Name: Easy Focaccia with Olives
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 2½ cup (11oz/310 grams) all-purpose flour; ¾ tsp fine salt; 1 tsp active dry yeast; ½ tsp sugar; 1 cup + 3 Tbsp (285 ml) water, lukewarm; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 3 Tbsp (45 ml) water; 3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil; ½ tsp fine salt; ¼ tsp garlic powder, use more if you like; 1 cup (70-80 grams) kalamata olives, pitted; 1 ½ Tbsp oregano; salt flakes (optional); chili flakes (optional)

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Focaccia with olives is absolutely delicious, moist with golden oil-scented crust and tasty, juicy olives. This recipe is so SIMPLE to make in one bowl and no kneading is required. All you have to do is mix all the ingredients with a spoon, and the dough is done.

Plus, the brine made with olive oil, garlic and salt adds tons of flavor, moisture, and takes this simple focaccia to the next level. Trust me on this, just don’t skip the BRINE.

Even a novice can make this foolproof recipe, ready?

Top view of a large focaccia with olives cut into six slices over a white background.

Jump to recipe

In Italy focaccia with olives is a must, and it’s so hard to resist the delicious smell of freshly baked focaccia when you pass by a bakery. And if you think it’s just like thick and heavy bread, you will be amazed but it’s chewy interior and lovely flavor!

Essentially, it’s so good that you just can’t stop eating it.

There are several methods to make focaccia, but this is my go-to recipe when we crave focaccia with olives or when we have friends over.

Enjoy focaccia with olives on its own or serve with a charcuterie board, cheese or Italian antipasti, it’s perfect for sharing and sure to impress!

What ingredients you need

All-purpose flour
Water
Active dry yeast or (Instant yeast, see notes)
Sugar
Olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
Kalamata olives
Salt
Oregano
Garlic (fresh or powder), chili flakes (or crushed red pepper)
Salt flakes (optional, but delicious!!)

Top view of the ingredients to make focaccia with olives.

HOW TO MAKE FOCACCIA WITH OLIVES

(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

Mix water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl.
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, add olive oil.

A jug pouring water and a bottle pouring olive oil over a glass bowl full of flour.

Stir until combined, you want to incorporate all the liquid.
Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour.

A spoon mixing the focaccia dough in a glass bowl over a white background.

Pour the dough into a baking pan.
Stretch it out with your fingers (no rolling pin here!).
Make the brine with olive oil, water, salt, and garlic. Shake.

A baking pan with plain focaccia before baking and a jar filledl with olive oil brine.

Pour the brine over and poke dimples with your fingers.
Scatter with plenty of olives, oregano, salt flakes and chili flakes if you wish.

Top view of a baking pan with focaccia, olive oil brine and black olives.

Bake until golden and crusty.
Enjoy, your focaccia with olives is ready!

A hand grabbing a slice of olive focaccia, a glass of wine in the background.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

HOW TO MAKE OLIVE FOCACCIA MOIST?

The brine is a must. It’s an emulsion of olive oil, water, and salt that you spread on the surface of the focaccia. It might seems to be a lot at first, but it’s not:

The brine evaporates during baking.
It keeps focaccia with olives moist, especially the holes you made with your fingertips.
It gives you a crust with a pronounced olive oil and garlic flavor.

Focaccia with olives cut into slices over a white background.

HOW LONG DOES FOCACCIA WITH OLIVES KEEP?

Focaccia is best the day it is made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 or 2 days. You can also freeze it and then defrost at room temperature.
Then pop it in the toaster and serve warm and crispy.

MORE PIZZA & BREAD RECIPES?

Looking for easy recipes? I’ve got you covered, from this super easy 1-bowl pizza dough that works beautifully with any topping, to these delicious pizza recipes:

If you make this focaccia with olives, or you have a question, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x
And for more recipe updates, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Top view of easy focaccia with olives cut into slices over a white background.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Easy Focaccia with Olives

Focaccia with olives is absolutely delicious, moist with golden oil-scented crust and tasty olives. The recipe is so EASY to follow, and no kneading and no stand-mixer are required. All you have to do is mix all the ingredients in one bowl with a spoon, and the dough is done.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Proofing time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time1 hr 50 mins

Course: Appetizers, Bread, focaccia, Pizza

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Focaccia with olives

Servings:

Author: Katia

Ingredients

Focaccia dough

2½ cup (11oz/310 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ tsp fine salt
1 tsp active dry yeast
½ tsp sugar
1 cup + 3 Tbsp (285 ml) water, lukewarm
2 Tbsp olive oil

Brine

3 Tbsp (45 ml) water
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
½ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp garlic powder, use more if you like

Topping

1 cup (70-80 grams) kalamata olives, pitted
1 ½ Tbsp oregano
salt flakes (optional)
chili flakes (optional)

