This Same-Day Focaccia recipe is perfect for spontaneous bread cravings, weekend baking projects, or if you have forgotten to get your overnight dough started. The base recipe is just 5 ingredients! It’s minimal effort, with high reward!
I know that so many of you love my overnight focaccia recipe, but I wanted to give you a same-day option. I included a list of toppings and ideas below. So make sure to check that out and watch the helpful how-to video too!
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and simple: No overnight fermentation here! No special equipment. No electric stand mixer or dough hook! With just a few stretch-and-folds, dough comes together easily and bakes beautifully the same day. But if you wanted to do an overnight rise, try my No-Knead Overnight Focaccia Recipe instead.
- Perfect year-round: Great for summer picnics, cozy soups (like my Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup), or a springtime brunch table. Pair it with one of my appetizer recipes or salad recipes for a complete meal.
- Endlessly Customizable: Top it with your favorite fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, green olives, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, etc. You can even use it to make a Muffuletta Sandwich. I have a list of topping ideas below.
Ingredients
As simple as it gets. You only need 5 ingredients for the base recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour: I am using all-purpose flour. It’s easy, it’s readily available, and everyone has it. Bread flour gives a chewier texture, but both work great. If you want to use some whole wheat flour in this recipe, sub out a quarter to a half of the white flour for whole wheat, just like how I do it in my Whole Wheat No Knead Focaccia recipe.
- Olive oil: You are going to need quite a bit of olive oil for this recipe. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for that rich, classic focaccia flavor.
- Yeast: I like to use Instant yeast in most of my Baking Recipes, but active dry yeast will work just fine too. Just make sure to bloom it in the water for a few minutes before adding the flour. You can also use fresh yeast but do adjust the quantity. When using fresh yeast instead of dry, use double the amount by weight.
- Toppings: In this recipe, I am keeping it simple with fresh rosemary and flaky salt. But there are so many flavor combinations you can try. Scroll down for a list of ideas.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Video Tutorial
How to Make this Same-Day Easy Focaccia Recipe
The steps are quite straightforward, but I recommend that you read through everything to get comfortable with the process. Or watch the video!
Step 1. Mix the Focaccia Dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, instant yeast, kosher salt, lukewarm water, and olive oil (Image 1). Mix using a fork, wooden spoon or Danish whisk until well combined and a shaggy dough forms (Image 2). The flour should be fully hydrated. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes (Image 3).
Step 2. Stretch and Fold. Wet your hands and perform a stretch and fold. Grab the dough from one side, gently pull up and fold it over (Images 4-5). Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat (Images 6-7). Repeat 2 more times. As you do this, try to scrape down any dough stuck to the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3. Repeat Stretch and Fold. Repeat the stretch and fold process every 30 minutes, for a total of 3 to 4 rounds over 2 hours. At this point, the dough should be much smoother.
Step 4. Transfer. Grease a baking tray with butter and olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, fold it gently like a letter, then flip it so the seam is on the bottom (Image 8). Cover and rest for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Step 5. Stretch. Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. If the dough hasn’t spread fully, lightly oil your hands and stretch it gently into the corners of the baking pan (Image 9).
Step 6. Dimple and Dress. Drizzle olive oil on top of the dough and dimple with your fingers. Sprinkle with rosemary and flaky sea salt (Image 10).
Step 7. Bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown (Image 11). Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Topping Ideas
This easy recipe should arm you with the basics you need to make same-day focaccia. But please, have fun with it! Get creative! If you are looking for topping ideas, check out all these other delicious focaccia recipes that I have for inspiration:
- Tomato Focaccia
- Jalapeno Cheddar Green Onion Focaccia
- Fig and Cheddar Focaccia
- Focaccia Pizza
- Olive Za’atar Focaccia
- Cherry Tomato Feta Focaccia
- Caramelized Onion Gruyere Focaccia
- Chocolate Focaccia
- Mushroom Cheddar Focaccia
- Detroit Style Pizza (which uses this base recipe)
- Corn Jalapeno Bacon Cheddar Focaccia
Expert Tips
- Use a kitchen scale. I have provided US customary measurements, but for accuracy, I recommend that you weigh out your dough ingredients.
- How old is your yeast? If your yeast container has been opened for over a year, consider buying new yeast before making this recipe.
- Don’t skip the stretch and folds! They help build structure without kneading. It’s the same process I outlined in my Tuscan Flatbread (Schiacciata) recipe.
- Use a metal baking pan. Metal pans are easier to work with and less likely to cause your focaccia to stick. I like to use a 9×13-inch pan, but a quarter baking sheet pan will work too. Glass is notorious for sticking, so avoid it if you can. Or use parchment paper.
