If you are looking for an easy bread recipe that doesn’t require too many ingredients or fancy gadgets, this recipe for Focaccia is the one for you. This rustic Italian bread is perfect as an appetizer served with dipping oil, a side to your favorite pasta dish or as delicious sandwich bread. Focaccia — very versatile, very delicious!
Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 5 cups
Warm Water – 1 2/3 cups
Rapid Rise Yeast – 1 packet (approx 2 tsp)
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – 2 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil – 1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp for coating plus more for coating bottom of pan
Rosemary – 1 Tbsp (Fresh, chopped) or 1 tsp (Dried)
Onion – 1/4 small, sliced finely
Sea Salt/Kosher Salt – to taste
Method:
1. In the food processor bowl (or mixing bowl if kneading by hand), mix Warm Water, Yeast and Sugar. Cover and keep for 5-10 mins until foamy.
2. Add Salt, Olive Oil and 4 1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour (more can be added as needed).
3. Pulse the food processor until the dough comes together. Run the food processor for 1 minute. Add more flour (1/4 cup at at time) as needed until dough forms.
4. Knead dough on a floured work surface or large bowl for 1 minute or until a smooth ball forms.
5. Generously drizzle Olive Oil to coat the bottom of a 15×10 inch baking pan.
6. Place dough ball in pan and press into the bottom into an even rectangle shape.
7. Cover with kitchen towel and keep in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to rise.
Preheat Oven to 425F/218C
8. With your finger, gently make indentations one inch apart all over the dough.
9. In a small bowl, mix 2-3 Tbsp of Olive Oil with Rosemary and sliced Onions.
10. Spread the Oil mixture over the top of the risen dough. Arrange Onions/Rosemary evenly over the top.
11. Bake Focaccia for 20 mins at 425F/218C (Keep an eye on it towards the end – all ovens are different).
12. Enjoy hot and store unused portion in an airtight container in the fridge.
hi
is it possible to make the aloo paratha dough in food processor by adding both wheat flour and boiled potatoes and other masala? i usually prepare the all variety parathas like this in hand….is it possible like this in food processor?
and please show me the parotta recipe which is usually made in maida dough like beating the dough…keeping the frills and making by hand and beating again the cooked parotta….i want an easier method…my kid loves it…but it is not comming good fr me
Hi Vidya,
We have never tried that but we are afraid that the starch in the potatoes may make the experience a mess. Having said that we have to say that you’ll never know till you try and if you do, please do let us know your feedback 🙂
can i use Basil instead of rosemary?
also the measurement for 3 cup maida? how much water and yeast is needed?
hi
can we serve this bread with chole in kitty party.
You could serve this with almost anything. I ate some with leftover aloo gobi sabji and it was amazing.
You can leave out the herbs and make a plain bread so that the flavors do not clash with your chole.
hi
in one episode can u show how to do the brotta in a easy way.its my humble request…
Hi Anuja & Hetal, tried 2nd time. It was fabulous, better than 1st time. Thanks again. I saved some for tomorrows breakfast 🙂
hi anjula.. can u plz tell me how tu make regular whole flour bread?we will be thanx full..i like ur sites u both r very cute and looks kindly person…and very charming also
Hi Asma,
We have Wheat bread on our list and will get to it sometime, right now our list is very long… 🙁
Also, thanks for the compliments!
Hello people….
I was going through the comments and found lot of people saying that the recipe of foccacia bread is same as on other internet sites.
But, people, it is going to be same…how can you go different in the basic recipe. But, it is on us to give different twists on it.
e.g. you can spread some parmesan cheese on top and have cheese foccacia bread.
Or you could make a mixture of parm, sundried tomatoes and olive oil and spread it on top…
So there are many different ways we can take it but, the basic recipe is same…
Hetal and Anuja
I have this recipe for foccacia pasted below and even made it once.I was excited to see foccacia on your list but so dissapointed to see that your recipe is the exact same that I got off the internet on another website.
Place 2 cups warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over; stir with fork. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes.
Add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture and stir to blend well (dough will be sticky). Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 10 minutes. Form dough into ball. Oil large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; knead into ball and return to same bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes or less
Coat 15×10-inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Punch down dough. Transfer to prepared sheet. Using fingertips, press out dough to 13×10-inch rectangle. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over dough. Sprinkle olives and chopped rosemary evenly over. Let dough rise uncovered in warm area until puffy, about 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475°F. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations. Bake bread until brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve bread warm or at room temperature.
