Focaccia Bread Recipe | Homemade Italian Focaccia

Name: Focaccia Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings, 1
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting; 7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast , 1 sachet = 7g; 1 tsp Caster Sugar; 1.5 tsp Fine Salt; 320 ml Warm Water, around 40°C - not hot; 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for the tin and drizzling; 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1.5 tsp Flaky Sea Salt, Maldon or similar; Pitted Kalamata Olives; Sliced Cherry Tomatoes,; Thinly Sliced Red Onion; Caramelised Garlic Cloves

Focaccia bread is one of Italy's most iconic bakes - a thick, pillowy flatbread drenched in olive oil, dimpled all over with fingertips, and topped with flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary. The result is a bread with a crisp, golden underside, a soft and airy interior, and a flavour far more complex than its short ingredient list suggests. It is also one of the most satisfying and forgiving breads a home baker can make.

This recipe follows the Ligurian tradition - the original home of focaccia in the northwest of Italy - where the bread is generously oiled both beneath and above, giving it its characteristic richness and depth. The dough requires two proves but very little active work, and the long, slow development of flavour during proving is what makes a proper focaccia so much better than anything from a supermarket.

Focaccia is endlessly versatile. Serve it warm from the oven as a side with soups and stews, tear it into chunks alongside antipasti and cured meats, use it as the base for a sandwich, or serve it as part of an Italian sharing spread with olives, hummus, and arancini. It's also a brilliant make-ahead bake — focaccia keeps well for two days and freezes beautifully. All ingredients are standard supermarket staples.

Ingredients

For the dough

400 g Strong White Bread Flour , plus extra for dusting
7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast , 1 sachet = 7g
1 tsp Caster Sugar
1.5 tsp Fine Salt
320 ml Warm Water , around 40°C - not hot
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil , plus extra for the tin and drizzling

For the topping

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1.5 tsp Flaky Sea Salt , Maldon or similar
Pitted Kalamata Olives (optional)
Sliced Cherry Tomatoes, (optional)
Thinly Sliced Red Onion (optional)
Caramelised Garlic Cloves (optional)

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and fine salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm water and 4 tbsp of olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until a rough, shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 mins until smooth and slightly tacky. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 6–7 mins.

Tip: Focaccia dough is wetter and stickier than most bread doughs — resist adding too much extra flour. A slightly tacky dough produces a lighter, more open crumb in the finished focaccia.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film or a damp tea towel, and leave to prove in a warm spot for 1–1½ hrs until doubled in size.
Generously oil a 25x35cm baking tin (or similar) with olive oil - don't be shy, the oil is essential to the character of focaccia. Tip the proved dough into the tin and use your fingers to stretch it gently to the edges. If it springs back, leave it to rest for 5 mins and try again.
Cover loosely and leave to prove for a second time for 45 mins–1 hr until noticeably puffed and pillowy.

Tip: The second prove is what gives focaccia its characteristic open, airy texture. Don't rush it - a properly proved focaccia will look visibly swollen and feel light to the touch before it goes in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 220°C fan / 240°C conventional / Gas Mark 9 during the second prove. Once proved, drizzle the surface of the dough with the 3 tbsp of olive oil. Using your fingers, press firmly all over the dough to create deep dimples - go right down to the base of the tin. Scatter over the rosemary, flaky sea salt, and any optional toppings.

Tip: The dimples are not just decorative - they trap pools of olive oil as the bread bakes, creating the characteristic pockets of flavour and the crisp, oily underside that defines great focaccia. Press firmly and confidently.
Bake for 22–25 mins until deeply golden on top and the underside is crisp and golden - lift a corner with a palette knife or spatula to check. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before lifting out and transferring to a wire rack. Best served warm.

Air Fryer Method

Focaccia is not ideally suited to the air fryer. It requires a large flat baking tin to spread into its characteristic shape, a high oven temperature for a proper crust, and space for the dough to rise and puff during baking - conditions a standard air fryer basket cannot replicate. For best results, bake in the oven as directed. Some larger drawer-style air fryers with a flat baking insert can produce a small focaccia, but results vary significantly by model and the texture won't match the oven version.

Alternatives & Variations

Reduce the total olive oil to 5 tbsp across the whole recipe - focaccia needs oil to be focaccia, but trimming back from the full amount saves calories while still producing a good result
Use half strong wholemeal bread flour and half strong white - adds fibre and a nuttier flavour; add an extra 20ml of water as wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid
Go lighter on the flaky salt topping - the fine salt in the dough provides seasoning; the topping salt is mainly textural, so a small pinch per slice is enough

This recipe is not naturally gluten free as it relies on strong white bread flour. Gluten free focaccia is challenging to replicate at home - yeasted gluten free doughs behave very differently and the texture won't match the original. Some specialist health food shops and online retailers sell gluten free focaccia mixes with reasonable results, but a from-scratch gluten free version is not recommended here.

FAQs

Around 45 mins of active prep and baking, plus 2–2½ hrs of proving time across two proves. It's a great weekend baking project where most of the time is hands-off - the dough does the work while you get on with other things.

Rated Intermediate. The dough is wetter and stickier than most bread doughs, which can feel unfamiliar at first, and the two-prove structure requires planning ahead. But the technique itself is forgiving - focaccia is one of the more difficult breads to genuinely ruin, and the results are spectacular even on a first attempt.

Yes - focaccia freezes very well. Cool completely, then slice or cut into portions and freeze in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen wrapped in foil at 180°C fan for 12–15 mins, then unwrap for the last 3 mins to re-crisp the surface. It comes back beautifully.

Yes - focaccia keeps well at room temperature for up to 2 days wrapped in a tea towel or stored in an airtight bag. For the best flavour, you can also do a slow overnight prove in the fridge: after the first knead, place the dough in an oiled container, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove 1 hour before continuing from step 3.

The classic is rosemary and flaky sea salt, but focaccia is wonderfully versatile. Popular variations include pitted Kalamata olives, halved cherry tomatoes, caramelised onions, thinly sliced red onion, roasted garlic cloves, sun-dried tomatoes, or sliced courgette. Keep toppings relatively light - too much weight on top can prevent the dough from rising properly in the oven.

Focaccia is endlessly versatile. Serve warm alongside soups and stews, tear into chunks as part of an Italian antipasti spread with olives, cured meats, and arancini, or use as the base for a sandwich filled with mozzarella, tomato, and basil. It's also excellent simply torn and dipped into good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.