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    Home » Side Dishes

    Focaccia Recipe - Tomato & Herb

    Published: Jun 14, 2019 » Modified: Mar 22, 2021 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 7 Comments

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    The easiest, tastiest, herbiest focaccia recipe you've ever seen! It's a dense bread polka dotted with grape tomatoes and drizzled with a generous amount of herb infused olive oil drizzled on top. It bakes up crispy on the outside, but super soft on the inside. Use up all those beautiful, ripe garden tomatoes in this savory side dish that's perfect for beginner bread makers!

    Close up shot of focaccia bread sliced and stacked on top of each other
    Table of Contents show
    What is focaccia bread?
    How to make focaccia recipe:
    Why you're going to love this focaccia:
    Tips for making the best focaccia:
    Other herb and tomato loaded favorites you'll love:
    Focaccia Bread Recipe with Tomato & Herbs

    What is focaccia bread?

    In short, focaccia is a dense bread with a generous amount of olive oil. It bakes flat on a pan which allows it to get super crispy on the outside, but stay super soft on the inside.

    Focaccia can be plain with just olive oil but you'll often find it with herbs, veggies and even cheese added in. It's an extremely versatile and forgiving bread that is a great starting point for a novice bread baker!

    Focaccia is also naturally vegan making it a great option for friends or family who are on a plant based diet.

    How to make focaccia recipe:

    Add yeast to a large bowl. Pour water over yeast and set aside for 5 minutes.

    Glass bowl with yeast and warm water being added to it

    Add flour and oil.

    Glass bowl with flour and olive oil being poured into it

    Use a fork to stir it all together until a loose ball of dough forms.

    A glass bowl filled with focaccia recipe bread

    Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 5 minutes.

    A white counter top with a ball of dough being kneaded by hand

    Coat ball of dough with a drizzle of olive oil, place in the large bowl, cover with saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

    A ball of focaccia bread in a glass bowl being drizzled with olive oil

    Let rise for 1 hour in the warmest part of your kitchen. During this time it will double in size.

    A ball of focaccia recipe bread in a glass bowl with a clean kitchen towel covering it

    While the dough is working it's magic, combine olive oil with garlic and thyme in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic and time should become fragrant, but it should not brown at all. Set aside.

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil and herb mixture onto a half sheet pan and use your hands to grease the pan with oil.

    Use your hands to work the dough into the bottom of the pan, creating an even layer of dough. Use your finger tips to gently press dimples into the surface of the dough.

    Fingers dimpling focaccia recipe dough on a baking sheet

    Cover with saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another half hour.

    Gently press grape tomatoes into the dough, placing them about an inch or so apart. 

    Tomatoes being pressed into the surface of focaccia bread in a pan

    Drizzle remaining olive oil and herb mixture over the dough and spread it in an even layer.

    Overhead shot of a focaccia recipe just before baking

    Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the bread starts to get golden brown.

    Overhead shot of a focaccia recipe after baking

    Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then slice and serve warm!

    Why you're going to love this focaccia:

    • It's just SO GOOD. I can't even describe it any better than that. Okay, I'll try... It's dense and doughy, yet crispy. It's loaded with herb infused olive oil flavor in every single bite. And then everyone once in a while you get this little burst of fresh, roasted tomato and it's just amazing.
    • It's a great bread for beginners. I am not a bread baker by any means, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE to make this focaccia recipe. It isn't finicky like other breads. It requires just 5 minutes of kneading and most of the prep time for this bread is just letting the dough rise.
    • It literally goes with everything, yet stands alone as well. It tastes yummy dipped in your favorite creamy tomato soup. It's the perfect accompaniment to your favorite pasta dish. It's a unique option for weekday sandwiches. It's also great to serve along side a loaded cheese board. Or you can just let shine on it's own as a stunning side dish!
    Overhead shot of  a pan of sliced focaccia recipe

    Tips for making the best focaccia:

    • Don't rush the process. It's bread and it needs to rise. This focaccia recipe will rest for a total of 1.5 hours. This time is crucial in making sure that you get a fluffy bread without big air bubbles. This also gives the gluten enough time to properly set up.
    • All these recipes say "let bread rise in the warmest part of your kitchen". But how do you know where that is? My tip of the day is to let the bread rise in your oven! Just before kneading the bread I'll turn my oven on to the lowest temp for just a minute or so - just enough to get it ever so slightly warmed up. Then after I'm done kneading the dough, I'll let it rise in the oven. It's important to remember that you can't let the oven actually get hot or it will bake the bread and it will not rise properly. I then do the same for the second rise - letting it heat up for just a minute or so.
    • You can totally make this bread ahead of time. After the first rise (which lasts for an hour) you can refrigerate the dough in an air tight container for up to a week. Then when you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes so it can come to room temp. Then follow the directions on the recipe card below starting with #4.
    Stack of sliced focaccia bread on a pan

