Herb-and-olive focaccia
Za'atar & Olive Focaccia (Levantine-Inspired)
Herbal, tangy za'atar oil and briny olives over a tall, airy focaccia — the sumac-and-sesame aroma of a Levantine spice blend on a pillowy Italian crumb.
- Total
- 4 hr
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hydration
- 75%
- Skill
- beginner
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Bake a 75% hydration focaccia (500 g flour, 375 g water, 9 g salt, 4 g yeast, olive oil), press in cured olives, and finish with a za'atar-and-olive-oil paste brushed on partway through the bake and again out of the oven so the sesame toasts but the herbs don't burn.
Why this works
Za'atar's dried herbs and sesame scorch under direct high heat, so most of it goes on late and after baking, carried in oil that blooms the sumac and toasts the sesame gently. Pressing olives into dimples anchors them in the crumb, and the open, oily focaccia structure soaks up the aromatic oil the way a Levantine flatbread would.
The schedule
~35m hands-on of 4.2h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 35m
- Bulk ferment · 2h
- Proof · 1h
- Bake · 22m
- Cool · 15m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Mix
Whisk flour and yeast, then add water and the 25 g olive oil. Add the salt and mix to a shaggy, sticky dough with no dry flour left.
Look for: Wet and tacky, clinging to the bowl but pulling into a rough mass.
- 2
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 3 sets of stretch-and-folds in the bowl over the first 60 minutes, then let the dough rise until nearly doubled and airy.
Look for: The surface turns domed and bubbly; the dough feels billowy and jiggles.
- 3
Pan and proof
Oil a 30×40 cm sheet pan generously. Transfer the dough, stretch gently toward the corners, and proof until puffy.
Look for: It relaxes to fill most of the pan and wobbles when nudged.
Avoid: Don't force the dough into corners — rest 10 minutes and stretch again if it springs back.
- 4
Dimple and add olives
Stir the za'atar into the 45 g olive oil to a loose paste and let it sit. Dimple the dough all over with oiled fingertips, then press the halved olives, cut-side down, into the dimples.
Look for: Fingers reach the pan bottom; olives sit nested in the dough, not perched on top.
- 5
Bake, then brush partway
Bake at 230°C/450°F for about 14 minutes until the top is setting and pale-gold. Pull the pan, brush on about two-thirds of the za'atar oil, and return to bake 6–8 minutes more.
Look for: When you brush it on, the sesame in the blend should sizzle faintly and smell nutty, not acrid.
Avoid: Adding all the za'atar at the start burns the herbs bitter — hold most of it until the top has set.
- 6
After baking: finish with za'atar oil
Turn the focaccia onto a rack. Immediately spoon over the remaining za'atar oil and a light pinch of flaky salt. Cool 10–15 minutes before cutting.
Look for: The finishing oil soaks in glossy; the crust is deep gold with toasted sesame flecks.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Open and airy, glossed with aromatic oil.
- Crust: Crisp, oily base; tender top freckled with sumac and sesame.
- Height: About 3 cm tall.
- Color: Deep gold with darker olive edges.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bitter, scorched za'atar | All the herb blend added before baking | Brush most of it on in the last 8 minutes and again after baking. |
| Over-salty result | Full dough salt plus salty olives and blend | Keep dough salt at 1.8% and go very light on finishing salt. |
| Olives slide off when slicing | Olives sat on top instead of anchored | Press them cut-side down into the dimples before baking. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best the day it is baked. Keep wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days.
Freezing: Freeze cooled, plain-baked pieces up to 1 month; add fresh za'atar oil after reheating.
Reheating: Warm in a 200°C/400°F oven 4–6 minutes to re-crisp the base.
Contains wheat/gluten and sesame (in the za'atar). Naturally vegan as written.
Tools & ingredients for this focaccia
Some links are affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Core pantry
- Bread flour (opens Amazon) ↗ — High-protein bread flour or Italian “00” both work.
- Fine sea salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fine sea salt for the dough.
- Instant yeast (opens Amazon) ↗ — Instant (or active dry) yeast keeps for months.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (opens Amazon) ↗ — Use a good EVOO you like the taste of.
- Olives (opens Amazon) ↗ — Jarred brined olives; Taggiasca are traditional.
- Flaky finishing salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — For the crunchy finish.
Specialty ingredients
- Za’atar (opens Amazon) ↗ — A Levantine blend of thyme, sumac and sesame.
You don’t need to buy everything here — many items are already in most kitchens. Fresh produce, cheese and herbs are best bought local and in season.
Frequently asked
- Is this the same as manakish?
- No. Manakish is a thin Levantine flatbread baked with a za'atar paste spread over the whole surface. This is a thick Italian focaccia that borrows za'atar's flavor as a finishing oil.
- Why not just spread za'atar on before baking?
- The dried herbs and sumac scorch and turn bitter under direct heat. Bringing most of it in late and after baking keeps the flavor bright and the sesame nutty.
Keep baking
In these collections
Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/zaatar-olive-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.