This Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe, yields a chewy, dimpled bread speckled with lemon zest, fresh rosemary, and red onion. These fresh loaves are packed with flavor and great to pair with any meal!

How To Make Focaccia Bread - round loaves of focaccia bread on a cooling rack.

Why We Love This Rustic Focaccia Bread Recipe

You can buy decent focaccia at the bakery, but nothing beats homemade bread! Yet, there’s that one little ingredient we so often don’t keep around the house… Patience.

The lesson of bread-making is always, “Good things come to those who wait.” Bread is not difficult to make; especially if you have an electric mixer with a bread hook. It just takes time.

So if you are new to making bread, focaccia bread is a brilliant place to start. It is a simple bread to make and always results in a super delicious flavor with a chewy and crunchy texture! Once you smell the aroma of homemade bread in your home, you will want to make it every week!

This rosemary focaccia bread packed the herby flavor of rosemary along with the savory flavor of onions and a slightly tangy bite from lemon zest! I love to top it off with more onions and a bit of crunchy sea salt for more flavor and texture.

focaccia bread recipe cut into wedges

Ingredients You Need

This Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe uses simple ingredients to make an absolutely amazing loaf of bread! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Flour – all-purpose flour or bread flour
  • Water – warm water for the yeast
  • Active Dry Yeast – the most common kind of yeast that you can get at the store
  • Olive Oil – the higher the quality, the better
  • Red Onion – or shallots!
  • Rosemary – fresh is best but dried will work in a pinch
  • Honey – honey helps to activate the yeast
  • Lemon Zest – for a bit of tang
  • Salt & Pepper – season to taste
mixing Focaccia dough ingredients
focaccia dough mixture

How to Make Focaccia Bread

Pour the lukewarm water and honey into the bowl of your electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add one package of dry active yeast and swirl around.

Allow the yeast to foam for 10 minutes. Then add the cold water, lemon zest, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, rosemary and onions. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the flour.

Once all of the flour is in the bowl, switch the paddle to the bread hook attachment. Knead on low for about 10 minutes.

Pull the dough away from the sides and rub the bowl down with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and turn the mixer back on for 30 seconds.

focaccia bread dough rising in bowl

Divide the dough into two pieces and press with your fingers into two greased 9-10 inch round cake pans. As you press the dough into the edges, don’t be afraid to let your fingers puncture the dough- this will create the bumpy, rustic texture or traditional focaccia.

Focaccia dough in a cake pan before being baked.

Cover both pans with a clean damp towel. Allow the dough to rise again for another 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Before baking, use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and brush the tops of the loaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and decorate with thin onion slices if desired.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Turn out the classic focaccia bread loaves and enjoy!

How to Make Focaccia Bread - dough in a cake pan with onions on top.

Serving Suggestions

My Rustic Focaccia Bread Recipe is something I like to make all year long, because it is so versatile and pairs with so many different meals.

Some different mix-ins and topping options are cheeses, olives, tomatoes, or garlic! You can even make a sweet focaccia by adding fruit!

Turn your focaccia bread into sandwiches or pizza, or it alongside some of my personal favorites:

Two loaves of focaccia baked in pans

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes focaccia bread different than normal bread?

Focaccia is a type of Italian bread that is made with more yeast than normal bread and has a higher water content to create larger holes in the crumb of the bread. Focaccia is also considered a “fried” bread because it is baked with olive oil which makes the edges and top nice and crunchy!

Can I freeze rustic focaccia bread?

Definitely! To freeze your focaccia, let it completely cool and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. Pop it in the oven to reheat so that it has those crispy edges again!

How should I store leftover focaccia bread?

Store any leftover focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days!

How to Make Focaccia - cut on cooling rack

More Focaccia Recipes:

Looking for Additional Bread Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

round loaves of focaccia bread on a cooling rack.
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Focaccia Bread Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
How To Make Focaccia Bread – Seasoned with lemon zest, fresh rosemary, and red onions. This amazing fresh bread is so flavorful and comforting.
Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil + extra for bowl and pans
  • 3 tablespoons chopped red onion or shallot, + extra slices for top
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Pour the lukewarm water and honey into the bowl of your electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add one package of dry active yeast and swirl around. Allow the yeast to foam for 10 minutes. Then add the cold water, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, rosemary, and onions. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the flour. Once all the flour is in the bowl, switch the paddle to the bread hook attachment. “Knead” on low for about 10 minutes.
  • Pull the dough away from the sides and rub the bowl down with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and turn the mixer back on for 30 seconds.
  • Divide the dough into two pieces and press with your fingers into two greased 9- to 10-inch round cake pans. As you press to dough to the edges, don’t be afraid to let your fingers puncture the dough—this will create the bumpy, rustic texture of traditional focaccia.
  • Cover both pans with a clean damp towel. Allow the dough to rise again for another 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Before baking, use the remaining tablespoon of oil and brush the tops of the loaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and decorate with thin onion slices.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden-brown. Turn out the bread loaves and enjoy.

Notes

To freeze your focaccia, let it completely cool and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. Pop it in the oven to reheat so that it has those crispy edges again!

Nutrition

Calories: 94kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 5IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Sommer Collier
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