If making dough in your bread machine and baking it in the oven worries you, this is the perfect recipe to start with because you simply pat the focaccia dough out into a pan and bake it -- no roll forming required! This recipe is featured in The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook.
Add the ingredients to your bread machine's baking pan in the order listed, starting with the water and ending with the yeast.
Choose the Dough program on our machine and press Start.
When the dough cycle is finished, remove the dough from the bread pan and place it on a lightly floured baking mat. Remove the paddle and puch down the dough to deflate it. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, brush a 9 x 13-inch shallow rimmed baking pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Roll the dough out to a roughly 9 x 13-inch shape and transfer it to the prepared pan. If the dough keeps shrinking back into a smaller shape, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. You may find it easier to pat it into place directly in the pan.
Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 40 - 50 minutes. It should puff up evenly but not quite double in size.
Pour a generous 2 - 3 tbsp of olive oil over the top of the dough and use your fingers to rub it all over the surface. Gently press your fingertips into the top to make 1/2-inch deep indentations roughly 1 inch apart, all across the top.
Sprinkle the fresh herbs and pepper evenly over the top.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bake for 13 - 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Be careful--it can overcook quickly so it needs to be watched for the final minutes.
Recipe Notes
Serving Tips:The focaccia is best served the day you bake it, especially warm from the oven. You may want to reheat any leftovers on a baking pan in the oven for a few minutes to restore texture if you want to serve it the next day.