Easy Homemade Focaccia

This Easy Homemade Focaccia recipe is one I come back to again and again. It’s simple to make, has a wonderfully soft, airy crumb, and creates a golden, crisp crust every time. Once you’ve mastered the dough, you can keep it classic with olive oil and sea salt or customise it with your favourite toppings.

For this version of Easy Homemade Focaccia, I’ve topped it with juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and fresh basil, but that’s the beauty of homemade focaccia, you can add, swap or leave out ingredients depending on what’s in season or what you have in your kitchen. It’s a wonderfully versatile recipe that’s just as perfect for sharing with family and friends as it is for enjoying warm from the oven.

Main Ingredients You’ll Need for Easy Homemade Focaccia

Flour

Strong white bread flour works best.

Instant yeast

Easy bake yeast

olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Sea salt

How to Make Easy Homemade Focaccia:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast, keeping it separate from the salt until you’re ready to mix. Then, pour in the olive oil, and gradually add the lukewarm water, stirring until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for around 8–10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. You can also use a stand mixer here if preferred. Transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. Lightly grease a baking tray or roasting tin with olive oil before gently transfer the risen dough to the tray and stretch it towards the edges. If it resists, leave it to rest for a few minutes before continuing. Cover and leave to rise again for 30–45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
5. Once the dough has puffed up, drizzle generously with olive oil and use your fingertips to press deep dimples all over the surface. Add your chosen toppings, such as sliced tomatoes, torn mozzarella, fresh rosemary or basil, then finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
6. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown with a crisp crust.
7. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil while still warm. Leave to cool slightly before slicing, adding any extra ingredients and serving.

Easy Homemade Focaccia

Easy homemade focaccia with a soft crumb and golden crust, topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil or add your favourite ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 500 g White Bread Flour
• 7 g Instant yeast
• 10 g Seasalt fine
• 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Flaky sea salt
• a few sprigs Rosemary fresh

Equipment

• 1 bowl
• 1 Stand mixer if using
• 1 Baking tray
• 1 Measuring scales
• 1 Measuring Spoons

Method

 

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast, keeping it separate from the salt until you're ready to mix. Pour in the olive oil, then gradually add the lukewarm water, stirring until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for around 8–10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. Lightly grease a baking tray or roasting tin with olive oil. Gently transfer the risen dough to the tray and stretch it towards the edges. If it resists, leave it to rest for a few minutes before continuing. Cover and leave to rise again for 30–45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)
5. Once the dough has puffed up, drizzle generously with olive oil and use your fingertips to press deep dimples all over the surface. Add your chosen toppings, such as sliced tomatoes, torn mozzarella, fresh rosemary or basil, then finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
6. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown with a crisp crust.
7. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil while still warm. Add any extra ingredients now. Leave to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

• This focaccia dough is meant to be soft and slightly sticky, which helps create a light and airy texture once baked. Try not to add too much extra flour. Oiled hands work best when handling it.
• You can top it with tomato, mozzarella and basil as shown, or easily customise it with other ingredients such as olives, rosemary, caramelised onions, sun-dried tomatoes or different vegetables or cheeses depending on what you have at home.
• Allow enough time for both rises, as this helps develop flavour and gives the focaccia its soft, pillowy crumb. The dough should look noticeably puffed before baking.
• For the best texture, serve fresh on the day it’s baked, but leftovers will keep well for 1–2 days in an airtight container and can be warmed in the oven to refresh.