Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe with Garlic and Herbs
Our focaccia recipe is very simple to make — no fancy equipment is needed at all. The secret to the best focaccia is a great tasting olive oil. Since there is quite a bit used, the bread really takes on the flavor. You dont need to spend lots of money, just use an olive oil you love. For the herbs, we love a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you could use whatever herbs you love — fresh or dried. Or, omit the garlic and herbs all together and use plain olive oil instead. A note on pan size: In this recipe we call for a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, you can use a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides.
Our focaccia recipe is very simple to make — no fancy equipment is needed at all. The secret to the best focaccia is a great tasting olive oil. Since there is quite a bit used, the bread really takes on the flavor. You dont need to spend lots of money, just use an olive oil you love. For the herbs, we love a combination of thyme and rosemary, but you could use whatever herbs you love — fresh or dried. Or, omit the garlic and herbs all together and use plain olive oil instead. A note on pan size: In this recipe we call for a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. If you do not have this, you can use a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking dish with taller sides.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 cup (235 ml) warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- Carbohydrate 0.192257611015083 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.00257955555462827 g
- Fiber 0.0132288190570026 g
- Protein 0.0275632291632695 g
- Saturated Fat 0.000530222221943467 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1g)
- Sodium 80.6948163888726 mg
- Sugar 0.17902879195808 g
- Trans Fat 0.000628888888849066 g
- Calories 1 calories
Step-by-step
- In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and the black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour and a 1/4 cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead the dough 10 to 15 times until smooth. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).
- After 1 hour, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. (See above if you do not have this pan size).
- Transfer the dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool baked focaccia bread on a wire rack.
Starting aromatics in a cold skillet with oil rather than dropping them into hot fat prevents scorching while gently drawing essential oils from the garlic and herbs. When raw garlic meets boiling fat instantly, harsh sulfur compounds develop rapidly and impart an acrid bitterness that no amount of subsequent baking can mask. Heating the oil slowly over low heat for five to ten minutes infuses the fat evenly with aromatic compounds, creating a stable medium that flavors every single crumb of the finished loaf. This slow extraction method respects botanical chemistry, ensuring the delicate volatiles of fresh rosemary and thyme survive the transition into the dough without burning away entirely.
Liguria provides the historical blueprint for this style of flatbread, utilizing the region's abundant olive groves to produce a bread that acts as both a vehicle for and a celebration of high-grade oil. Bakers along the Mediterranean coast historically relied on ambient warmth and simple yeast fermentations to turn out golden slabs meant for immediate consumption rather than long-term storage. Baking at a high temperature of 450 degrees Fahrenheit creates the necessary thermal shock for rapid oven spring, transforming trapped moisture into steam that puffs the interior while the surrounding oil fries the exterior crust to a crisp finish. Selecting an extra-virgin oil that tastes pleasant on its own matters profoundly here, because the generous quantities called for dictate the dominant flavor profile of the final crust.
Kneading must remain minimal, restricted to ten or fifteen turns on a floured board just until the flour hydrates and the gluten strands begin to organize themselves into an elastic network. Overworking the dough yields a tight, chewy crumb structure better suited for sandwich loaves, whereas focaccia requires an open, irregular interior filled with gas pockets created by yeast activity. Allowing the dough to rest through multiple distinct phases—including an initial one-hour rise in a warm spot followed by a twenty-minute secondary proof on a nine-by-thirteen-inch rimmed baking sheet—relaxes the gluten sufficiently to let fingers press deep dimples into the surface without tearing the skin.
Cooling the baked bread on a wire rack prevents condensation from accumulating on the bottom crust, which would otherwise soften the crisp exterior that forms during the final minutes in the oven. Cut the portions with a serrated bread knife using a gentle sawing motion to avoid compressing the airy crumb structure before serving it alongside antipasti or utilizing it as a base for hearty spreads. Consuming the bread within twenty-four hours yields the best textural contrast between the crunchy top and soft interior, though leftover pieces can be revived by running them briefly through a hot oven.