“Dissapointed in Houston”
Going to make it today…give me some suggestions for serving i mean do i need to use any spread, or any patties or does it go well with hummus dip ? pls suggest…guest are coming tonite…
Tried cameout superb…Better than store bought. Thanks for sharing this such a wonderful recipe.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe,my kids just luv
this focacia bread,its great know i can prepare at
home.All your recipes are great enjoy seeing your website
I am from singapore and i think i just luv to share about your website to all my friends out here.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Thanks
Roopa.
Hey Anuja and Hetal,
This is absolutely wonderful. I asked my boy friend (who’s not Indian) to get wheat flour, unbleached (as a substitute for aata) and he got me plain four, unbleached (maida!!!) and we had a nice petty fight about it.
He’s not a huge maida fan and neither am I when it comes to rotis/chapatis. But bread’s a different story!
THIS is a wonderful way to use that flour! And make up, of course 🙂
Again, thanks much!
P.S. The bread looks y-u-m.
Hey Gals,
This looks like an absolutely FAB recipe. Can’t wait to try this out.
One small question. I would be using the normal yeast and not the rapid rise variety. As per Step 1, do I mix this to warm water and salt, cover this and keep it aside for 5-10 mins (would this be enough)? And then I add this to the maida, prepare the dough, cover it with a cloth and put this inside a pre-heated oven until it rises to 2 times the original size? Please correct me if I’m wrong….
Hi Shauna,
You have to allow it to rise and then take it out and knead it and then put it back in the oven and let it rise one more time and then carry on with the procedure.
With 2 times we mean you have to do the process twice over and NOT allow it to rise 2 times the quantity.
Hope that clarifies it!
🙂
I made this bread today and noticed that it is not tasting like the store bought ones. This is kind of dry but if you buy
from the store, it will be moist and soft on both sides top and bottom. This is soft on top but the bottom is hard and the middle part is dry. Any suggestions?
Hey Geetha…Mine came out even better than store. You have to make sure that the batter is covered while its rising. Also, that your oven is preheated.
Hope it helps…
Hi Geetha,
Like Sneha(thanks again 😉 )mentioned, make sure that the dough is covered so it does not dry out. Also, it sounds like the bread did not get evenly cooked…hope it was in the center rack of the oven. There is also a generous amount of oil on the pan and then on top (hope you did not miss that step):(
No problem Anuja..You gals are doing great work and it is my pleasure to help you in anyway I can..
Hey,
Hetal and Anuja…
My husband loves this bread…I made if for a small get together and People absolutely loved it…They loved it so much that they waited 2 more hours to eat some more…Thanks a lot…I am spreading the word of your site as much as I can…I love all your recipes…They are lovely, delicious, well presented and above all super easy to work with…
Love you both…
Keep up the good work..
Sneha.
Hi Sneha,
Thanks for your feedback! And thanks for helping us out with the comments (it really helps when we get help)!
hey sneha, how did you serve this bread…pls let me know ur suggestions
Shankari..I served this bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil with freshly ground pepper and some salt. It is perfecto…One other option is Alfredo sauce. Make it thicker than the one you make for pasta. You can buy ready to reconstitute Alfredo sauce in shoprite and all. If you want to make it at home, you can google the recipe and serve it. Last but, not the least is spinach Artichoke dip…But, if you are going to serve it with dip then make your bread a little more crispier…Hope you like it..
Let me know how it goes…
Enjoy!!!
thanks foe the wonderful recipe. Can you guys please show us how to make dinner rolls using whole wheat flour?
Hey… This is the receipe of Anne W. Burrell “Secrets Of a Restaurant Chef” right??? Episode is just shown before your post. LOLzzzz…
Hello ladies,
You both are doing really G8 job. I want to know can we use unbleached bread flour instead of All purpose flour (maida)
Hey I used unbleached bread flour and it comes out perfect…so go for it…
Wow! This is delicious. I used garlic powder and thyme, since I didn’t have any rosemary. Soooo good! I also made the olive oil mixture sit while the bread was rising, just to infuse the flavors a bit. I’m sure this will go great with some cheese. Delicious! Thanks.
if I want to make this recipe using half the quantity of flour (2 – 2.5 cups), do I still use full packet of yeast or half packet will be enough??
