Homemade Focaccia

A delicious homemade focaccia topped with sea salt, rosemary and oil. Light, airy and easy, this is how to make focaccia at home completely from scratch.

There is something about bread that absolutely steals my heart, especially when it’s freshly baked, warm and smells like heaven. Walking around a bakery when the bread has just come out of the oven is the best, but when you can have it at home it’s even better. 

What is focaccia?

Focaccia is a classic Italian bread, and it’s a bit different to your standard loaf. It’s flat and rectangular, generously dimpled all over with your fingers, and absolutely soaked in good olive oil so the base fries to a golden, crisp crust while the inside stays light and full of airy holes. It’s usually finished simply with sea salt and rosemary, and it’s honestly one of the most satisfying breads to make at home.

Making homemade bread

I adore making bread. I find it very therapeutic to bake bread because it’s a bit of a process and it takes a little time. So, if you don’t want to go through the effort or take the time that is totally fine, but this recipe probably isn’t for you. 

More bread recipes: if you love a homemade loaf as much as I do, my granary loaf, soda bread and honey and oat bread are all utterly glorious too. I love baking a batch, slicing it up and freezing the slices so I’ve always got homemade bread ready to toast.

How to make focaccia (overview)

Now when it comes to types of bread that I like, I pretty much love all of them. Bread is bread, bread is good. However, there are some that I find much more fun to make, but also much more flavoured and delicious. Focaccia, is my obsession, and it was definitely finally time to give you my homemade focaccia recipe. 

This recipe creates the most flavourful focaccia that is the perfect texture, so easy to make, and I make it weekly at this point. However, albeit being easier to make in my opinion, as technically there is no kneading involved compared to other breads, it does take a little time. I would say it’s worth it however, for that perfect bake. 

A delicious recipe based on the classic Italian bread, and I adore it. It’s just so completely different to your standard white loaf, and I adore it to make a snack, part of a lunch, to dip into soup, to grill and make garlic bread, or to make a loaded focaccia sandwich – it’s just better and better compared to a standard bread. 

Here’s the whole thing at a glance before the detail:

1. Mix a wet, sticky dough (no kneading needed)
2. Do three sets of folds, 30 minutes apart
3. Rest overnight in the fridge for a slow, flavour-building rise
4. Tip into an oiled dish and prove at room temperature for about 2 hours
5. Drizzle with oil and dimple all over, then top with sea salt and rosemary
6. Bake until golden, crisp and light

Those overnight folds are the secret to that gorgeous open, bubbly texture, and honestly I make this weekly now, so it really is a proper repeatable home method rather than a one-off project.

Ingredients you need

When it comes to the base bread dough, it’s quite a simple mix of ‘store cupboard’ ingredients that hopefully you will all have already. If you don’t they are are super easy to grab at the supermarket so it’s super easy to make this dough. 

• Water – the dough starts off with warm water. I usually just run the tap until its still touchable in temperature and nice and warm and pour into the jug
• Honey – the honey feeds the yeast – you can use a maple syrup, or even a bit of brown sugar if you want instead but I use honey 
• Yeast – I use a dried active yeast, but any yeast works. The yeast is added into the warm water and honey so will activate anyway 
• Flour –  I use a basic supermarket own strong white bread flour for the dough 
• Salt – I use a chunky sea salt as they’re my favourite – table salt is stronger so you may need less 

One thing worth knowing before you start: this is a wet, sticky dough, and it’s meant to be. Don’t be tempted to add loads of extra flour to firm it up, because that stickiness is exactly what gives you those lovely airy holes. For the most reliable results, weigh your flour on scales rather than using cups, as focaccia is all about getting the hydration right.

Making the focaccia 

I always say it’s best to start the day before you want to eat it, as this is an overnight recipe. Here’s the day-one process step by step, with what to look for at each stage:

1. Stir the honey and yeast into the warm water and leave for 10 minutes until a little foamy.
2. Add the flour and salt to a large bowl (big enough to hold the dough for the whole process), pour in the liquid, and combine with a spatula to a wet, sticky dough. No dough hook needed.
3. Drizzle with olive oil, cover, and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
4. Do your first set of folds (see The folds below). Checkpoint: still loose and very sticky, that’s completely normal.
5. Rest 30 minutes, then fold again. Checkpoint: starting to feel stretchier and a little bubbly.
6. Rest 30 minutes, then do the third and final set of folds. Checkpoint: noticeably puffier, smoother and more elastic.
7. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and rest in the fridge overnight for that slow, flavour-building rise.

The next morning it’s on to shaping and baking (see Baking and pan setup below). There are also videos of this recipe on my Instagram and TikTok if you’d like to see the folds in action.

