thoughts?
My bread stuck so bad in my 9 x 13 inch glass pan, I thought I’d need a wooden chisel to get it out. I’ve made other focaccia recipes that never suck like this one.
Mine, too, stuck like CRAZY! Maybe letting dough ferment and relax in a different dish and transferring to a different one, proof a bit, then bake. I’m actually scared I ruined one of my favorite baking dishes…
Ditto on the twice trying, though I used yeast (not instant). Refrigerated 12 hours, left at room temp 1 hour before baking. Not a lot of rise… I think the years should probably be activated before adding to the autolyzed dough
Can you mix in the toppings with the dough like sourdough bread ? I love garlic and am wondering if the inside can have garlic as well .
I was wondering the same thing, little bits of roasted garlic sounds fantastic. Just wondering if it would affect the puffing up in the frig over night??
I had some of the same problems as the other reviewers. My overnight dough didn’t rise using 50g of a good starter. The bread stuck to the pan after baking even after I added extra oil on the bottom. It was a hockey puck! I so enjoyed watching her video but am going back to my King Arthur recipe which calls for both a lot more starter and yeast.
I made this as a double batch so I could play around with the toppings on each. Fresh chopped oregano and sun dried tomatoes, so so good. Baked the 1st after a 24 refrigeration and the 2nd after 48 hrs. Both super delicious. I did have a problem with them sticking to my pan though, that was a bummer. Any suggestions? I used 9×13 nonstick metal pans with Plenty of EVOO.
Flavor is 10/10. Out of this world good. Only complaint is as others have mentioned… sticks like heck to the pan. I oiled very well, too. Honestly, though, I’ll deal with it because it’s too good to not make.
So glad you like it! I would suggest removing it when it’s still slightly warm so it will slide out easier.
Thanks for the recipe. The bread came out perfect – in fact, I liked it better than the store bought. I followed all your instructions except that I had used 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (which is all I had) and let it ferment for 12hrs at room temperature. By the way, I have just started baking so if I could get it right, I am sure anyone can. Thanks again.
That’s great! I’m so glad you liked it!
Hey Bettie – First of all — awesome recipe! I’ve made this twice in the past week and it’s been a huge success. My first attempt was with all bread flour, I let the flour and water sit for two hours, used active dry yeast and let it sit on counter wrapped with plastic wrap for 12 hours before cooking.
Second attempt, used 3 cups bread flour and 1 cup regular flour. The rest was same as above. In both I used just a pinch more dry active yeast.
Second batch came out with more bubbles after resting for 12 hours. Both were absolutely delicious and thank for such a wonderful recipe that was easy to follow. Fantastic focaccia!!
One little thing, it was extremely difficult to get out of the pan. Used plenty of olive oil both times. First try was glass baking dish and second was teflon baking dish – stuck to both. First time let it cool before trying second tried right out of the oven. Really struggled scraping the sides, getting a metal spatula under it to scrape it off bottom. I got it out, in tact, both times. But any tips to avoid this sticking part?
If you want to take out the part where I ask about the bread sticking that is fine. Just answer in an email if you have time.
Thanks!
How do I know when my starter is ripe, is that when it floats in water
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Just made this last night (well actually I made it three days ago, then cooked it last night).
It was so good! Everyone loved it! I’ll definitely be saving this recipe and making it again!
So glad everyone liked it!
My husband even wants to have a go at it to bring to some friends 😀
I’ve tried twice to subscribe but haven’t been successful. I love your detailed, easy to follow bread recipes. Perfect pandemic pass time. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.
This is my 3rd attempt. Following recipe to the T. Can’t get a good rise no matter how long I keep in fridge 1-3 days or how long it sits at room temperature before baking. Only 3/4” high. Taste good but disappointed. Was hoping for taller bake.
Forgot to mention I used active mature starter instead of yeast. Maybe switch it up next time.
That’s what I used. Active mature starter fed with 75% APF & 25% WW, King Arthur. Starter is healthy. Use it all the time with the soft sourdough and no knead recipes successfully.
Very clear and concise instructions that were easy to follow. Delicious result using the refrigerator method.
As always, thank you, Bette, for not only sharing your expertise but also for being so generous in doing so.
You’re welcome!
After 3 failed focaccias, this recipe worked brilliant for me. Thank you so much for the clear instructions and perfect recipe 🙂
Great job!
I have tried the focaccia bread and it is in the oven and poofed in the center and looks like a lot of olive oil. What could I have done wrong?
Hi,
I baked the focacia adapting your above recipe. For the dough I followed your step wise video and was so very happy to see it was well fermented and fluffy with good bubbles. refrigerated the dough spreaded in the tray and left overnight. Morning I removed and kept out for 8 hrs. But when I baked the crust dint colour golden brown . Moreover the crust upside and under came out hard . What could be the reason. Pls let me know the reason will be happy to try it again for a better lighter bread. Also wanna try the other yeast breads.Thanks in advance. Arundati/India
Renovating house 2 more rooms to go can’t wait to make this! My Aunt Bettie was terrific…i so enjoy your way of intro instructions then the recipe !