Hi Hetal & Anuja
I am inspired by your recipe and want to try it soon. As I am new to kitchen, I want to clarify few things before trying.
Is 1cup equal to 250ml or 1/2pint? and I dont have a big baking tray but I do have a big aluminium baking tray(foiled)
Can I use it??
Please let me know.
Thanx
Waiting for ur reply….
Hey Misha…It seems as if Anuja and Hetal are a bit busy. But, I think you could use the foiled tray too..Although, the bread might stick a little at the bottom so oil generously…
Hi Misha,
Sneha has answered your question really well (thank you so much for that Sneha), you will have to oil the pan generously and make sure it is in the center of the oven. The aluminum foil try tends to be very thin and is notorious for burning things.
Regarding the amount 1 cup = 236 ml (pl. keep in mind that most of our recipes are volume measurements and not weight unless specified)
Hope that helps
hi both of u i m fan of yours i want to ask u that i dont h
ave rose mary what can i use insted of that for best test kindly reply me love u both
Hi Nirali,
You can use ANYTHING: chillies, cilantro, mint, onions, tomatoes, cheese, parsley, thyme, fenugreek….or nothing 🙂 It’ll taste good anyway 😉
Enjoy!
thank u so much for quick reply and my kindly request that plese put some more receipes that i can make for launch box bcs i have always prob with it for my hubby bcs i have extream faith on your recipes that thy r always good ok bye i m going to prerare focaccia bread bye take care
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I have one question……..Can i use the vegetable oil instead of olive oil of this recipe?
thanx
Ofcourse u can use.
Hi Gagan,
Absolutely 🙂
Excellent recipe. I made this yesterday and it turned out just great. It was unbelievably good. You guys are really doing a great job. I am just not finding words to praise you both. Keep up the good work.
Hi Akanksha,
I am sure you can 😉 …just kidding! You just did and thank you for that 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja
I tried this bread for yesterday’s dinner ….. wow … its one of its kind … the word “YUMMY” is not enough to describe this bread. Its DIVINE … really … thats the first time I ever brought Rosemary herb. Must be sounding stupid … well !!!
Everybody out there .. you must try this out … even if you don’t have a Rapid Rise Yeast .. its Ok .. I didn’t get it either here in Germany and made it with the normal yeast .. its fabulous .. and the best part is there is no hard work involved … lazy me ..
Thanks a ton both of you girls …. SMTC ROCKS !!!!
Hi Bindu,
You are so sweet and we really appreciate the support 🙂
I have regular yeast. If I want to add regular yeast how much do I have to add and how long I have to keep it in the oven.
Can you please let me know.
Thank you
Hi Sneha,
The amount of yeast remains the same, you just have to allow it to rise 2 times 🙂
HETAL!!! I have that same shirt in blue lol. Looks good on you.
You obviously have good taste 😉
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I love your website !!! I keep checking for new recipes on the site always….
This Focaccia bread looks interesting !!!
Don’t know if i sound ignorant..where do i get these rapid rise yeast packets??
I really want to try this recipe…
Please help me ..
Keep rocking !!!
Thanks,
Deepthi.
Hi Deepthi,
It is found right next to the regular yeast in the baking aisle in your grocery store 9says rapid rise yeast on it )
Nothing ignorant about that question 🙂
Enjoy the bread!
Sorry for this – but check pronounciations of ‘focaccia’.
Hi NB,
Thanks for correcting us…we learn something new everyday 🙂
Hey guys,
So the dough is sitting in my oven right now and waiting to rise. I went the traditional way with the yeast, ergo, need to do a double rise!
Cannot wait to eat it 😀
And Anuja, I am surprised you are a Punjabi!! You look every bit a Madrasi like the rest of us do! 🙂
Hi Ranjani,
Thanks for the compliment 🙂
Enjoy your bread!
can you suggest a good brand for electric roti maker?Is there any tool for shredding almond pista?
Hi Alka,
Sorry, do not own one or ever owned one 🙁
Maybe one of the viewers can help out!
Hi Anuja & Hetal, This recipe is awesome, not in words…Baking a bread @ home is my long time dream..So i tried from other website it doesn’t work fine maybe i went wrong somewhere…
Now after seeing your video guide i could able to get it right…I usually take my laptop to my counter-top & follow your recipes as per instructions. Gonna do the same for Foccaicia too. Will get back with the outcome.
