Soft, fluffy and delicious, this easy and quick focaccia bread is ready to eat in only one hour! Top with traditional rosemary and salt, or the topping of your choice.
My whole family loves focaccia. Aside from Challah it’s the bread I bake most frequently at home. With its soft, fluffy texture, savoury herby topping, and the rich flavour of olive oil, it’s easy to see why it’s a favourite.
Memories of focaccia
Some years ago, we took a family holiday to Venice. Our daughter Kipper was only about 5 or 6 years old at the time. We stopped in the kosher bakery in the Jewish Ghetto to get a snack, and Kipper chose a large slice of olive focaccia.
Her Dad and I assumed we would get to share it, but in the few moments it took me to snap a photo outside the shop, she’d already wolfed the whole thing down!
That episode cemented focaccia’s place as a beloved family treat.
After-school cooking
I recently volunteered to run an online after-school cooking club for Kipper’s school. Ingredients lists are sent out in advance and the sessions are held on zoom. Everyone cooks along together and can chat and ask questions as we go along.
We chose International recipes as the theme – travel the world through food! Recipes included Scottish shortbread, Swedish pankakor (pancakes) and Moroccan carrot salad. And I pencilled in Italian focaccia as the last session before half term.
Quick focaccia
The sessions last for about an hour. I’d never made focaccia in only an hour before. But I figured, if I can make a (more than) decent challah in 60 minutes, I must be able to make a quick focaccia too, right?
It’s as well that I had a few weeks to experiment and get the recipe right! I tinkered with the ingredients, oven temperature, when and how much olive oil…
But I was finally so happy with this quick focaccia that I wanted to share it with everyone!
Delicious & quick focaccia
Although it takes only 60 minutes from weighing out the flour to taking your finished focaccia from the oven, this really is a fantastic Italian-style bread. The method might not be 100% authentic but the results speak for themselves!
This quick focaccia is soft, fluffy, and deliciously tasty. It’s rich and oily, but is still well able to soak up more olive oil or balsamic vinegar en route to your mouth!
Toppings for quick focaccia
When we made this quick focaccia in our after-school cooking club, we used the traditional toppings of rosemary and flaky sea salt. In my opinion this simple garnish is still the best!
However, you can use this quick focaccia recipe as a base for whatever toppings you prefer. We also love it with olives, like the one we ate in Venice that time. Some ideas for focaccia toppings include:
- Rosemary and flaky salt – the classic!
- Olives – black, green, or a combination
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Caramelised onions and crumbled feta
- Pesto and cheese
- Roasted peppers
You can also use this quick focaccia as a base for ‘focaccia art’. Use a selection of vegetables and herbs to create beautiful pictures on your focaccia!
Quick focaccia ingredients
Aside from your chosen toppings, to make focaccia in an hour you will need:
- Plain (all-purpose) flour
- Strong white bread flour
- Instant yeast – also called ‘quick yeast’
- Salt
- Sugar
- Extra virgin olive oil – lots of it!
- Warm water
And that’s all!
Of course you’ll also need a mixing bowl, a baking tin and an oven, but I’m guessing that if you’re considering making focaccia, you probably have those!
How to serve quick focaccia
This easy and quick focaccia recipe makes a small-medium sized bread, which can be cut into about 6 servings. It’s wonderful with soup, or as part of a buffet lunch or informal supper.
It will keep for a couple of days in an airtight box, and can easily be rewarmed in the toaster. Try dipping the warmed bread into olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or even softened butter – it’s so delicious!
You can also cut strips of focaccia and dip them into humous or other dips like this fabulous feta cheese dip.
Quick focaccia – a family treat
Now, however quickly my daughter can scoff her focaccia, there’s always some left for her Dad and me.
And it doesn’t even take long to bake some more!
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📖 Recipe
Quick focaccia in one hour
Equipment
- 29 x 18cm (11 x 7 inch) baking tin
Ingredients
- 100 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 135 g strong white bread flour (Sometimes just called strong flour or bread flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 7 g instant yeast (Usually 1 sachet for 1x recipe – see notes)
- 150-180 ml extra virgin olive oil – divided (see recipe)
- 135 ml hand-hot water
Suggested toppings
- flaky salt and rosemary
- olives – green, black or a mixture
- sun-dried tomatoes
- caramelised onions and crumbled feta
- pesto and grated mozarella
- roasted peppers
Instructions
- 100 g (¾ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 135 g (1 cup) strong white bread flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 7 g (approx. 2 tsp) instant yeast, 150-180 ml (⅔-¾ cup) extra virgin olive oil – divided, 135 ml (½ cup) hand-hot waterPut the flours, salt, sugar, instant yeast, water and 3 tablespoon of the olive oil in a mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon until you have a shaggy ball then tip out onto the counter and knead the dough by hand. Continue to knead for 5-10 minutes until you have a ball of smooth, silky dough.
- Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel, a lid, or plastic wrap. Place in a very warm place e.g. airing cupboard, by a radiator etc. for about 5 minutes.
- 150-180 ml (⅔-¾ cup) extra virgin olive oil – dividedUse another 2-3 tablespoon of the olive oil to grease the base and sides of a 29 x 18 cm baking tin.
- Turn out the dough and knead briefly. Use your hands to squash, stretch and pat the dough out into a rectangle roughly the size of the tin. Transfer the dough to the oiled tin and squash, pat and ease the dough to the edges of the tin. It should be a roughly even thickness all the way across.
- Cover the baking tin with a tea towel, plastic wrap, or a lid, and return it to the warm place for about 15 minutes.
- 150-180 ml (⅔-¾ cup) extra virgin olive oil – divided, flaky salt and rosemaryRemove the dough from the warm place and use your fingers to poke deep holes into the dough – press right down to the bottom of the tin. Gently brush 2-3 tablespoon olive oil over the surface of the dough and then sprinkle with salt flakes and rosemary, or your choice of toppings.
- Place the tin into a COLD oven, and turn on the heat to 200°C (400°F). The dough should rise rapidly as the oven heats up, and then bake once the temperature is reached.
- After about 20-25 minutes, the focaccia should be well risen and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and drizzle a further 2-3 tablespoon of olive oil over the surface. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before lifting out. Eat straightaway, or allow to cool.
Notes
Also, if making double the recipe (or 3x etc) make sure to increase the number of sachets accordingly. In the UK we have ‘plain flour’ which is used for cakes, cookies etc. and ‘strong flour’ or ‘bread flour’ which has a higher gluten content and is used for bread, pizza etc. American all-purpose flour is somewhere in between, and multiple people (see comments!) have successfully made this focaccia using only all-purpose flour. To do this, you will need 235g total flour for one batch of dough.
Nutrition
More delicious bread recipes
If you love focaccia but aren’t in a hurry, you might like to try this homemade olive focaccia, or Kipper’s loaded cheesy breakfast focaccia.
If you’re after more quick bread recipes, take a look at the original 60-minute vegan challah, or this delicious seeded soda bread with yogurt.
Jeremy Chetboul
This recipe is a treat, fast and easy!
I used the old trick to get the “fermented/sourdough” flavor by substituting half the water with warm beer… but next time I think I’ll either do the whole liquids as beer or 3/4 at least for better flavor.
The double batch fits 2 9inch square pans perfectly
Helen
Great tip Jeremy! Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Connie Henshall
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it a number of times and it always comes out great. I put in 35 grams of white whole wheat with 100g each of bread and all-purpose flour. Starting with a cold oven definitely works better than with a preheated oven. Having it ready in just one hour is wonderful!
Helen
Thanks Connie! So glad to hear that you’re enjoying this recipe and it works so well for you 🙂
Sam
Holy moly! I’ve never commented on a recipe before ever, but I just had to here because I couldn’t believe how well it worked. I also added some pesto, olives and onions into the dough on the second knead and it came out perfectly. Thank you so much, I will come back to this again and again!
Helen
Thanks Sam! So glad to hear you enjoyed this so much. Your additions sound absolutely delicious too!
Suzanne
Just made this, haven’t taste tested it yet but it looks good. Was only wondering which oven setting do you use for this recipe?
Helen
Hi Suzzanne. I hope you enjoyed the focaccia. I use the standard setting on my oven, and not the ‘fast heat’ setting. I hope this helps.
Robin
Can I make this with all bread flour??
Helen
You can, but the texture will be slightly different – denser and more chewy. You may also need to add more liquid. I hope this helps!
faith k
i made this recipe using 100% freshly milled whole wheat einkorn flour, which means i had to adjust a little as i went (a lil more flour here, a lil more liquid there), but overall it turned out to diiiiie for. i was extremely pleased.