- BUTTER THE PAN! Before you oil the pan, butter it. The butter creates a layer between the pan and the dough, making it so incredibly easy to remove the bread from the pan once baked.
- Let it cool fully before cutting. This keeps the crumb nice and airy. If you cut it too soon, the focaccia may turn gummy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Bake it earlier in the day and leave it at room temp, loosely covered. Reheat in a warm oven before serving.
I like to store pieces in a Tupperware or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven to refresh.
Absolutely. Slice and freeze in an airtight container. Reheat from frozen at 350°F until warmed through.
Other Baking Recipes
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Easy Same-Day Focaccia
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking pan or large rimmed baking sheet – Affiliate Link
- Kitchen Scale – Affiliate Link
Ingredients
For the Base Dough
- 3¾ cups All purpose flour – 500 grams
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt – 10 grams
- 2 teaspoon Instant yeast – 7 grams
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil – 28 grams
- 1¾ cups Lukewarm water – 415 grams
For Greasing the Pan
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
Topping
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Flaky salt
Instructions
- Mix the Focaccia Dough. In a large bowl, combine 3¾ cups All purpose flour, 2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 teaspoon Instant yeast, 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil and 1¾ cups Lukewarm water. Mix using a fork, wooden spoon or Danish whisk until well combined and a shaggy dough forms. The flour should be fully hydrated. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold. Wet your hands and perform a stretch and fold. Grab the dough from one side, gently pull up and fold it over. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Repeat 2 more times. As you do this, try to scrape down any dough stuck to the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Repeat Stretch and Fold. Repeat the stretch and fold process every 30 minutes, for a total of 3 to 4 rounds over 2 hours. At this point, the dough should be much smoother.
- Transfer. Grease a baking tray with 1 teaspoon Butter and 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, fold it gently like a letter, then flip it so the seam is on the bottom. Cover and rest for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
- Stretch. If the dough hasn’t spread fully, lightly oil your hands and stretch it gently into the corners of the baking pan.
- Dimple and Dress. Drizzle 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil on top of the dough and dimple with your fingers. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Fresh rosemary and 1 teaspoon Flaky salt.
- Bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
-
- Flour: I am using all-purpose flour. It’s easy, it’s readily available, and everyone has it. Bread flour gives a chewier texture, but both work great. If you want to use some whole wheat flour in this recipe, sub out a quarter to a half of the white flour for whole wheat.
-
- Yeast: I like to use Instant yeast in most of my Baking Recipes, but active dry yeast will work just fine too. Just make sure to bloom it in the water for a few minutes before adding the flour.
-
- Toppings: In this recipe, I am keeping it simple with fresh rosemary and flaky salt. But there are so many flavor combinations you can try. Scroll up for a list of ideas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This recipe is easy to follow with great results. I prefer this version to the overnight recipe – I’ve had better results with this one, plus I enjoy spending a bit of time with the dough. Thank you for such a simple and foolproof method!
Came out very well. Good recipe.
This is the second recipe of focaccia that I make the one before was from another person and it was a fail, now this one boost my confidence since it turned out so amazing. I wish I could attach a picture to show how beautiful it turned out. My husband is a big fan of Italian breads and this one was definitely a winner for him so I am very happy. The bread is soft inside and tasty. Thank you so much!
So glad the recipe worked out well for you.
Just made this recipe today and it turned out so good! Highly recommend to anyone needing focaccia in a pinch 🙂
Glad you liked it!
Hi! I’m going to make this for some friends! Can I double it and separate out the dough into 2 pans to bake?
If you plan to double the recipe, I would recommend that you make the dough in 2 separate bowls. Working with with a double batch in one bowl is going to be a challenge. You can also make one batch, and cut it in half to make 2 smaller focaccias in smaller pans.
This recipe made my whole house go “holy sh*t this is so good!”. Easy, well-written recipe and the outcome is AMAZING
HAHA! Love it! Glad you liked it, Brandy!
Turned out lovely! Do make this!
This is a fabulous and fun to make recipe with great results – both texture and flavor. I’ve made it twice now. Once as focaccia and then as pizza! Ingredients by weight and the process is easy to follow and in perfect proportions. The 30 minutes in between “stretch and folds” I use to do other quick chores or go for a walk and the focaccia is ready to bake in no time.
Topping options are endless! On the weekly menu now 🙂
Thanks, Miranda! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Amazing focaccia! Made this tonight and it is absolutely perfect. So soft, tender and fresh. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, Carm! Glad you liked it.
I found this recipe this morning and made it to go along with our dinner tonight. It was so easy and came out perfect. I would highly recommend this recipe to anybody. Don’t be intimidated. It was super easy. And the variations that you can add are endless