This dense and filling homemade focaccia bread has a ton of different uses, but it's still perfectly delicious on its own! This bread tastes like it just came from a professional bakery, but it doesn't take much effort to make!
What is focaccia bread?
Focaccia bread is a flat, dimpled Italian bread. It's typically used as sandwich bread or as a side for dipping in soups. But focaccia bread has a lot of different uses!
I would classify this bread somewhere in between a pizza dough and a no knead bread. It doesn't take as much kneading as most traditional yeast doughs.
All you have to do is work the dough a bit to make it smooth and you're all set! Most of the time spent on this bread is inactive.
homemade focaccia variations:
This recipe is just a plain focaccia bread, which means it's very versatile! Aside from the usual sandwich making and soup dipping, focaccia bread can just be served plain. While it's delicious plain, there are a lot of different toppings you can add to this bread.
Some ways to spice up this focaccia bread include:
• Herb focaccia: Make a thyme or rosemary focaccia. Or top this bread with Italian seasoning, oregano, basil (or any other type of herb you like) before baking off and enjoying!
• Focaccia pizza: Bake focaccia halfway. Take it out of the oven and top with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on the bottom.
• Garlic focaccia: Heat some of the olive oil with garlic to infuse the flavor. Top the focaccia with the garlic olive oil and bake.
• Sesame focaccia: Top the focaccia with some sesame seeds before baking off. For added flavor, lightly toast the seeds before topping!
• Salty focaccia: Keep it simple and top the focaccia with some flaky sea salt before baking!
homemade focaccia storage: How to keep focaccia fresh:
The only downside to focaccia bread is that it doesn't have much of a shelf life at room temperature (but that's common with homemade bread). It does start to get stale after about one or two days out.
If you don't plan on finishing your focaccia within 1 day, I recommend keeping it in the freezer.
Storing focaccia in the fridge: Wrap focaccia tightly in plastic wrap, or place in a heavy duty plastic bag, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storing focaccia in the freezer: Place cooled focaccia in a freezer bag, push as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal. Store focaccia frozen for up to 2 months.
When you want to enjoy it, let the focaccia defrost at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Warm in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes before serving.
Alternatively, defrost focaccia in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes and continue to heat for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until defrosted and warmed through.
Check out some of these other bread recipes!
• braided garlic bread
• homemade pizza dough
• soft dinner rolls
• homemade sandwich bread
• garlic knots
• Dutch oven no knead bread
Focaccia Bread Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 (9x13 inch) focaccia
Description
This dense and filling homemade focaccia bread has a ton of different uses, but it's still perfectly delicious on its own! This bread tastes like it just came from a professional bakery, but it doesn't take much effort to make!
Ingredients
- 1 & ¾ cups warm water, between 105°F and 110°F
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 & ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry or instant yeast
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir to combine, and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes or until the surface of the water becomes bubbly and foamy. If it doesn't bubble after 15 minutes, it most likely means the yeast is either too old / expired or the water was too hot. You'd need to start over in either case.
- Add flour, salt, and ¼ cup of olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic and springs back if you poke the top. You can do this directly in the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add in more flour as needed.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place back into your bowl. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lint-free tea towel. Set the dough aside in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish or large baking sheet. Spread the oil to coat the base of the pan fully.
- Transfer the dough into the baking dish. Stretch the dough out to the sides of the baking dish (if using a 9x13 inch pan) or until it's a roughly 9x13 inch rectangle (if using a baking sheet). Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place again for 30 minutes or until puffed.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Uncover the dough, and use your fingers to make dimples on the surface of the dough. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough (about 2 tablespoons).
- Bake the focaccia in the center of your preheated 400°F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Take the dough out of the oven and allow it to cool slightly to handle.
- Slice into whatever sized portions you'd like. Serve as is or top with some more olive oil and sea salt flakes!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
Enjoy!
