If you want to fill your kitchen with the smell of fresh-baked bread but are nervous about working with sourdough or shaping a boule, this focaccia recipe (part of our Basically Guide to Better Baking) is the best place to begin. You don’t need a starter or a mixer with a dough hook—in fact, you don’t need any bread-making equipment or experience at all. We’re not exaggerating when we say this easy recipe requires zero skill and provides ample opportunity to be amazed by yourself and the wonders of yeast.
What you do need is prep time, patience, and maybe some dinner guests for the next day. Letting the focaccia dough do its first rise in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours (like, while you're working or sleeping) means a slow ferment, giving the dough more time to develop flavor and the air bubbles that give this Italian bread its airy crumb form. It’s worth noting that cold dough is also easier to handle when you’re ready to move on to the next step, especially when handling such a wet, sticky dough. If you just can’t wait that long (we get it), it’ll need a rise time of 3 to 4 hours at room temperature.
Poking your fingers into the top of the dough to form the bread’s divots is deeply satisfying and a fun way to involve helpers if you have them. The baking vessel we recommend depends on how you plan to use your focaccia. Go with a 13x9" baking dish, like a sheet-cake pan, if you’re looking for sandwich bread and an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet for something more like a thick flatbread. At the end, it gets lacquered with garlic butter, but even without it, your homemade focaccia will impress.
Once you’ve got a handle on this focaccia recipe, feel free to play around with the toppings and seasonings: Scatter halved cherry tomatoes and chopped fresh rosemary before baking, then top with Parmesan cheese; or mix lots of black pepper and pecorino into the dough for focaccia caccio e pepe. Use this recipe to make pizza dough for a crispy, chewy foccacia pizza topped with mozzarella, caramelized onions, and arugula. Need a gluten-free focaccia recipe? We’ve got you.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes plus rising (from 5 hours at room temperature to 30 hours chilled)
Yield
10–12 servings
Ingredients
1
2
5
5
6
4
2–4
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).
Step 2
Add 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour and 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt and mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
Step 3
Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. If you're in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours.
Step 4
Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan, for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches, or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet, for focaccia that's thinner, crispier, and great for snacking. The butter may seem superfluous, but it’ll ensure that your focaccia doesn’t stick. Pour 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (We learned this technique from Alexandra Stafford, who uses it to shape her no-knead bread.) Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.
Step 5
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.) Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you probably won't need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (reach your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan). Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.
Step 6
Hold off on this last step until you're ready to serve the focaccia: Melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Peel and grate in 2–4 garlic cloves with a Microplane (use 2 cloves if you’re garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted, 30–45 seconds. (Or, if you prefer raw garlic to toasted garlic, you can grate the garlic into the hot butter, off heat, then brush right away.)
Step 7
Brush garlic-butter all over focaccia and slice into squares or rectangles.
Do Ahead: Focaccia is best eaten the day it’s made, but keeps well in the freezer. Slice it into pieces, store it in a freezer-safe container, then reheat it on a baking sheet in a 300° oven.
Editor’s note: This focaccia recipe was first printed online in February 2020. Head this way for more of our best bread recipes →
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Reviews (1489)
Back to TopI've made this recipe 5 times now (once the quick method, four times the 24 hour proof method). The first 3 times I made it, I was amazed how incredible it was. I am not a baker or great cook in general, and it was perfection. Followed the recipe exactly, minus the garlic butter. The last two times I made it, it has been pale and stodgy, almost inedible and not at all how my first three came out. I realized a couple things changed - my first 3 used Trader Joe's unbleached all purpose flour. For my last two batches I have been using Pillsbury bleached all purpose flour - could that be the main culprit? It literally has no color at all, and barely rises in the oven. Another change was the active dry yeast, I don't remember the brand of my first 3, but the last have been Fleishmann. The packets definitely look different. Anyway, I would love any advice! I am hesitant to even try again since the last 2 have been so bad.
Caitlin L.
7/27/2024
Fantastic, simple, reliable recipe. I make this at least once a month. Although I've used the overnight method, typically, letting it rest for four hours works great. I love the toppings flexibility. I've made it like the recipe many times; however, I've also experimented with several delicious topping combos Added just before baking; press gently into the top of the focaccia: • Roasted & smashed baby potato chunks and fresh chopped rosemary (lots of flaky salt and garlic butter afterwards) • caramelized onions, chunks of gruyére, fresh thyme • zucchini, shallots, Parmigiano cheese • blue cheese, figs, pecans • chopped cherry tomatoes and Bufala mozzarella (top w/fresh Basil) delicious dipped into oil & vinegar or pizzutello sauce So many options!
Anonymous
6/8/2024
I make this focaccia regularly and it is fantastic every time! It's a great flavor. Most times it gets devoured with some good olive oil or as a sandwich (I like pesto, mozzarella, and proscuitto), but you can also use it as a base to customize. My favorite is putting roasted garlic cloves into the dough when I'm on the dimpling part of step 5, especially if you make it in the 13x9 pan. It also freezes and reheats well, although I do just keep that for myself and make fresh batches as a gift.
Anonymous
5/23/2024
I made this and gavr some to my neighbors. Now they requested another batch. Safe to say I will make again! I used Celtic salt 1:1 and it turned out very well.
Mickey
Sunnyvale, CA
5/11/2024
Quite delicious
Fiona
N TX
4/20/2024
We were having weekday spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and I wanted something different and special since I was off from work. I am such a novice with making bread and have tried other focaccia recipes. But this looked like it was in my wheelhouse. Boy was it a hit. I did the quick method using my oven’s proofing option. I didn’t using the melted garlic butter but I truly did not miss it. It was sooo good. I have even had it with apple cider jam as a snack and I can’t wait to make my next batch tomorrow using bread flour and everything bagel seasoning
Barbara Haas
Cuba NY
3/12/2024
Made this three nights ago and it was a huge hit. Like some else mentioned, I baked it in a 13x9” glass casserole and it came out so crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle. I topped it with caramelized onion and garlic which I added half way through so it wouldn’t burn. Tonight I’m making it with onion, garlic, a few halved cherry tomatoes, some leaves of fresh basil and burrata on top. I have to be careful that I don’t add too much to prevent it’s rise in the oven. Terrific recipe and so easy.
Kate S.
Cincinnati
3/10/2024