How to Make Focaccia

By Becky Hardin

Updated Aug 29, 2025

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This focaccia recipe really is the best! With minimal prep, it’s easier to make than you think and it’s perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or even for stacking into delicious sandwiches and paninis.

Focaccia is one of my favorite breads to bake at home. It’s really straightforward to prepare and packed full of flavor. And I have to admit, there’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house.

Focaccia is a traditional Italian bread that is similar in texture to pizza dough. It’s made with bread flour, which is high in gluten, so the bread rises well and bakes up with a chewy texture. I like to brush it with a generous amount of olive oil and top it with whatever ingredients I have on hand. That’s why I love it so much, because it is endlessly customizable. So, go ahead and experiment to find your favorite toppings!

Recipe Card

Focaccia Recipe

4.77 from 13 votes

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 55 minutes mins

Rise Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pieces

Author: Becky Hardin

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This is hands-down the best focaccia recipe, and it’s so much easier than you think. With minimal prep time and simple ingredients, this focaccia comes together beautifully. Whether you're serving it as an appetizer, a side dish, or using it for sandwiches and paninis, you can't go wrong.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

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Equipment

• Kitchen Scale (optional)
• 9×13 Baking Pan
• Stand Mixer

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 tbsp olive oil 50g, best you can afford
• ▢ 1½ cups hot water 340g (12 oz.)
• ▢ 1¼ oz. olive oil 35g for the dough
• ▢ 1 tbsp kosher salt 9g
• ▢ 3½ cups bread flour 418g (14.75 oz.)
• ▢ 1 tbsp instant yeast 9g
• ▢ 1½ tsp Herbs de Provence 5g, divided
• ▢ 4 tbsp unsalted butter 57g, melted and divided (½ stick)
• ▢ flake sea salt optional, for sprinkling on top

Instructions 

• Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. Pour 4 tbsp really good extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of the pan.
  4 tbsp olive oil
• Combine hot water, 1¼ oz. olive oil, kosher salt, bread flour, instant yeast, and ½ tsp Herbs de Provence in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at low speed until most of the flour has incorporated, then turn the speed to medium-high. Beat for 1 minute.
  1½ cups hot water, 1¼ oz. olive oil, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 3½ cups bread flour, 1 tbsp instant yeast, 1½ tsp Herbs de Provence
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Rub your fingers with olive oil and use them to push the dough to the edges of the pan and to make indentations in the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, place it in a warm, draft-free spot, and let it rise to double its height for 1 hour. The dough should be puffy but stable.
• While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 400°F.
• After the dough has risen, brush the dough with 2 tbsp melted butter and sprinkle the top, lightly and evenly, with flaked sea salt and the remaining 1 tsp Herbs de Provence. Once again, use your fingers to make indentations across the dough and from the surface of the dough to the bottom.
  4 tbsp unsalted butter
• Bake 20 minutes.
• Brush the top with the remaining 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter and very lightly sprinkle the top with flaked sea salt.
  flake sea salt
• Rotate the pan front to back and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on the bottom and the top.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the bread out of the pan onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

Becky’s Tips

• If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can mix the dough by hand.

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 584mgPotassium: 42mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Make Focaccia Step by Step

Prepare the pan: Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. Pour 4 tbsp of really good extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of the pan and swirl to ensure the whole pan is coated. The spray will help keep the bread from sticking, and the olive oil will give the bottom crust and sides a great crunch and flavor.

Make the dough: Add 1½ cups hot water, 1¼ ounces olive oil, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 3½ cups bread flour, 1 tbsp instant yeast, and ½ teaspoon Herbs de Provence into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix to combine. Beat at a low speed until most of the flour has incorporated, then turn the speed to medium-high for 1 minute so that it is completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Coat your fingers with olive oil and gently push the dough to the edges of the pan to create indentations. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, place it in a warm, draft-free spot, and let it rise to double its height for 1 hour so that the dough is puffy but stable.

Get the oven going: While the dough is rising, heat the oven to 400°F.

After the dough has risen, brush it with the 2 tbsp melted butter and sprinkle the top, lightly and evenly, with flaked sea salt and whatever is left of the Herbs de Provence. Once again, use your fingers to make indentations across the dough and from the top to the bottom. Finally, bake the dough for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and very lightly sprinkle it with flaked sea salt.

Rotate the pan front to back so it bakes evenly, and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on the bottom and the top.

Cool the bread: Transfer the bread to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes, and then turn the bread out of the pan onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

Serve: Cut into pieces, serve as you wish, and enjoy.

Flavor Options

Focaccia will take on the flavor of the olive oil, so use a very good, deeply flavored olive oil. Though I’ve used salt and herbs de Provence, you can use a variety of toppings for this recipe:

• Cheese
• Onions
• Cranberries
• Rosemary
• Sun-dried tomatoes

How to Store

This bread is best served within a few hours of coming out of the oven, the sooner the better! It will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. Feel free to reheat it in the oven to serve. You can also freeze this focaccia recipe for up to a month. Thaw on the kitchen counter until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

This focaccia recipe is so flavorful and delicious, it’s perfect as part of a bread basket appetizer served with good quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. It’s also a great sandwich bread, simply cut a piece in half and fill with cheese, meat, and salad—you can grill it too if you wish.

I love pairing this bread with hearty Italian soups like this hearty sweet Italian sausage tortellini soup or this veggie-loaded best minestrone soup recipe (with pancetta). The bread also goes well with pasta, so I’ll often prepare it when I’m making baked pasta primavera with cream cheese Alfredo or Italian stuffed shells.

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