Thanks both of you.
Hi Shankari,
Enjoy the aroma of the fresh baked bread 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Can we use whole wheat flour instead of Maida for this recipe? Thanx.
Prathima.
Hi Prathima,
We have never made it with Wheat but know that there is a “Wheat Focaccia”…so we suggest you give it a shot. If you do, let us know your feedback, would love to know the results 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I tried this recipe…. and it was delicious!!!! I added some chilli flakes and garlic salt on the top.
thanks for the recipe.
Luv
Preethi
Hi Preethi,
Sounds excellent 🙂
can we knead the dough with hands?
pl. reply
do reply, idont have a food processor.
In the video Hetal mentions that if you don’t have a Food Processor, you can knead by hand as you would do for chapati atta.
Enjoy 🙂
Hey Hetal and Anuja,
Firstly you both look very dashing in this video keep it up, Nice receipe, soooo easy but i have a question that can i use rapid rise yeast for Naan breads or for pizzas too? Bcz as you said its time saver so,i want to be clever too. Do Reply my query pl.
Thanks for sharing this Lovely Easy Bread.
Hi Rupa,
You can use the rapid rise yeast in all the recipes that call for yeast… 🙂 Naan, Pizza dough….anything 😉
thanks, anuja
Hey guys,
I have told about this site to so many friends and trust me u guys are very popular.Pls can u suggest me brand names of yeast the one which I use is useless.I made buns but it turned out to be rocks.
Thanks
Hi Rizna,
The most popular one is Fleischmann’s, but we have on a lot of occasions bought the store brand and they have been equally good 🙂
Hi Hetal & Anuja..
Firstly Thank you for the lovely recipes. Your videos help us a lot. I just got married and not knowing more dishes to cook and my husband love to eat different food. I have learnt so many recipes from this site. there are so many website for recipes but let me tell you this you guys make delicious food by simple things which you can always find in your kitchen. I tried banana walnut bread and It turned out really nice but the thing is I am not eating eggs. I added baking powder and baking soda as a replacement but need better suggestion from you guys.
Also, We used to eat bread in the breakfast. Could you please also tell the recipe for the the Wheat bread which we can eat daily.
Thanks once again.
Hi Drashti,
Congratulations on being newly married and thank you for the compliment 🙂
We have a video on Egg substitute (it works on a lot of cakes):
https://34.233.61.50/tips/egg-substitute-kitchen-tips.html
Regarding the wheat bread, we’ll add it to our (long) list 🙂
Hi Girls,
I love this recipe but didn’t know how to make it. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Hi,
Love this. Will try this weekend. Is it possible to make this bread 50 % maidha & 50 % whole wheat? Also in which rack in the oven do u keep for the bread to bake?
Regarding recommending your website, I have already suggested this website to my lil sis who is just learning to cook. This is a great website for beginners too.
Thanks in advance for your response & keep up the good work..
Jayashree
Hi Jayashree,
We have not tried this bread with wheat so honestly, can’t comment 🙁 But if you do try it, let us know!
Thanks for spreading the SMTC word around 🙂
Sure, Will let u know. Also in which rack in the oven is bread placed to bake? Is it in the middle rack, like we bake cakes?
Thanks once again
jayashree
Ji Jayashree,
The middle rack is the safest…unless we specify.
Enjoy the bread 🙂
Hey Hetal and Anuja.. I’ve listed your site on my blog! So atleast my readers know about you! 🙂
Your bread looks great. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us! Cheers!
Thank you, SS! We checked out your blog – very nice 🙂 and wish you all the very best!
That was sweet of you! Thanks! 🙂
I just love you both… your website is fantastic, your videos are awesome, and i love the fact that you are incorporating foods from all around the world for us to learn how to make. Your video tutorials are perfectly executed, and i really appreciate your enthusiasm and teamwork. You are both a pleasure to watch and i love the fact that you both dive into the food you’ve so wonderfully prepared at the end of each video. Makes me want to run to my kitchen and start up each recipe immediately!! Bravo. Keep up the great work. Your joy for cooking and teaching makes ShowMeTheCurry.com my favorite cooking website!!!Thanks a bunch, Anuja & Hetal.
Love,love, danijela from NYC.
Hi Danijela, thank you, thank you, thank you 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Definitely will tell more of my friends about this site. Its an amazing site … lovely recipes.