Helen
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I’m quite envious of your freshly milled flour….
Lynn Monachese
Happily surprised how easy and delicious this focaccia is. I topped it with rosemary, sauteed onion, romano and some salt. Works exactly the way the recipe says. Focaccia in an hour? Who knew!
Helen
Thanks for your comment Lynn – so glad to hear that your focaccia turned out so well!
Laura
This was soo good. I altered the recipe slightly using wholemeal bread flour and I made the focaccia into a pizza by putting the topping on 10minutes into the bake. It turned out so well! Will definitely be making it again and trying the recipe just as it is written. Thanks 😊
Helen
Sounds great Laura! It does make a terrific pizza base. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂
Jeanne
Wow, fast friendly focaccia! Everything went along just great…but I think the next time I try this recipe, I’ll let the dough outside of the oven after poking it. It was fluffier before the oven and did not come up as high as I had hoped. Maybe I have a speedy oven? Thank you for this recipe : )
Helen
Hi Jeanne, glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and the resulting focaccia. Your solution to the ‘speedy oven’ sounds like a good one. I hope your next batch is even better!
Parker
17 year old from Aus here – have made this recipe about five times since finding it as it’s now a family favourite! Made it for my mum for mother’s day, for a movie night with friends, and just today because my brother LOVES olives, and I figured that I’d teach him how to make an olive focaccia! It always turns out, no matter what goes wrong in the process (something usually does when you’re baking with an 8 year old) and is so easy and quick. So glad I found this recipe!! Love it so much, thank you!
Helen
This makes me so happy to hear! Not only because you love the recipe but mostly because you’re taking time to cook and bake with your brother and encourage him to learn the skills to make delicious food! I hope you have lots of wonderful cooking experiences together in the future. Take care, Helen x.
Christy
Just made it yesterday. After the rise and placing my dough in a glass pan I drove (rode) with it on my lap to a dinner party and baked it on site. That little extra rise in the car was perfect for developing better bubbles, and the smell of baking bread at a dinner party?! Yes please!
I used a garlic olive oil and topped mine with shredded tomato basil cheese. Added the cheese at 20 minutes and then let it keep going until bubble and gorgeous. Soooo good.
Helen
Wow, the cheesy topping sounds amazing! Glad to hear the focaccia survived the journey and was a dinner party hit!
Mel
First attempt I used the wrong size pan- too big- and it came out a little flat. But tonight I attempted again and tripled the recipe for my 9×13 pan and it was gorgeous! So fluffy and soft it’d be delicious for sandwiches too. Thanks for the easy recipe to follow! Friends are really enjoying the bake too! 😉
Angie
The recipe is probably good…. But I believe my yeast was old… like OLD old, from the great ‘yeast shortage’ of COVID times 😆 and I live at very high elevation so mine didn’t turn out at all.
But I’m going to get better ingredients and try again!!
Helen
Hi Angie, sorry to hear your yeast let you down (see what I did there?! 🤣). I hope the next batch is altogether better.
Me
This recipe is awesome!
Helen
Thanks so much!
Aislin Courtis
Mine unfortunately turned out like a rosemary-flavored coaster. I like the idea of a shortcut, but it didn’t really turn out for me.
Helen
Sorry to hear that Aislin. Without more details it’s hard to help you troubleshoot. Hundreds (thousands?) of people have had success with this recipe so I don’t know why it didn’t work out for you. If you want to try again, I would recommend ensuring that your yeast is from a recently purchased packet, and that your dough is adequately hydrated. Sometimes flour needs a little more liquid depending on the air temperature and humidity. Take care and all the best, Helen x.
LH
Mine turned out the same unfortunately
Megan
Had an overwhelming desire to have focaccia with dinner. So I tried this recipe. Perfect! And so easy. I tried mine with sliced olives, garlic and salt.
Can’t believe how soft it was with such short rising times. Will definitely use this one again.
Helen
Your toppings sound delicious! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
Amy
Followed to a T. While it did rise a little, there wasn’t much of a rise at all. I wouldn’t make it again and apart from poking it with your fingers to make dimples, I wouldn’t really call it focaccia.
Helen
Hi Amy. I’m sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as you’d hoped. If the dough didn’t rise properly, it may be worth checking the age of your yeast, as its activity will decrease over time, even for dry yeast. I agree that this recipe isn’t an ‘authentic’ focaccia, but in our experience the end result is pretty close! Thanks and all the best, Helen.
