There's nothing quite like a warm, fresh loaf of focaccia italiana. Its crispy crust and chewy center make for the perfect comfort food. And if you're a dunker, this flatbread stands up to a fruity olive oil or tangy marinara sauce. And if you don't live near an Italian bakery? Don't worry, with this recipe you can easily make your own at home.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's super easy to make.
- It's a creative bread recipe for both beginners and pros alike.
- You get a nice crispy crust and the inside stays light and fluffy (just the way I like it).
- It tastes as good as your favorite bakery's if not better!
What's not to love about focaccia italiana? The perfect balance of crispy and soft, salty and savory, this traditional Italian flatbread is always a hit. Plus, it's easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this Focaccia al Formaggio recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- Instant Yeast
- Raw Sugar
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- All Purpose Flour
- Asiago Cheese
- Fresh Rosemary(optional)
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast packet, lukewarm water, and sugar. Mix well. Let it sit in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes. When it's ready it should be foam and bubble.
- Next, add the flour, ½ cup of olive oil, and sea salt to the yeast mixture. Using a stand or hand mixer, blend ingredients completely.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Begin kneading dough with hands. Do this 1-2 times. You may sprinkle the counter with flour if the dough starts to get sticky.
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a large mixing bowl. Swirl the oil around until it coats the inside of the bowl.
- Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to cover the surface with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm place. Allow it to sit for about 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- Divide the rest of the olive oil between two 9-inch cake pans.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and add 1 cup of Asiago Cheese to the dough.
- Knead the cheese into the dough.
- Divide the dough in half, placing one half in each cake pan. Press dough with fingers or knuckles to fit in the pan. Then flip the dough over so that the olive oil coats both sides. Repeat for each pan.
- Cover both pans with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap again and set aside. Let the dough rise in a warm place, doubling in size - about 1 hour.
- Preheat over to 425℉.
- Remove plastic wrap or kitchen towels from the pans. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Drizzle olive oil on top and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining Asiago cheese on top of both bread loaves.
- Return to oven and bake for another 1--12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool on a baking rack. Sprinkle top with fresh herbs and extra Asiago cheese or parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Slice and enjoy.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to easily make this Italian Focaccia Recipe.
- Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer or a hand mixer
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Liquid measuring cup
- 2 Round baking pans
- Cooling rack
- Cling wrap-- this is the brand we use. It NEVER fails us.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making Focaccia Italiana.
Focaccia is an Italian flatbread that is usually made with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.
You can thank the Romans for this delicious bread. In Ancient Rome, panis focacius was a flat bread baked on the hearth. The word is derived from the Latin focus 'hearth, place for baking'.
Liguria Italy is best known for this tasty bread. In Genoa it's called "classica" which is ½ to 1 inch thick with indentations that hold olive oil.
This Italian flatbread is part of the country's culture and even religious holidays. Focaccia and later on pizza became one of the staples of the Italian cuisine. Both were widely used across Italy during Roman Empire, often being sold on the streets by vendors or dedicated bakery shops.
The correct way to pronounce the Italian word is foh-cahtch-ah. The stress is on the second syllable.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- The yeast is ready to use when it's added to the water and the top turns foamy and bubbly.
- If the yeast does not foam after 10 minutes, then your yeast could be too old. to use.
- The water should not be scalding hot but slightly warmer than room temperature. The temperature should be between 105 and 110 degrees.
- So the bread dough does not stick to your work surface make sure that the surface is well floured.
- Instead of a cake pan, you can use a deep-dish pizza pan or even a regular sheet pan with sides.
- When kneading the dough by hand, rub a little olive oil in the palms of your hands. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to them.
📚 Variations
- Sliced olives are a nice addition and baked on top of this bread.
- Add sliced cherry tomatoes to the top of this easy focaccia recipe.
- For additional flavor, sprinkle fresh rosemary on top of the focaccia dough.
- Make the focaccia into a dessert by adding on top sweet ingredients such as grapes, figs, and honey.
