Can You Freeze Focaccia? (Yes, Here’s How)

Bought or baked your first focaccia and not sure how to store it for the long term? Can you freeze focaccia?

That’s the 3-sentence answer.

Want to learn more? Here’s what we cover below:

• how freezing affects focaccia bread (does it freeze well?)
• freezing focaccia step-by-step
• defrosting focaccia
• freezing focaccia dough

Can You Freeze Focaccia Bread?

You can freeze focaccia bread, and it freezes well. Like regular bread, all you need to do is wrap it well using plastic wrap, a freezer bag, or both (if you’re freezing your focaccia for the long term).

Like many other baked goods, including bagels or bread, focaccia freezes perfectly without extra prep. You wrap it, chuck it in the freezer, and that’s it.

While focaccia lasts a couple of days, freeze your focaccia the same day it’s baked for best results.

Related: How to store focaccia?

How to Freeze Focaccia?

Here’s how you freeze focaccia bread:

1. Let the focaccia cool to room temperature.
2. Slice it if need be. You can freeze the whole thing or cut it into smaller meal-sized portions – it’s up to you.
3. Wrap it. If you’re only freezing your focaccia for a couple of days, maybe 1 to 2 weeks, placing it in a freezer bag as-is is good enough. But if you suspect it might sit frozen for longer, double wrap it. Use something that sticks tightly to the bread for the first layer, like plastic or freezer wrap. For the second layer, a freezer bag works perfectly fine (remember to squeeze out the air).
4. Freeze it. Place all the bags in the freezer.

As you can tell, the whole process is super simple and takes only a couple of minutes.

Now, if you’re wondering how long you can freeze focaccia bread for, there isn’t a definite answer. At least a couple of recipe sites mention that you can freeze it for 2 months, but I don’t see any reason it shouldn’t last 3 months or even more.

That said, the longer the focaccia sits in the freezer, the worse its quality will be. Especially, if you haven’t wrapped it tightly.

Because of that, you should try to use it within 2 to 3 months of freezing.

How to Defrost Focaccia?

When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen focaccia, you have a couple of methods of defrosting to choose from:

• In the fridge. Place the frozen focaccia bread in the refrigerator the night before you need it. Consider placing a paper towel underneath it so that it soaks up any moisture. This way, you won’t end up with a soggy bottom.
• On the counter. Leave the bread on the counter for 1 to 2 hours until it defrosts. Again, placing a paper towel underneath it can help a bit. Or you can turn the bread upside down after 30 to 60 minutes of thawing so that any moisture that’s still inside will spread out more evenly. I suggest the same trick when thawing hamburger buns.
• In the microwave. Set your microwave on defrost or 50% power, and nuke the frozen focaccia for a minute. Continue microwaving it in 15-second intervals until it’s defrosted.

Once your focaccia is defrosted, it’s ready for consumption, but you should probably consider reheating the bread to bring the best out of it. I cover reheating focaccia in my article on storing it.

Now, if you much prefer fresh focaccia instead of a thawed and reheated one, freezing the dough might be the way to go for you. Here’s what you need to know about it.

Can You Freeze Focaccia Dough?

Focaccia dough freezes well, similar to pizza dough. That means you can prep the dough for a couple of batches, bake a single one, and freeze the rest of the dough for later use.

Here’s how you freeze focaccia dough:

1. Mix the ingredients and let the dough rise for the first time.
2. Punch the risen dough down to release all the air inside.
3. Divide the dough into portions.
4. Coat each part with a bit of olive oil and place in a separate freezer bag or wrap with freezer wrap.
5. Freeze the focaccia dough for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to use the dough, defrost it overnight in the fridge (still covered), and let it sit in an oil-brushed pan at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you continue with your recipe.

If the dough doesn’t start to rise within the mentioned half an hour, it simply needs more time on the counter. Because of that, take it out of the fridge early so that you’re not in a hurry.