Emma C
MAKE THIS RECIPE!!!
First time making any kind of bread as someone who is seemingly allergic to baking success and this was amazing. Perfectly moist and thick, just the best. I used 200°C on fan from cold until heated with an additional 15 minutes and was perfect texture and flavour with my salt flakes, garlic and rosemary. Thanks so much for this recipe, so quick and easy!
Helen
I’m so glad this worked so well for you Emma! Great to hear that you loved it 😀
Sidony
I was skeptical the whole time but I really wanted focaccia on a random Saturday night. Thank you so much for this recipe! It was soft and fluffy on the inside with crispy edges. The flavour of the bread itself was amazing and I added rosemary, chopped garlic, and red pepper flakes to the top to make it even more scrumptious. I was scared it wouldn’t rise because I used a mixture of some old instant dry yeast and active dry yeast I had on hand. I was also worried about the moisture content of the dough. My worries were unnecessary because this was the best focaccia I have ever made. All of this just goes to show that you can’t fail with this recipe! Definitely making this recipe again and again. 10/10 recommend 🙂
Helen
I’m so pleased you had such a good experience with this recipe Sidony! Your toppings sound delicious 😛
Girima
Amazing recipe! Tried a TikTok recipe the other day and it did not turn out great. I didn’t have high hopes for this but it turned out amazing! And it really was ready to eat within an hour! I used only all purpose flour as that’s all I had. Used active dry yeast instead of instant. Topped with sundried tomatoes, minced garlic, dried rosemary, dried parsley, and sea salt. Crumbled feta on top of it once it came out of the oven. Beautiful! Thank you for this recipe ☺️
Helen
Ooh, your toppings sound amazing Girima! So glad you liked this recipe 🙂
Jessie
I just made this and my family ate the whole thing with soup for dinner. So lovely and I didn’t have to know yesterday that I wanted to make bread today.
Helen
So glad to hear that you all enjoyed it. It’s great with soup!
David Morton
Tasted good but it didn’t rise. I used a brand new can of yeast too. Better luck next time.
Helen
Sorry to hear that it didn’t rise but glad you managed to enjoy it anyway!
Louise
Fantastic focaccia recipe! Thanks for sharing. We loved it. I made it just as you described. Our toppings were olive oil, crushed garlic, chopped fresh parsley, dried rosemary, Kalamata olives and sea salt flakes. Was amazing and didn’t take any time at all. Will definitely be making again. Thanks 😊
Helen
Thanks Louise! SO happy that you enjoyed the focaccia!
Janet N
WOW!! Best focaccia ever!! I do sourdough bread, but making focaccia with it takes far too long! So far, quickest I found was still 3 hours!! I was of course sleptical, but OMG!! I added a teaspoon of dried italian seasoning and a crushed roasted garlic segment into the dough, added fresh fro garden chopped oregano, parsley and thyme on top, placed slices of thin cut tomatoe on top, lots of fresh cracked pepper with the flaky salt. I will be making this ALL the tome! It is SO easy!!! Thankyou SO much ❤️ oh and I used a 9”x9” glass baking dish, was perfect size.
Helen
Thanks so much for this glowing review Janet! Your toppings and additions sound delicious. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Ana Wissmann
Absolutely delicious! I was skeptical because even if a recipe says it is quick, bread usually ends up taking me forever…. but not this one! It truly only took an hour! Mine came out super fluffy and soft almost like a cake, and it had a slightly sweet flavor that was addicting. Topped mine with rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sea salt. So good, I will make this again and again! Oh, and I baked it in a 9×9 brownie pan and it baked up just fine.
Helen
So pleased to hear it was a success! And good to know that a 9×9 pan works too 🙂
Hazel
Followed the recipe to the T, turned out amazing and so quick!
Helen
That’s great to hear Hazel! So glad you enjoyed making and eating it.
Mikol B.
Really great! Followed recipe but brushed top with melted butter with garlic and rosemary. Then sprinkled sea salt. Huge hit with the family. Will definitely be making this on a regular basis. So easy and so fast 👍
Helen
Thanks Mikol! So happy to hear that your family enjoyed it 🙂
Sky
After reading reviews I mush have done something wrong… but it’s so doughy in the middle and I have cooked it for 23 extra minutes. I reduced the heat and put it back in for 10 I don’t want it to burn. The parts on the edges that did cook are really good though
Helen
Hi Sky, sorry to hear this wasn’t a complete success 🙁
If possible, see if you can check the temperature of your oven, as it may be cooler than it says it is! This might explain why it was taking so much longer to cook. Reducing the heat would only exacerbate this if it was the problem, so if it’s browning too much on top but not cooking through, cover loosely with foil and leave it at the original temperature.