Instructions

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
Mix water, yeast, and sugar in a jug or in a bowl and let it rest until foamy (about 5 minutes)
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, add the oil, and mix with a spoon or a spatula to incorporate the flour (see notes below). Mix until no dry flour remains.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, then let rest in a warm place for about 1 hour or until double in size.
Lay the parchment paper on a baking pan (mine pan is 9 x 13 inches), or simply grease with butter or oil.
When the dough is ready and fluffly, scrape the edge of the bowl and pour it on the baking pan. Dust with some flour and starting from the center gently press it out with your fingers until it fits the baking pan.
Then make the brine whisking together olive oil, warm water, garlic, and salt. You can place all the ingredients into a jar and shake them vigorously. Pour the brine all over the focaccia and poke dimples into the surface with your fingertips, you want to fill the holes with the brine.
Gently press the olives over the focaccia, then sprinlle the oregano, salt flakes and chili flakes if you use them (optional, but I love them). Then let it rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 430°F/220°C, and after 30 minutes of rest bake the focaccia until golden and crusty, it will take about 15-20 minutes. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

YEAST: you can use instant yeast instead of Active dry yeast, in this case you don’t need to dissolve the yeast in water, but you simply add it to the flour (and skip the sugar). Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

QUANTITIES: the recipe yields 6 square slices like the ones shown in the picture. But if you serve focaccia as an appetizer, you can turn those 6 servings at least into 24 bite-sized smaller nibbles.

STORAGE: focaccia is best the day it is made but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 day. Plus, it freezes very well.

MEASUREMENTS: I use both US cups and grams. The cups of flour are leveled: fill the measuring cup all the way to the top letting the flour flow over a little. Then, use the back of a knife to level the top off.

FLOUR: all-purpose flour is perfect for focaccia bread, but you can use also bread flour, or you can mix all-purpose flour and whole-grain flour, they work just fine.

WATER ABSORPTION: water absorption is the amount of water taken up by flour and may vary significantly depending on the type of flour, brand, and weather conditions. When you add water to the flour, start with the amount stated in the recipe. If the liquid is not enough to achieve that dough consistency as shown in the pictures above, just add gradually a little extra water until the flour has been incorporated.

Comments

Caitlin

November 07, 2022 at 12:13 am

Whoa! Great recipe for a a quick and easy bread. During the 5 min wait This time around I minced up a few garlic cloves ran outside to pick some fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden while my 2 tablespoons of olive oil was heating up (on low). Cooked that all until fragrant and as I poured my foamy yeast I also incorporated the 2 tablespoons of infused herb garlic olive oil and proceeded with the 1 hour rise and recipe as follows The bread turned out great!

- Katia
  
  November 07, 2022 at 9:30 am
  
  That sounds super delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and helpful tips, I appreciated.
  Have a great week. x
Terri

July 31, 2021 at 4:27 pm

I was wondering what other toppings as my husband doesn’t care for olives. Any suggestions?

- Katia
  
  July 31, 2021 at 8:10 pm
  
  Hi Terri, focaccia is a blank canvas for the most delicious toppings: cherry tomatoes, grilled vegetables, jarred peppers or artichokes, salami or ham… they all work well instead of olives.
  Enjoy x
Emily

April 19, 2021 at 3:39 am

Just had to come back a month later to say thank you again Katia for this amazing recipe. It is so easy and foolproof that my toddler and I make it almost every weekend now! My husband actually requests it and he is not a major bread fan, so that is HUGE praise for your recipe! I’ve also done it with whole wheat flour and it works out just fine (which is fantastic, as this is one of very few breads that our daughter will actually eat). We have fun trying different flavourings, too – she loves shaking out seasonings onto the dough.
I’ve tried it on a silpat on a baking sheet (pressed out the dough more so it was a thinner bread), as well as a smaller sized Corningware casserole dish (a thicker fluffier bread that is great texture for little ones). This is honestly in my top 5 favourite recipes. I don’t like kneading dough so I never thought I’d be able to make bread this delicious. Thank you again for sharing!!

- Katia
  
  April 19, 2021 at 6:36 am
  
  Emily, your comment made my day! 💛 Thanks so much, I didn’t even realised you’ve already shared your feedback one month ago, and that makes double happy! So glad you all love this recipe so much. Cheers!
Richard Tunner

March 08, 2021 at 2:53 am

This was soooo good! I halved the recipe and made it in a 10 inch cast iron pan which worked wonderfully. I also used instant yeast so I skipped the first rise and it worked fine. I will be making this again

- Katia
  
  March 08, 2021 at 8:20 am
  
  Thanks for your lovely comment, Richard! I’m so glad it turned out sooo good. 🥰
K

March 08, 2021 at 1:50 am

Hi Katia,
Made the No Knead Olive Focaccia today! It was so easy to put together and the flavour and bread texture amazing!! Thank you for this great recipe which i’ll definitely be making again. 5 stars

- Katia
  
  March 08, 2021 at 8:18 am
  
  I’m so pleased! 🤩 Thanks for taking the time to share your lovely feedback. x
- Emily
  
  March 20, 2021 at 12:51 am
  
  Made two batches, one with active yeast per the recipe, and the other with instant yeast based on Richard’s comment/feedback above. Both turned out wonderfully! Thank you so much for this no-knead recipe. Love it, and will definitely make it again and again!
- Katia
  
  March 20, 2021 at 8:13 am
  
  Yes, instant yeast works just fine, I’ll be adding a note to the recipe about it. I’m so glad it turned out wonderfully, and thanks for sharing your lovely feedback! 🤩

Thank you!