Focaccia
Vegetarian
A soft, airy flatbread baked in a well-oiled tin, dimpled and drenched in olive oil and brine, with a crisp golden base and a sprinkle of flaky salt and rosemary.
Focaccia is an Italian bread from Italy, ready in about 3 hours 10 minutes and made with bread flour and olive oil. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 2 h 30 min
- Total
- 3 h 10 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 319
Ingredients
For the dough
For the topping
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and stir into a wet, sticky dough. No kneading is needed.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Cover and leave at room temperature. Every 30 minutes for the first 1½ hours, stretch and fold the dough over itself a few times with wet hands. It should be bubbly and doubled.
- 120 min
For more flavour, let it rise slowly in the fridge overnight instead.
Step 3
Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into a 23 × 33 cm tin. Tip in the dough, turn to coat and gently stretch it towards the corners. Leave to rise for 30 minutes until puffy.
Step 4
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 230 °C. Oil your fingers and press deep dimples all over. Drizzle with the remaining oil mixed with a tablespoon of water, and scatter with flaky salt and rosemary (opens in a new tab).
- 3 min
- 230°C
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 5
Bake until deep golden on top and crisp underneath. Cool on a rack for a few minutes before cutting.
- 25 min
- 230°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- Liguria, Italy · Commonly attributedFlatbreads called focaccia are made throughout Italy; this oily, dimpled style is associated with Genoa.Also popular in United Kingdom, United StatesMore food from Italy
- Dish
- Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Side dishes
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked
- Taste
- savoury, salty, herby, mild
- Diet
- Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Child-friendly
- Cook more with
- Bread flour · Dried yeast
Allergens
- Contains: Wheatfrom bread flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom bread flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
319 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 125 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 10%
- Carbohydrate 58%
- Fat 32%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 319 kcal | 255 kcal |
| Protein | 7.8 g | 6.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 45.7 g | 36.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 44 g | 35.1 g |
| Sugars | 0.2 g | 0.2 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Fat | 11.3 g | 9.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 g | 1.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 586 mg | 468 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.5 g | 1.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 71 mg
- Calcium
- 15 mg
- Iron
- 2.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 200 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: rosemary (fresh).
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- The oil-and-water emulsion poured into the dimples is the secret to the classic Ligurian texture.
Common mistakes
- Being stingy with oil in the tin — it is what fries the base crisp.
Serve with
- Serve with soup, salads or split and filled as a sandwich.
Storage
- Best on the day; keeps 2 days wrapped, or freeze for a month.
Reheating
- Refresh in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
Variations
- Tomato and olive focaccia: Press halved cherry tomatoes and olives into the dough before baking.
- Focaccia barese (Italy): An Apulian version with potato in the dough, topped with tomatoes and oregano.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 15 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 2 h
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 30 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 25 min at 230 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 5 min
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 3 h 15 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 400 g | 80% |
| Olive oil | Fat | 82 g | 16.4% |
| Salt | Salt | 9 g | 1.8% |
| Dried yeast | Yeast | 7 g | 1.4% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- 80%
- With milk, eggs…
- 80%
- Wholegrain
- 0%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Wet dough (over 75%) — sticky; use wet hands and folds instead of kneading. Ciabatta, focaccia and open sourdough.
- Salt 1.8% — normal for bread.
- Fat 16.4% — a rich, tender dough.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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