You won’t need 8 to 24 hours to make this soft, crusty focaccia—it’s ready to eat in less than 2 hours! This version is entirely hassle-free, requiring a stand mixer and a bit of scraping to develop the gluten. After a quick mix, the sticky dough goes into the well-oiled baking pan. Stretch the dough to fit the pan, and then let it rise for an hour.
Drizzle the dough with olive oil, sprinkle it with flaky sea salt, and bake. You can get creative with other toppings if you like. Popular choices include cracked or coarsely ground black pepper, fresh rosemary or thyme, dried herbs and spices, minced garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese. Our go-to move is to stud the dough with halved kalamata olive or cherry tomatoes. Make it as plain or fancy as you like—you can even turn it into a focaccia pizza.
Serve freshly baked focaccia with a pasta dinner, chicken Parmesan, veal piccata, a Caprese salad, Italian sausages, or as a snack with some cheese and a glass of wine.
“This focaccia recipe was relatively quick, considering how long most focaccias take to prepare. The dough rose nicely, and it baked into a flavorful, fluffy, thick bread. I topped my focaccia with smoked flaky salt. I’ll split the leftover slices in half and use them for sandwiches another day.” — Diana Andrews
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
-
5 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-
484 grams (about 3 3/4 cups) bread flour
-
1 tablespoon instant yeast
-
1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt
-
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
-
1 2/3 cups water
-
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, for topping
-
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Steps to Make It
-
Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
Position a rack in the center of the oven and turn on the oven light. Grease a 9-x 13-inch baking pan with 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread the olive oil to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, water, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix on low speed until a dough begins to form, about 2 minutes.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
With the mixer on medium speed, knead the dough, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with an oiled spatula, until the mixture is well combined and no more flour is visible, about 4 minutes. The dough will be very sticky and may not form a ball.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
Scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly and stretching to fit. Place the pan in the oven for 1 hour to proof.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
Remove the pan, then heat the oven to 425 F.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
While the oven is heating, drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil all over the dough. The dough will be puffy, so handle it gently to avoid deflating it. Using your fingertips, lightly dimple the dough all over, then sprinkle with the flaky sea salt and pepper, if using.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
-
Bake the focaccia until golden brown, 21 to 24 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.
The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
Recipe Variations
- The higher protein content in bread flour allows the dough to absorb more water, but you can use all-purpose flour, if desired.
- For garlic flavor focaccia, use garlic-infused olive oil in the dough.
- Add fresh or dried herbs to the dough, such as chopped rosemary, thyme, basil, or oregano.
- Toppings options are limitless: Black or crushed red pepper, fresh or dried herbs, Calabrian pepper, chopped or sliced sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, sliced roasted red bell pepper, halved grape tomatoes or olives, prepared pesto, and Parmesan cheese are a few excellent possibilities.
How to Store and Freeze
- Wrap fresh focaccia in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- To freeze slices of focaccia, place them on a parchment paper-lined pan and place the pan in the freezer. When the pieces are frozen solid, wrap them in plastic wrap and foil and put them in a resealable freezer bag. Label the bag with the name and date and freeze for 1 to 2 months. Defrost on the countertop.
- To refresh leftover focaccia, heat it in a preheated 375 F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, until hot.
