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Easy homemade focaccia bread slices with a golden-brown blistered crust, and herby sea salt.

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Easy Homemade Focaccia (Same-Day or Overnight)

Recipe by Kylee Scales

A chewy, golden homemade focaccia that is crisp on the bottom, airy in the middle, and endlessly customizable. Choose the same-day method for fresh bread in about two and a half hours, or the overnight cold-fermented method for deeper flavor and more time flexibility.

  • Total TimeRise Time: About 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield15 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 540 grams bread flour
  • 10 grams kosher salt
  • 9 grams instant yeast
  • 350 grams water, room temperature (70–72°F)
  • 35 grams olive oil, plus more for the pan, the dough, and finishing
  • Flaky sea salt, for finishing
  • Optional mix-ins (up to about 130 grams total): chopped olives, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded parmesan
  • Optional toppings: rosemary, dried herbs, cherry tomatoes, olives

Instructions

For the dough (both methods)

  1. Whisk the flour, kosher salt, and instant yeast together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Add the water and olive oil to the bowl of a stand mixer first, then add the flour mixture on top. Mix with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms and there is no more dry flour.
  3. Using the dough hook, knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase to medium speed and mix until you reach proper gluten development, about 2 more minutes. Test for a windowpane: with damp fingers, stretch a small piece of dough thin enough to see light through it without tearing. If it tears, knead 1 more minute on medium speed and test again.
  4. If using mix-ins, add them now and mix on low speed until evenly distributed, about 20 seconds.

Option 1: Same-day dough

  1. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and proof at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  2. Gently punch down the dough, round it, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
  3. Generously oil a half sheet pan. Transfer the dough and stretch it to evenly fill the pan. If it resists, let it rest 10 minutes and continue.
  4. Brush the top with olive oil, cover, and proof until doubled and visibly puffy, about 30–40 minutes. Continue to “Bake.”

Option 2: Overnight dough

  1. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Cold-ferment for 12–18 hours. The dough should roughly double and look bubbly.
  2. Generously oil a half sheet pan. Turn the cold dough out into the pan and gently stretch it toward the corners. Stretch as far as it comfortably goes, rest 10 minutes, and stretch again.
  3. Repeat until it fills the pan, usually 2 to 3 rounds.
  4. Brush the top with olive oil, cover, and proof at room temperature until doubled and jiggly, about 2 to 3 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. Continue to “Bake.”

Bake (both methods)

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Oil your fingers and press straight down into the dough all over, all the way to the bottom of the pan, to create deep dimples.
  3. Drizzle generously with olive oil so it pools in the dimples.
  4. Add your toppings, pressing them down into the dimples so they’re partially shielded from the direct heat. Finish with flaky sea salt.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200°F.
  6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Use more oil than feels necessary, both in the pan and on top. The bottom of focaccia essentially shallow-fries in the pan, and that’s where the crisp comes from.
  • If you must substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour: reduce the water to 330 grams and expect a softer, more tender, slightly less chewy crumb.
  • Substituting active dry yeast: proof it in the water first per the package directions and allow about 15 extra minutes of rise time.
  • Choosing your pan: For a thinner, crispier focaccia with more crust, bake it on an 18×13″ rimmed baking sheet as directed. This is what I use for sandwiches because so often when you order a focaccia sandwich it’s all bread, and the fillings get lost. For a thicker, fluffier focaccia, use a 13×9″ metal baking pan and add 5–10 minutes to the bake time. That version is excellent as a dinner bread.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Calories: 160
  • Sodium: 250 mg
  • Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 27 g
  • Protein: 5 g

Find it online: https://kyleeskitchenblog.com/easy-homemade-focaccia/