    Other herb and tomato loaded favorites you'll love:

    • Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Dip
    • Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup
    • 10 Minute Tomato Cream Sauce
    • Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
    • Smoked Gouda and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
    Print

    Focaccia Bread Recipe with Tomato & Herbs

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    A dense bread with a generous amount of herb infused olive oil drizzled on top, this focaccia bakes up crispy on the outside, but super soft on the inside.

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 1 hour 35 mins
    • Cook Time: 20 mins
    • Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
    • Yield: 12-16 servings 1x
    • Category: Bread
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp yeast)
    • 1.5 cups lukewarm water
    • 4 cups all purpose flour + more for flouring work surface
    • 1 tsp Kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons + ½ cup olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
    • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

    Instructions

    1. Add yeast to a large bowl. Pour water over yeast and set aside for 5 minutes.
    2. Add flour, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Use a fork to stir it together.
    3. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
    4. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Coat ball of dough with a drizzle of olive oil, place in the large bowl, cover with saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 hour in the warmest part of your kitchen.
    5. While the dough is working it's magic, combine olive oil with garlic and thyme in a small saucepan over low heat.
    6. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic and time should become fragrant, but it should not brown at all. Set aside.
    7. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil and herb mixture onto a half sheet pan and use your hands to grease the pan with oil.
    8. Use your hands to work the dough into the bottom of the pan, creating an even layer of dough. Use your finger tips to gently press dimples into the surface of the dough.
    9. Cover with saran wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another half hour.
    10. Gently pressing grape tomatoes into the dough, placing them about an inch or so apart. 
    11. Drizzle remaining olive oil and herb mixture over the dough in an even layer.
    12. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the bread starts to get golden brown.
    13. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then slice and serve warm!

    Notes

    Don't rush the process. It's bread and it needs to rise. This focaccia will rest for a total of 1.5 hours. This time is crucial in making sure that you get a fluffy bread without big air bubbles. This also gives the gluten enough time to properly set up.

    All these recipes say "let bread rise in the warmest part of your kitchen". But how do you know where that is? My tip of the day is to let the bread rise in your oven! Just before kneading the bread I'll turn my oven on to the lowest temp for just a minute or so - just enough to get it ever so slightly warmed up. Then after I'm done kneading the dough, I'll let it rise in the oven. It's important to remember that you can't let the oven actually get hot or it will bake the bread and it will not rise properly. I will do the same for the second rise - letting it heat up for just a minute or so.

    You can totally make this bread ahead of time. After the first rise (which lasts for an hour) you can refrigerate the dough in an air tight container for up to a week. Then when you're ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes so it can come to room temp. Then follow the directions on the recipe card below starting with #4.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 258
    • Sugar: 0.5 g
    • Sodium: 2.1 mg
    • Fat: 12.2 g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
    • Trans Fat: 0 g
    • Carbohydrates: 33 g
    • Fiber: 1.6 g
    • Protein: 4.8 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: herb focaccia, easy bread recipe, focaccia bread

    This recipe was originally published in August of 2018. It was updated in June of 2019 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions and tips for making the best focaccia bread every single time!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sebastiaan Cheyns

      June 15, 2021 at 5:36 pm

      Wonderfull! I used to live in Italy and get these for lunch every day, and they taste almost exactly the same.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. M

      August 13, 2020 at 9:31 pm

      This was my first time making focaccia, and it turned out amazing!! My family finished half it in one night 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        August 13, 2020 at 9:54 pm

        WOOHOO! That's the true test - whether the family will eat it or not! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Kylie Lato

      June 15, 2019 at 10:15 am

      Such a delicious summer time snack - this focaccia bread is one of our family's favorites!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Becky G

      August 21, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      First time visiting! Beautiful Blog, great recipes I will be back for sure!

      Reply
    5. Heidi S Hall

      August 20, 2018 at 8:50 pm

      I love your blog, I have been following you for quite some time and have tried several of your recipes and posted the strawberry compote I made of yours on Instagram. Great, easy to follow recipes!

      Reply

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

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