You might also try stretching the dough more thinly/using a larger tin, so the dough is not so thick? I hope this helps!
All the best, Helen.
Vrra Rosato
I wanted this to work! I didn’t use the bread flour, but followed all other directions. It did NOT rise, although my yeast was fresh. And it did not brown on top (just bottom). I have a convection
Oven that is new to me. Could this be the problem? I want to make it again. Can you advise?
Helen
Hi Vrra, I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with this recipe. It sounds like your new oven might be the problem. Does it have a ‘non convection’ setting (ie works like a regular oven)? If so, you might try it on that setting and see if that helps? If it didn’t brown on top it may also be that the oven wasn’t getting hot enough. You can buy an oven thermometer quite cheaply to check this – some ovens can be off by quite a bit, so it’s worth knowing and then you can adjust the settings whatever you’re cooking – my own oven runs about 5-10 degrees cool, so I always like to double check. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
monica
what would be the conversion amount from instant yeast to active dry yeast in Tablespoons? and how much warm water ,also how much sugar would /i add to the warm water & yeast ? thank you from lanyuk61@gmail.com
Helen
Hi Monica.
I haven’t tried the recipe with active dry yeast, but you would probably need slightly less than the amount of instant yeast. Instead of 7g (about 2.25 tsp) use about 4.75g (about 1.5 tsp). I would probably add about 1tsp of the sugar (put the rest in with the flour as usual) and about 50-75ml warm water. You would reduce the amount of water added to the dough accordingly. Give the yeast-sugar-water mixture about 10 minutes to ‘bloom’ and then add everything to the mixer and carry on as written.
I hope this helps.
All the best, Helen.
Em
Mama Mia, this is amazing. I made a few alterations- I had active dry yeast so I bloomed it in the sugar and water for 10 minutes to start. I also doubled the recipe. I added wait time to account for the yeast change, so 20 minutes at first rise and 30 at second. Before the second rise I added chopped sun dried tomatoes, parsley, garlic powder, and finely grated parmigiano reggiano. I baked it for about 30 minutes starting in the cold oven- which I was so impressed by! It really helped it rise. I think when I make it again I will lower the temperature to 375 and bake at 30 minutes to account for the doubled recipe so it’s not doughy. It was pillowy and flavourful and the best focaccia I’ve made! I’ll be making it a lot going forward. I highly suggest this recipe!
Helen
Thanks Em! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for sharing your tips and experience 🙂
Tania Brown
Your conversion at 2x & 3x – is off, need to change the yeast ‘one packet’ it reads the same as the 1x recipe and could be confusing for some.
Helen
Hi Tania. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Unfortunately the conversion will only multiply the weights, but I’ve added a note so hopefully this is clearer now.
All the best, Helen.
Caryn Erickson
I did not have instant yeast, only active. Activated it with the warm water and sugar, covered for 10 min before adding to the other ingredients. I added fresh rosemary, salt and oil on top before baking but the rosemary fell right off. It tastes fine but not as flavorful as expected. Will make again but add flavorings to the dough. This is a good option for a fast, easy bread to make. Would recommend to others. Thank you!
Helen
Thanks Caryn – good to know that you can easily substitute active dry yeast in this way and the rest of the recipe works just fine. Sorry your rosemary didn’t stick! I usually lose a few bits but never all of it 🙁 Glad you enjoyed the focaccia anyway!
Brian H
I’ve made this several times. Love how quick it is. The best version was topped with browned butter and garlic with Italian herbs.
Helen
That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoy this recipe and make it your own 🙂
Lisa
I made this recipe but did not use bread flour (didn’t have any) and I think I spread it out too thin (haha) but it was still good! I used olives and tomatoes as a topping and made a dip for it. Thank you for sharing this quick and easy recipe.
Helen
Thanks Lisa, so glad you enjoyed it. The toppings sound delish!