Making the folds

To fold, I basically fold the dough as if I am folding a brownie mixture, turning the bowl each time. So basically, I do a big turn, turn the bowl 90º, turn again and repeat a total of four times. The dough is super sticky and wet, and it should be, but this is why I use a spatula, personally. Traditionally, you’d use your hands. 

This dough then has to sit for another 30 minutes, you do another set of folds, sit for another 30 minutes, and another set of folds. In total at this point, you have let it sit for 30 minutes, three times, and done three sets of folds. Each time, the dough should be growing and becoming bubbly. 

On the last set of folds, I then cover the bowl in clingfilm and place this in the fridge overnight. This is going to create a delicious flavour of dough, as well as give the dough a slow rise. 

What the dough should look like as you go:

• After fold set 1: still slack and sticky, only just holding together
• After fold set 2: smoother and stretchier, with a few bubbles forming
• After fold set 3: puffier, more elastic and noticeably more alive
• After the overnight fridge rest: risen, bubbly and full of air

Baking and dish setup

Once the dough has rested in the fridge overnight, you then tip it into an oiled baking dish. The olive oil in a focaccia recipe is IMPORTANT. You can’t afford to scrimp on the oil, as it just won’t be the same. I usually live by the rule as there’s no such thing as too much olive oil in focaccia, but there probably technically is. 

I line a baking dish (just to make it easier to get the bread back out), heavily oil the bottom, and tip the dough into the dish. I fold it to make a rectangle, and put the smooth side on top. Leave this for a couple of hours to come to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 200ºc fan. 

You have to drizzle the focaccia with more oil, and then you do the dimples. You basically just stick your fingers into the dough, all over, to make the shape and look of the focaccia. If there are large bubbles, try not to pop them. Once dimpled, I sprinkle on some extra sea salt, and some lightly oiled rosemary sprigs and then bake in the oven. It turns into a golden, heavenly, crunchy and light focaccia that is SO full of flavour. 

Tin and sticking guidance:

• Tin size: a roughly 9×13 inch (23x33cm) rectangular tin or dish gives a lovely thickness. A smaller tin gives a taller, softer focaccia, a larger tray gives a thinner, crispier one.
• Tin type: a metal tin gives the crispiest base. Ceramic or glass work too, but can bake a touch more slowly.
• Stop it sticking: line the tin with parchment and still oil it generously, or if you skip the parchment, oil very heavily indeed. The oil isn’t just for flavour, it fries the base to that golden, crunchy crust.

Tips for the best focaccia

• You can try different flavours in the dough if you want – especially dried flavours. I have made this and added 1tsp garlic powder and onion powder and it’s delicious 
• The rosemary is optional – it’s best to oil it to prevent it burning in the oven. I also use garlic salt so it can catch slightly but I don’t mind this
• I love dunking my focaccia into a balsamic oil dip 

Same-day option if you’re short on time, you can skip the overnight fridge stage:

1. After the last set of folds, leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 hours
2. Tip it into the oiled dish and let it settle
3. Dimple, top and bake exactly as normal

The flavour is a touch less developed than the overnight version, but it’s still lovely.

Troubleshooting focaccia dough

A few things that come up, and how to handle them:

It didn’t puff up in the oven: make sure it came fully to room temperature before baking, and try not to pop the big bubbles when you dimple.

My dough is really wet and sticky: that’s exactly right! Focaccia dough is meant to be wet, it’s what gives you the airy, bubbly crumb. Resist adding extra flour, and use a spatula or wet hands instead.

My yeast didn’t foam: if the honey, yeast and water mix hasn’t gone slightly foamy after 10 minutes, the yeast may be old or the water too hot or too cold. Warm, not hot, water is key. Start again with fresh yeast rather than carrying on, or it won’t rise properly.

My dough isn’t rising: it’s nearly always temperature. A cold kitchen slows everything right down, so give it longer and find a warmer spot. The overnight fridge stage is meant to be slow, that’s where the flavour comes from.

Focaccia variations and toppings

Focaccia is brilliant for experimenting, and here’s how I think about it:

• In the dough: dry flavourings work best mixed straight in, like 1 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder, or some dried herbs.
• On top: press toppings into the dimples just before baking. Cherry tomatoes, thin slices of red onion, olives, garlic or extra rosemary are all gorgeous.
• On top vs in the dough: robust, dry flavourings can go in the dough, but anything with moisture (tomatoes, onion, olives) is best pressed on top so it doesn’t stop the dough rising. Drizzle whatever you add on top with a little oil so it roasts rather than burns.

Storage and freezing

• On the day: focaccia is at its absolute best fresh from the oven, when the crust is crispest.
• Storing: it keeps for 3+ days after baking. Store in an airtight container or wrapped well, and warm it briefly in the oven to bring the crust back to life.
• Freezing: it freezes really well for 3+ months. Freeze it whole or in slices, well wrapped, and reheat from frozen in the oven.