Thank you look to investigating more. Glad I found You!
You inspired me. You explain everything so well! I mixed my flour and water only to find out that my starter was being stubborn. Long story short it took 2 extra days to coax it into action and still no luck. By know my flour/water was quite hydrated and very stretchy, so deferred to using yeast. I let sit 24 hrs., not much bubble activity and very wet, but I carried on. It’s in the oven now. My sourdough experience has taught me to not give up, hang in and it has often surprised me. Hope this works out the same. thank you for your teaching!
Well I baked my Focaccia mess that I made. In a previous comment I noted that I jumped the gun mixing my autolyze only to find that my starter had died. The autolyze sat for 2 days before I gave in to using yeast. Lo and behold it worked out OK anyway. I didn’t get much oven spring, but it definitely rose. Moral of the story, never give up too early.
How would you edit the directions in order to use the recipe to make it in a bun form pan? I want to make sandwiches with Asiago Focaccia, my favorite bread in the world that I can not get my hands on here in the midwest since we moved here. I have been craving it like nobodies business, lol. If you are inclined, how much Asiago do you add to the top as well to make it like a NY Bakery?
Hi there! This is quite a high hydration sticky dough and would likely be pretty difficult to shape into buns or divide in this way. I would suggest baking it in a 9×9 instead so that it is thicker and you can cut it in squares and then each square in half to make a sandwich. I haven’t tested it in this pan but you’ll likely want to increase your baking time by a few minutes since it will be thicker. I honestly never measure the cheese when I add any to the top. I just sprinkle it over until it looks right. I would guess about a cup of shredded cheese.
This was so awesome! I used my new sourdough starter (Thank You). I cut the recipe in half, used a 6 X 10 pan, and it sat on the counter for 14 hours & it still came out perfect. I forgot to cut the starter in half so I used 50 gr. I used dried Rosemary and a good olive oil. This was the 1st time using my 7 day old starter & was amazed at how fluffy the inside was. Thank you for your videos!! So easy to understand and I’m grateful.
Wonderful! Glad you liked it!
I’m a novice but highly motivated baker. I love your tips and the way you describe the techniques. I’ve read that weighing your ingredients is “best” and have started to use the scale to measure the ingredients. I’ve found that my weight measurment of flour is rarely the same as when using a measuring cup, because I sometimes compare – like I did today. I just did both measuring cup and scale and had to take out nearly a quarter of a cup (about 3 TBS) of flour to reach the gram weight. I decided to go with the gram weight. Why does this happen? It happens quite frequently.
Hi,
I’ve made this twice and while it’d delicious…it sticks to the bottom of my pan. I’ve tried both metal and glass pans. I did use spur dough starter…not sure if that made a difference..any suggestions?
Thanks!
Grease your pan with even more olive oil than you think you need! Try using a non-stick pan.
I really like this recipe. It’s straightforward, not difficult, and always yields a wonderful taste whether or not I use the no knead method OR use some Nicoletta, my sourdough. Thanks always for folding us warmly into your good food recipes and techniques. You ARE appreciated.
Wonderful! Thanks so much!
Baker Bettie–I put a sling of parchment in the bottom & sides to see if that helps the foccacia’s removal that some folks’ comments seem to indicate was difficult.
Did it work out well?
500 g flour equals just 4 cups. The extra 2 tbls make it far, far too dry.
I used this recipe as a base, but instead I made a 20% Yudane, and increased the sourdough starter to 100g at 1:1 hydration. And proofed overnight. I used parchment paper in my 9×13 so that it wouldn’t stick just in case.
I also don’t understand why you wouldn’t mix in the sourdough starter into the dough for the first autolyse rather than doing it afterwards.
It was delicious, my kids said it was the best they’ve ever had.
Fused to the pan is an understatement. Nothing to do with too little oil, etc, etc. PLEASE use parchment paper or be prepared to chisel the bread out.
Count wait to try this.
Can I use brown butter for this?
I’m not sure you’d want to. It would definitely alter the classic flavor.
Hi Bettie
I tried this recipe twice and both times it stuck to the pan I used plenty of olive oil and didn’t rise like yours. I’m going try it again and hopefully it’ll come out better. This time I’ll be using parchment paper and I will bake it the same day. I know my yeast was good ! What else could be the problem?
Thanks Kate
It’s great! Followed directions exactly and it turned out perfectly. My book club said it was the best focaccia they ever had and one is Italian!
After refrigerating do you let the dough warm to room temperature? Or just stick it in the oven?
Hi! If you pull yours out of the refrigerator and it isn’t quite full of air, you can let it sit in a warm spot for a while before baking.