Natalie
This was so easy to make! I was sceptical of the cold oven but it worked perfectly!! I added rosemary and salt flakes to the top and fresh garlic and olive oil after it was cooked.. delicious xx
Helen
So glad you enjoyed it Natalie. Fresh garlic sounds like a delicious addition.
Frances
I have made a lot of bread, but yesterday I overproved a sourdough loaf and ended up with a very heavy bread frisbee. I quicky made this instead to accompany minestrone as my husband was heading home from a funeral on a cold rainy day. He’s declared it the best bread I’ve made. I made it 1/2 whole wheat and topped with rosemary, olives, and vegan parmesan. The texture of the crust was my favorite part about it–almost flaky and crispy. Very happy to have learned this kitchen alchemy!
Helen
That’s so great to hear Frances! So glad that you both enjoyed it 🙂
I agree – it’s great to have a few quick tricks up your sleeve for unexpected moments!
Steve
Just made this bread…have company coming over tonight for appetizers and though this sounded great addition. Have to make new loaf for the company now because we ate the whole thing when it came out of oven. I added some garlic and thyme inside and on top of bread. So good. Thank you souch for this easy delicious recipe.
Helen
So glad you enjoyed it so much Steve! Garlic and thyme sounds delicious 🙂
Steve Stevenson
Have made thi 3x in the past two weeks. It’s a go to now. Change inside and toppings and it’s different bread. Thank you so much!
Helen
Thanks Steve! So glad to hear that you love this as much as we do!!
Lisa
Not good. It was too dry, dense and didn’t rise. I even added more water to try to loosen it up.
Helen
Hi Lisa. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times without a problem and I know other people have too. Did you use the metric or US customary measurements? For best results I would always recommend using metric measurements and weighing the ingredients, as the volumes can vary a lot depending on packing, humidity etc. This could explain why you needed more water and the mixture was still dry.
If you followed the recipe exactly, and the bread was dense and didn’t rise, it sounds like a problem with the yeast. Even dried yeast will die and lose its potency over time, so if your yeast was old, or had been stored incorrectly, that would affect the rising. I keep dry yeast in the fridge to preserve it, and always use before the expiry date. I hope this is helpful! Take care and all the best, Helen x.
Jane
Finally got round to trying this recipe. Very intriguing with minimal rise time and also not preheating the oven. The quantity of dough looked very small, but amazingly it rose in the oven producing a lovely focaccia which I topped with olives. We ate it with an aubergine bake and not a crumb was left! Will definitely be making again.
Helen
Thanks Jane! So glad it was a success 🙂
Jimmy
To dry. The dough was dense and resembling nothing but hard play dough.
Helen
Hi Jimmy. I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience with this recipe. I’ve made this focaccia many many times without a problem and I know other people have too – as you can see from the other comments.
Did you use the metric or US customary measurements? For best results I would always recommend using metric measurements and weighing the ingredients, as the volumes can vary a lot depending on packing, humidity etc. This could explain why your dough was dense and dry.
I’m unclear if you actually tried baking your dough? If you did and it was still dense and didn’t rise, it sounds like a problem with your yeast. Even dried yeast will die and lose its potency over time, so if your yeast was old, or had been stored incorrectly, that would affect the texture of the dough. I keep dry yeast in the fridge to preserve it, and always use before the expiry date.
I hope this is helpful! Take care and all the best, Helen x
Kristina Russell
Mine looked like that too prior to first rest. It relaxed into a fabulous dough with just enough stretch. I am giving it an extra proof prior to baking to ensure enough lift.
Jessie
Great recipe and easy to throw together after a long day. Next batch I’m trying with olives
Helen
Thanks Jessie! Olives is a great addition 🙂
Ivelina
Very good recipe, made it at least 10 time already. thanks a lot. Loved by everybody at home. : )
Helen
That’s so good to hear Ivelina! So glad you all enjoy it 🙂
JH
Made and eaten – will make again! Give it a try!
Helen
Thanks JH – so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favourites 🙂
Rocky
I have to admit that I was skeptical when I put the dough into the cold oven as it hadn’t risen at all and felt very dense. Once it reached 400, I baked for just over 15 mins in my 10″ cast iron. This was so good! Flaky outside, soft inside. My old focaccia recipe has been replaced.
Helen
Thanks Rocky! So glad you trusted the recipe and got a great result 🙂
I actually haven’t tried this in a cast iron skillet, but I’ll have to give it a go.
