Focaccia

Soft and pillowy interior with a crispy, buttery crust. The best homemade bread!

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword bread, focaccia

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Rise Time 14

Total Time 14 30

Servings

Calories 262kcal

In a large glass measuring cup (or a small to medium mixing bowl), stir the sugar into the warm water.
Sprinkle the yeast over the top, it should start to foam a little within a minute or two. If it doesn’t, check the expiration date and if needed start over with fresh yeast.
In a large bowl, add the flour and salt. Pour in the water and yeast mixture and stir until a shaggy dough ball forms. If needed, use your hands to add any remaining flour or pieces together into a dough ball.
Add a little oil under the dough ball. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Prepare the 9×13-inch baking pan. Rub the softened butter all along the bottom, corners and up the sides of the pan. Then drizzle half of the olive oil on the bottom.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to fold the four corners (or four opposite edges, it likely won’t resemble a square necessarily) in on themselves.
Then place the dough in the prepared baking pan. Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.
Drizzle the rest of the oil over the top of the dough and use your fingertips to dimple the dough, lightly pressing it out so it fills the entire pan. Top with fresh herbs, salt and any other seasonings you like.
Bake in the oven at 425°F for 25-28 minutes. The tops of the bubbles should look a deep golden brown.

If your kitchen isn’t warm, then I recommend preheating your oven for a few minutes then turning it off and tucking the dough pan inside for the second rise. If you do this, keep in mind you don’t want the oven so warm that the dough begins to bake. But if your kitchen is drafty in the winter like mine is, this may be necessary so that second rise can happen in a warm area.
Rise times—stick to what I recommend for best results. I know, it’s a long rise in the fridge. I usually make the dough at night and refrigerate overnight so I can do the second rise and bake the next day. The long rise adds a lot of flavor, but if you can’t wait that long you can skip the refrigerator and let the dough rise for the first rise in a warm spot (covered) for 3 hours. Second rise is the same.
You can top this focaccia recipe so many ways! Maybe you’ve seen people add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sliced tomatoes or almost create a kind of scene in focaccia before baking. If you want to go that route, do it! Other fresh herbs I sometimes use include thyme, sage, dill or basil. You could also add some powdery Parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar cheese. There are so many focaccia toppings options that can alter this basic recipe.