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This Easy Focaccia Bread is a soft, chewy bread with dimples on top and full of flavors of garlic, olive oil and rosemary. With no kneading, folding or special shaping required, it’s a simple, foolproof bread even the most novice of bakers will enjoy!
I LOVE a good focaccia bread. But you know what I don’t love about it? It can be so time consuming and hands-on. Knead, then fold, let rise, then fold again, rise, shape…. easy and focaccia bread simple don’t typically go together.
Until now! I started with my no knead bread recipe and turned it into an irresistible focaccia bread my whole family absolutely devours.
Ingredients Needed
- Bread Flour – All-purpose will work, too, but the texture will be slightly more fluffy vs chewy.
- Warm Water – Not hot, just warm. Between 90F and 110F is great.
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil or a “light tasting” olive oil is fine.
- Yeast – Active Dry or Instant/Quick-rise is great.
- Minced Garlic – You can mince your own fresh garlic or use a jar of minced garlic for convenience (which is what I typically do!).
- Salt – I use kosher salt.
- Rosemary – Optional, but highly recommend it! I like using fresh rosemary but dried will work in a pinch.
After creating this recipe, I decided I wanted to compare it to a classically made focaccia (with kneaded dough that’s been folded a few times, etc).
After making both recipes, I shared it with family and had them pick their favorite between the two.
Everyone chose the easy version!! This was when I knew I was onto something and had to share it with you all!!!
How to Make Easy Focaccia Bread
Though this is a super EASY focaccia bread, it will need 8 hours or more to rest, so keep that in mind before beginning.
Start by mixing together the flour, yeast and salt. Then stir in the warm water and garlic.
Once it’s well-mixed, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and cover with plastic wrap. The dough should be pretty soft at this point (will stick to fingers when touched) and that’s just fine. Let the dough set on the counter for 8-12 hours.
If you want to let it set more than 12 hours, simply put it into the fridge after that time and keep it in there until ready to bake, up to 48 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450F and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a 9×13-inch metal baking pan.
Pour the dough (use a spatula, if needed) into the prepared pan. With a little olive oil on your fingers, gently pull the dough to the edges of the pan. Don’t worry if it doesn’t go to the edge – it won’t matter!
Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of the dough and use your fingers to press dimples into the dough. Because this dough is very soft, it won’t have dimples quite as defined as traditional focaccia…but don’t let that deter you! 🙂
Next, you’ll sprinkle the top with either kosher salt or flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary. And then it’s time to bake!!! I recommend baking on a rack closer to the top of the oven to get a little more color on the top of the focaccia. Bake until light golden brown and let cool for 10-15 minutes before diving in!!
Tools I Recommend for Baking Focaccia
A Kitchen Scale – measuring the weight of flour is more accurate (and easier in my opinion!) than using cups.
Bread Flour – it’s a higher-protein flour that produces more gluten in dough that all-purpose flour, perfect for bread!
USA Pan Brand 9×13 Pan – I love all the USA Pan products because they have a nice nonstick coating, are heavy duty and bake very evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I’ve actually tried this with all-purpose flour and it worked great. A bread flour (which is higher in gluten) is preferred but not totally necessary.
Yes! Focaccia is a more hydrated dough than most other breads. It gives the bread its distinct texture and ample air pockets throughout!
How to Serve Focaccia Bread
I love serving focaccia bread along side a meal or as an appetizer with olive oil and balsamic. Simply grab a small shallow dish and drizzle in some olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar and salt, pepper and herbs, if desired. It’s a simple way to dress up the already-delicious bread!
Other Bread Recipes To Try
Easy Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 6 cups bread flour* 725 grams
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt*
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast*
- 2 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- flaky sea salt for topping
- coarsely chopped rosemary for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Then stir in the warm water and minced garlic.6 cups bread flour*, 2 teaspoons kosher salt*, 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast*
- Once well-combined, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.2 1/2 cup warm water, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- Let the dough rest on the counter for 8-12 hours. (See notes if you'd like to wait longer to bake than 12 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 450℉ and drizzle 1/2 of the olive oil into the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl of dough and pour the dough into the prepared pan. Use greased fingers to gently stretch the dough to the corners of the pan (don't worry if it doesn't reach the edges).
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of the dough and use your fingers to press dimples into the dough.*3 tablespoons olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt and rosemary.flaky sea salt, coarsely chopped rosemary
- Bake on a rack about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the oven (this will help get the golden brown color you're going for) for 20-25 minutes. You can check with an instant read thermometer to be sure it's done (200-210F).
- Let cool for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.
