This Italian Herb Focaccia Bread is soft and chewy with a crisp outside and lots of flavor. We use plenty of olive oil, Italian herbs, Parmesan cheese and flakey sea salt to make sure that this simple bread is as delicious as possible.
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What is Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia bread is an Italian bread that is very similar to pizza dough. It is pressed and baked flat, and is generally flavored with olive oil, herbs, garlic and Parmesan cheese.
Besides eating it as-is, focaccia can also be used as a base for pizza, as sandwich bread, cut up and added to antipasto salads or served as a table bread.
Easy Italian Herb Bread
As homemade breads go, focaccia has to be one of the easiest and most loved by everyone. It’s basically the same as making pizza dough without sauce and cheese!
This Italian Herb Focaccia Bread is seeping with olive oil, just like focaccia should be. It ensures that the bread is soft, chewy moist and has that amazing crispy exterior that makes it so addicting.
As far as flavorings and toppings, the sky’s the limit. We went simple with this recipe, but you can feel free to add all sorts of other toppings such as pine nuts, caramelized onions, diced tomatoes, sesame seeds and more!
What to Serve with Italian Herb Focaccia Bread
Just like any homemade bread, focaccia tastes great as a snack. It doesn’t need anyone or anything else. However, it is also an excellent tool for soaking up soup, making sandwiches or using as a base for flatbread.
Some of our favorite recipes to serve alongside Italian Herb Focaccia Bread are:
- Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- The Best Minestrone Soup
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Easy Baked Ziti
- Homemade Lasagna
- Spicy Italian Meatballs
- Garlic Spread
Italian Herb Focaccia Bread Ingredients
- Water - your water should be lukewarm and around 110 degrees F.
- Sugar - use regular granulated sugar.
- Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe.
- Flour - you can use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe. If you use bread flour, you may need to add slightly less of the flour itself.
- Olive Oil - this has the best flavor for Italian bread.
- Salt - we like kosher salt for the dough.
- Italian Herbs -you can use fresh or dried herbs for this recipe. If using fresh, be sure and chop them finely. Our favorite Italian herbs to use are rosemary, basil, and thyme. You can also substitute Italian Seasoning.
- Parmesan Cheese - use grated or shredded.
- Flakey Sea Salt - Maldon is the most common, but any flakey sea salt with work and tastes great.
How to Make Herbed Focaccia Bread
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar and mix well. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture gets bubbly and the yeast has activated.
- Add the olive oil, salt, Italian herbs, and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook, mix on low until all the ingredients are combined. Gradually add up to ¾ cup additional flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Once all of the flour has been added, mix for 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, or about 30-45 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and press it onto the baking sheet. Use your fingers to poke deep indentations into the dough. If you have trouble with the dough bouncing back, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing to dimple the dough and pressing it out evenly inside the pan.
- Once you have stretched the dough to fit as much of the baking sheet as possible, drizzle with olive oil and spread it around evenly on top of the focaccia dough using a brush or your fingers. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese and flakey sea salt evenly over the dough.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden brown on top and bottom.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
If you have any leftovers, you can wrap them well in plastic, aluminum foil, or freezer bags and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. Eat at room temperature or warm slightly in an oven or microwave.
Yes! Baked Italian Herb Focaccia Bread (or any kind of focaccia bread recipe, for that matter) will freeze great. Just wrap in aluminum foil and store in freezer bags for up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can also freeze the dough after it has been mixed and just before it has risen. Transfer the dough to a freezer bag and store frozen for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and pull to room temperature the next day. Let the dough rise and double in size, then make the rest of the recipe as directed.
To thaw, you can pull it out to room temperature overnight or else reheat it in a warm oven or the microwave.
Italian Herbs and Cheese Bread Variations
- Garlic - either fresh minced or garlic powder will taste great.
- Different herbs - try using oregano, marjoram or sage to the herb mix for a different blend of flavors. If you like spicy, you could even add red pepper flakes!
- Pesto - add your favorite pesto either before or after baking.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - these add a nice flavor and not much moisture. You can either purchase rehydrated ones in a jar, or it is simple to rehydrate them yourself.
- Olives - add your favorite types of chopped olives into the dough.
Italian Herb Focaccia Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water warm, about 110 degrees F
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour up to ¼ cup more if needed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Herbs fresh or dried rosemary, basil and thyme
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded, for topping
- 2 teaspoon Sea Salt Flakes for topping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast and sugar and mix well. Let sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture begins to get bubbly and the yeast has activated.
- Add the olive oil, salt, Italian herbs and 2 cups of flour. Using the dough hook, mix on low until all the ingredients are combined. Gradually add up to ¾ cup additional flour, just until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Once all of the flour has been added, mix for 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, or about 30-45 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and press onto the baking sheet. Use your fingers to poke deep indentations into the dough. If you have trouble with the dough bouncing back, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing to dimple the dough and pressing it out evenly inside the pan.
- Once you have stretched the dough to fit as much of the baking sheet as possible, drizzle with olive oil and spread it around evenly on top of the focaccia dough using a brush or your fingers. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese and flakey sea salt evenly over the dough.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is lightly golden brown on top and bottom.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of our Favorite Homemade Bread Recipes
- Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Cinnamon Twist Bread
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Homemade White Bread
- Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
- Stuffed Crust Pizza dough recipe
- Homemade French Bread
What to Eat with Focaccia Bread...
- Convection Oven Whole Chicken
- Skinny Soup Recipe
- Stuffed crust Pizza Recipe
- Pepper Jack Queso Cheese Dip
- Hot Cheeto Chicken
- Rump Roast in Crock Pot
- More Bread Recipes
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Renee Goerger
Focaccia is my favorite bread to make lately. This recipe is a winner. Thanks for sharing.
Liz
I love bread in all forms haha but focaccia bread is one of my favorites! Love the herbs to add flavor to this one!