This bread is so simple .. will be making in a couple of days … need to get the rosemary ..
Hi Bindu,
Thank you! Every viewers support is very precious to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja didi,
I keep telling about you guys to each and every desi person i meet here in my apartment or any one who comes new to US from india. I have also suggested you to my frnds in india who get married and dont know cooking. 🙂
They really appreciate your website. 🙂
I really love u and your website so much that..any time my frnd asks me some recipe or i have a doubt..i tell them chk out Smtc..ull find it out there!!!
Keep the good work going! and thanks a million for this wonderful wonderful bread recipe!!
-Priya-
Hi Priya,
We thank you for your support and appreciate the trust you place in us 🙂
Thank you!
Hello Hetal & Anuja,
Great recipe. One minor point – I think you want indentations or notches in your bread and not indentions (which is a blank space between the margin and an indented line.)
Cheers,
Anamika
Hi Anamika,
We were just checking if you were paying attention to us 😉 ! Just kidding,thanks for pointing it out…all we can say is “oops”… 🙁
Hi Hetal&Anuja,
Nice recipe! Can we use Thyme wich is wonderful medditerrean herb in this recipe? It’s wonderful!!
I have one question about your Shrimp Biryani, do I needs to be cooked it in Preassure Cooker or can i use some other pan?
If it does need to be cooked in preassure cooker, I’ll buy it. I want Biryani to be good and rice to be cooked. 🙂
Please answeer me, I’m sorry posting this on other recipe.. Lol
Alexa
Hi Alexa,
Yes, you can use Thyme or any other herb of your choice 🙂
Regarding the Shrimp Biryani (sorry, did not respond earlier – some one had asked that question and we had answered and hoped you’d see that – anyway)! You can use a regular pot to make this biryani, just make sure it has a heavy bottom.
Cook on high, uncovered for 10 min then reduce the heat to absolute simmer and cook covered for 18 min (stirring in between). Add ghee and turn off the stove and let it rest covered for 5-7 mins.
Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you Anuja!!! :))) xoxoxo
nice one. gotta try out soon.
thnx
wow…awesome recipe..going to try it out soon!!!
is it sunny anderson recipe that was shown on food network???
Hi Kris,
Sorry, no idea about Sunny Anderson….but there are a LOT of Focaccia recipes out there and all them are good and are all very similar. We have had this recipe for quite a few years now 🙂
Hope you like it 🙂
Could you please show us how to make regular bread using whole wheat flour? I have tried this using recipes and procedures on other websites but it came out flat! I am hoping that you guys can give some tips and what mistakes to avoid. Thanks.
Hi R,
We will put that on our list, thanks for the feedback 🙂
Thanks Anuja. Hope I don’t have to wait for too long as I have been wanting to make this from past 2 yrs and have failed every time! and not to mention the amount of wheat flour I have wasted :-<(
Hi Hetal,Anuja,
Wow….. i love the way you made that bread, i am defenetly going to try. I tried so many of your recipe and enjoyed preety much all of it.
I love your website, i wish you all the best for more and more success for your efforts….
Bela
Hi Bela,
Thank you so much for the wishes and blessing! Wishes and Blessings are things we can never have enough of so will be selfish and take them all 🙂 !
Hi Anuja,
Thanks for the easy bread receipe…it came out very well and I got appreciations from everyone at my home…thanks once again…
hello everyone,
i have a question, i dont have american oven i have round oven as are generally used in indian homes..which bakes cakes in 30 minutes and doesnt have any sort of temperature control…can i make this bread in that oven ….has any1 in india tried to make this in desi ovens??? please reply if u have and how was ur experience??
akriti
I tried to print a recipe of yours as your page suggested and all I got was every comment everyone ever made or you nade up,,page after page of nonsense usung up all my paper and ink..never go here again or suggest it to anyone else..no recipe after all that,,really pissed at trustung you
Hi Patti,
So sorry to hear that. Did you click on the “Print Friendly” button at the top of the post? I just tried it and it works just fine…not sure what happened :(.
LOL, The print friendly button work perfectly, so this person tried print from there browser, ie printed the whole page, hahaha, and didn’t think to cancel the print job or just unplug the thing, hahaha, then to “pissed” and blame the website was very childish. This is a classic example of someone who shouldn’t own a computer!