🥫 Storage
Store bread in an airtight container for up to three days. You may freeze it up to 3 months. Something we like to do is to cut the flatbread into portions and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. This way we thaw just enough for one meal.
📗 Related Recipes
- A classic Italian bread you must try, is the Ciabatta Bread recipe .
- Dutch Oven Bread is a simple no-knead bread recipe that has a deliciously crispy crust.
- Parmesan Pizza Bread is a flavorful quick bread recipe that the entire family will enjoy.
- Our Mediterranean flatbread is quick and easy to make and you don't bake it in the oven.
- A Southern Italian flatbread that you're sure to like is the Focaccia Pugliese that includes olives and tomatoes on top of the dough. A delicious experience.
🍽 Serve with
- Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting bowl of soup that pairs well with this Italian focaccia recipe.
- Stracciatella alla Romana, is a light brothy soup commonly referred to as Italian egg drop soup, is an excellent meal with a side of this bread.
- Lemon Basil Farfalle Salad is a zesty and fresh salad that the entire family will enjoy.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
If there's one thing that I can't resist, it's a good piece of focaccia. I simply can't pass up the light, fluffy texture of the bread with the slightly crunchy crust.
You'll be surprised at how easy it is to make focaccia Italiana at home. And you'll find your focaccia is far tastier than any focaccia you'll get from a bakery.
Another way you can use a focaccia-type dough, check out our Homemade Focaccia Pizza made in Margherita style. And be sure to try our Tuscan-inspired Focaccia with Grapes and Rosemary.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
There's nothing quite like a big, fluffy piece of focaccia italiana to fill you up and make your taste buds happy. It's delicious dipped in sauce or eaten plain.
Be sure to keep some in the freezer for whenever you get the hangries.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Asiago Focaccia Italiana Topped With Fresh Herbs
Equipment Needed
- Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer May also use hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Instant active Dry Yeast Package (7 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Raw Sugar (7.815 grams)
- 1 ¾ cup Water - lukewarm (414 grams)
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil Divided (216 grams)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (5 grams)
- 5 cups All purpose flour (625 grams)
- 2 cups Asiago Cheese Chopped (80 grams)
- Fresh herbs - rosemary and oregano
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast packet, lukewarm water, and sugar. Mix well.Let it sit in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes. When it's ready it should be foamy and bubbling.
- Next, add the flour, ½ cup of olive oil, and sea salt to the yeast mixture.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, blend ingredients completely.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Begin kneading dough with hands. Do this 1-2 times. You may sprinkle the counter with flour if the dough starts to get sticky.
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a large mixing bowl. Swirl it around until it coats the inside of the bowl.
- Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to cover the surface with the olive oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm place. Allow it to sit for about 1 hour and until it has doubled in size.
- Divide the rest of the olive oil between two 9-inch cake pans.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and add 1 cup of Asiago Cheese to the dough. Knead the cheese into the dough.
- Divide the dough in half, placing one half in each cake pan. Press dough with fingers or knuckles to fit in the pan. Then flip the dough over so that the olive oil coats both sides. Repeat for each pan.
- Cover both pans with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap again and set aside. Let the dough rise in a warm place, doubling in size - about 1 hour.
- Preheat over to 425℉.
- Remove plastic wrap or kitchen towels from the pans. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Drizzle olive oil on top and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining Asiago cheese on top of both bread loaves.
- Return to oven and bake for another 1--12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool on a baking rack. Sprinkle top with fresh hers and extra Asiago cheese or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- You can tell the yeast is ready, when the top of the water is foamy and bubbling.
- If the yeast does not foam after 10 minutes, then your yeast could have gone bad.
- The water should not be scolding hot but slightly warmer than room temperature, you want a temperature between 105 and 110 degrees.
- Make sure that you flour your surface well so that the bread dough does not stick to your work surface.
- Instead of a cake pan, you can use a deep-dish pizza pan or even a regular sheet pan with sides.
- When kneading the dough by hand, place a little olive oil in the palm of your hands and rub it in to prevent the dough from sticking.
