Homemade Focaccia Recipe with Olive Oil and Herbs

What Is Focaccia?

Focaccia is a soft, olive oil-rich flatbread with a tender interior and lightly crisp edges. This simple version uses yeast, flour, lukewarm water, salt, and olive oil to create a thick, spreadable dough that rises slowly before baking.

Before it goes into the oven, the dough is drizzled with olive oil and pressed with fingertips to create the classic dimples that help catch the oil and salt. From there, the bread can stay simple or be topped with Mediterranean-style ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, rosemary, thyme, or basil.

Homemade Focaccia Recipe with Olive Oil and Herbs

This easy homemade focaccia is a soft, airy flatbread made with yeast, flour, olive oil, and coarse salt. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, rosemary, thyme, or basil for a flavorful variation that works beautifully as an appetizer, side dish, or bread basket favorite.

Servings 1 pan

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Ingredients

  

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For the Dough

• 50 g fresh yeast
• 600 ml lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 750 g wheat flour Type 405 or Type 550

For Topping

• 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Optional: oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes olives, rosemary, thyme, basil, or other herbs

Instructions

 

• Crumble the fresh yeast into a large mixing bowl. Add the lukewarm water, salt, olive oil, and flour.
• Stir well until a thick, sticky batter-like dough forms.
• Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2 to 3 hours. For a slower rise, let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and spread it evenly with a dough scraper or spatula.
• Drizzle olive oil over the top. Press small dimples into the dough with your fingertips.
• Sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Add toppings if desired, such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, thyme, or rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 225°C / 435°F. Let the dough rise a little more while the oven heats.
• Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
• Transfer the focaccia directly to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Tips and Variations

For a classic version, keep the topping simple with olive oil, coarse salt, and rosemary. For a more colorful version, add sliced olives and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes before baking.

This dough is very soft and sticky, so do not expect it to feel like a kneaded sandwich bread dough. Use a spatula or dough scraper to spread it across the pan.

What to Serve with Focaccia

Serve focaccia with soups, salads, pasta dishes, grilled vegetables, cheese boards, dips, or antipasti. It also makes a wonderful bread for sandwiches or picnic spreads.

Course: Appetizers, Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: German