Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe (Light & Fluffy)

Focaccia bread is as beautiful as it is delicious. It’s fluffy, flavorful, and super versatile. Oftentimes, I use it to make giant pizzas or tasty turkey and provolone focaccia sandwiches. It’s also amazing served alongside your favorite salads or soups. The possibilities are truly endless!

Perhaps the greatest part of this recipe is that there is absolutely no need to knead the dough. This means you can easily whip this bread up on a busy weeknight. Who doesn’t love fresh bread during the week?!

How is Focaccia Bread Different from Other Bread?

Unlike typical baguettes or rounds, focaccia bread is a flat-baked Italian bread with a similar texture to thick pizza crust. Oftentimes, it is topped with olive oil and herbs for extra flavor and texture. You’ll find it sliced into biscotti-shaped pieces, sliced down the middle for sandwiches, or topped with soft cheese and sautéed veggies for a fancy appetizer.

How to Make Easy Focaccia Bread

Making this bread only requires simple ingredients you likely already have hanging out in your kitchen. What’s better? You don’t have to knead the dough whatsoever, significantly cutting down on your prep time. Below, find a quick hitter overview of the recipe before you dive in.

• Mix the Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Proof the Dry Instant Yeast: Mix the warm water with the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Prep the Wet Ingredients: Beat the butter and egg together. Add in the yeast and whisk to combine.
• Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients: Using a stand mixer or a sturdy wooden spoon, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Cover the focaccia dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.
• Put the Dough in a Pan: Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and transfer the dough into it. Let it rest for an additional 30 minutes.
• Season the Dough: Drizzle the dough with olive oil and poke holes into it with your fingertips. Next, sprinkle the top with chopped rosemary and flaky sea salt or kosher salt.
• Bake the Focaccia: Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Below, find a couple of tips and tricks to help you make bakery-worthy focaccia bread.

• Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Avoid using olive oil blends for this recipe. High-quality, full-bodied olive oil makes all the difference in flavor.
• Employ the help of a stand mixer. While you can totally mix the dough by hand, using a stand mixer with a dough hook will make the process so much easier.
• Poke holes in the dough. Poking holes in the dough with your fingertips isn’t just to provide a pretty effect. It also reduces air bubbles in the dough and prevents it from rising too quickly. This is crucial to creating the signature flat-baked shape!
• Use fresh herbs versus dried. Fresh herbs add a much more richer flavor to focaccia. Mix and match a few different kids or stick to rosemary. 

Serving Focaccia Bread

Focaccia bread pairs wonderfully with a wide range of Italian-style soups. Minestrone, Zuppa Toscana, and meatball kale soup are all great options. You can also serve a couple of slices of it alongside a homemade caesar salad or caprese pasta salad.

Storing Focaccia

• Room Temperature: Store leftover focaccia in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. After that, it may begin to harden and get a bit stale.
• Freezer: To freeze the bread, first allow it to cool completely. Next, wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap. Pop in the freezer and store for up to 1 month. To thaw, place it on the counter for an hour or so.

FAQ

More Easy Homemade Bread Recipes

• Easy Homemade Flatbread – Cheese and herb flatbread
• Easy Homemade French Bread – Simple french bread
• No-Knead Easy Bread (Video) – Classic white bread
• Ukrainian Garlic Bread (Pampushky) – Garlic and sunflower oil bread

Recipe

Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe (Light & Fluffy)

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Servings

8 Servings

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

This easy focaccia bread recipe is baked until golden brown, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with fresh rosemary. Perfect paired with pastas, soups, and salads!

Ingredients

• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 3 tsp dry instant yeast
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp rosemary chopped
• 1 tbsp course salt

US Units – Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
  
• Pour the warm water into a small dish and mix in the yeast. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes.
  
• Beat the butter and egg until well-combined. Add in the yeast mixture and whisk to combine.
  
• In small parts, mix in the flour mixture. Once the dough thickens, you may have to use a sturdy wooden spoon to work it until it turns elastic. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to make the process a bit easier. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it's doubled in volume.
  
• Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and spread the dough evenly within it. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
  
• Drizzle generously with olive oil. Using your fingertips, poke holes all over the dough to make shallow dents. Sprinkle the top with rosemary and flaky sea salt.
  
• Bake the bread at 400°F for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  
• Remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or cold and enjoy!
  

Nutrition Facts

Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe (Light & Fluffy)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 227 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 1213mg51%

Potassium 77mg2%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 165IU3%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 14mg1%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.