Jessica
Really lovely focaccia. Perfect for when you’re pressed for time. Will make again!
Helen
Thanks Jessica, so glad you enjoyed it!
Susie
Hi- for other US readers: I doubled this and put it in a 13×9″ pan for a sandwich style focaccia. Baked at 350F for about 35 min. Needs a lot of seasoning. Turned out great. I was skeptical but it really worked.
Helen
Hi Susie – and thanks! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Emmalee
I have a batch of this focaccia baking literally right now, as I’m typing this, for the third time this week, haha. Brilliant recipe, thank you so much! Quick, easy, fun and delicious, and it makes the whole house smell AMAZING. You’ve really inspired me to enjoy from-scratch breadmaking and decorating! 🤤❤️
Helen
That’s so great to hear Emmalee! You’re right – it does smell amazing 🙂
So glad you’re enjoying making it so much. All the best, Helen x.
Stephanie
Made this tonight as a spur of the moment addition to homemase soup….it was delicious and so very easy! Thank you!
Helen
That’s great to hear Stephanie, so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
sam
What is “strong white flour”? Can I use just AP flour? Can’t wait to make!
Helen
Hi Sam. Here in the UK we have ‘plain flour’ which is used for cakes, cookies etc. and ‘strong flour’ which has a higher gluten content and is used for bread etc. I think AP flour is somewhere in between but would probably work fine in this recipe. If you have ‘bread flour’ or something along those lines, you could try that. Happy baking!
Denise Ackerly
Please add this info about “strong flour” to the recipe itself. I was hoping to find the answer in the comments, but it took time.
Helen
Done! I hope you enjoyed the focaccia.
Ann-Marie
I was intrigued by this 1hr recipe so had to give it a try! It was so simple and so tasty !
Helen
Thanks Ann-Marie – so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Petra
Fantastic recipe! Made it as a spur of the moment few hours before having some friends over for nibbles and drinks. So easy and quick, definitely will be making it again soon. Thank you
Helen
Thanks Petra – that’s so great to hear. It’s a great nibble to share with friends 🙂
Petra
My son absolutely loves your focaccia for his school packed lunch, I am now making it at least once a week 🙂 thanks again 🙏
Helen
Thanks Petra, that’s so good to hear! My daughter loves it in her lunchbox too 🙂
Michelle
Loved this recipe! I’m impatient, so if I can have fresh bread on the table in an hour, I’m all for it! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Helen
Thanks Michelle – so glad you enjoyed it 😍
estee
Oh my- focaccia in an hour. it usually takes me all of two days lol! cant wait to try this. thanks so much.
Helen
Lol! I hope you enjoy the quick version as much as the 2 day version!
Patty at Spoonabilities
This is the fluffiest focaccia! It’s perfect dipped in a little EVOO or balsamic vinegar for a side or appetizer. Yum!
Helen
Thanks Patty! That’s just how we like to eat it too.
Chanan Elias
I doubled the recipe, topped with garlic confit. Baked for 20 minutes, then topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to make THE most delicious pizza, baked an additional 20 minutes.
Helen
Sounds amazing Chanan! Yum!
Autumn
I cannot believe how incredibly this turned out! I put roasted garlic cloves and sea salt on mine, and the entire pan was eating in one night! I won’t say what percentage of that was my doing…this is one of the best recipes I have ever found. I’m sharing it far and wide!!!
Helen
That’s so great to hear Autumn! The roasted garlic sounds delicious 🙂
Dannii
You can’t beat homemade bread and this is so quick and easy. So much flavour too.
Helen
Thanks Dannii – so glad you like it!
Jimmy
I’m sorry I doubted this recipe going in! It had all the taste, all the softness anyone could ask of a focaccia, and it feels almost instant compared to other recipes. I pressed in olives, garlic, sundried tomato, rosemary, the works, after the first rise, and it rose around them like a dream. Thanks so much 🙂
Andrea
I absolutely love how quick and easy this focaccia is to make. I love that I can add whatever I want to the top too. Yours look beautiful.
Helen
Thanks Andrea! Changing up the toppings gets to be a bit addictive – lol!
Berry
I was craving it so badly so I decided to do this despite not having enough flour or instant yeast! I added corn flour instead and bread yeast. Warmed it up in oven in lowest setting possible. Turned out great!
Helen
Glad it worked out for you Berry!
Good to know that this is quite a forgiving recipe 🙂