Best Italian Focaccia Recipe (2024)

This is the BEST Italian focaccia recipe that is super easy to make. Topped with fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme, this bread is fluffy on the inside with the best crispy edges!

I love making homemade bread for dinner or to enjoy for a snack. This Italian focaccia recipe is not only super easy, but it has the most amazing flavor with the garlic and fresh herbs.

Serve this Italian focaccia recipe with air fryer calamari, rotini pasta with Italian sausage and traditional blackberry crumble for dessert!

🌿 Ingredient notes

• Bread Flour - Bread flour contains a higher protein content than all purpose flour. This helps to produce a lot of gluten which is perfect for this Italian focaccia. All purpose flour can also be used if needed.
• Yeast - I typically useactive dry yeastto leaven the bread, but instant yeast can also be used. The difference between instant and dry active yeast is that dry active yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid, while instant yeast can be mixed right in. Instant yeast will cause rising times to be less.
• Garlic & Herbs - Fresh garlic, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary are used as a topping to flavor this homemade focaccia bread. These can be omitted for a more plain simple focaccia or other herbs such as basil, sage, oregano or marjoram can also be used. If needed, ½ teaspoon of dried herbs can be used in place of fresh.

📋 Substitutions and variations

• Toppings - Try using sliced olives, peppers, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or sliced onions for different ways to top the focaccia.

🥣 Step by step instructions

First, mix the warm water, honey and yeast in a mixing bowl and let it sit until its foamy. Next, whisk together the bread flour and kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined into a shaggy dough. Place 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a clean large bowl and turn the dough out into this bowl. Flip the focaccia dough to cover it in olive oil and then cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for the first time, in a warm place until doubled in size.

When the dough has completed the first rising, butter a 9x13 baking pan and drizzle in the remaining oil.

Starting with the top of the dough, pull it up and press it down into the middle of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Repeat this two more times until all four sides have been folded in. Mix together the olive oil with the garlic and herbs for the topping.

Turn the dough into the prepared baking dish and gently stretch it into a rectangle shape. Let the dough sit uncovered for the second rise until doubled in size.

Dip your fingers in the oil topping and press dough into the focaccia dough to dimple it over the entire surface. Drizzle the garlic and herb oil over the entire surface of the focaccia dough and sprinkle it with coarse or flaky sea salt.

Bake focaccia in a 450˚preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

⭐ Expert tips

• Make sure your water is about 110˚ or luke warm when you add the honey and yeast. If it's too hot, it will ruin the yeast. If it's too cold, it won't activate it. Using an infrared thermometer helps to easily check the temperature.
• Mix the dough so no dry pockets remain so there isn't streaks of flour in the baked focaccia.
• This will be a pretty wet and sticky dough, but that is the way it is supposed to be.
• Letting the dough rise in a warm spot will allow it to rise properly.
• Make sure to let the dough rise for the second time uncovered, otherwise it will stick and deflate.

⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions

This easy focaccia bread recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

🍅 More Italian recipes

If you loved this Italian focaccia recipe, check out these other Italian recipes that I know you will love too!

• Italian Cheese Bread
• Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta
• Great Chicago Italian Recipes
• Lemon Ricotta Cake

📖 Recipe

More From Scratch Essentials Recipes