Focaccia is an Italian flatbread with a texture similar to thick, hand-tossed pizza. It's often dotted with fresh tomatoes and herbs, but in this version we keep it simple with only flaky sea salt. The addition of olive oil is another staple of focaccia, so be sure not to skimp here and purchase a higher quality olive oil for this recipe.
The best part about this recipe is how simple it is! You don’t need to knead, you just need time for a couple of rises and this bread is light and airy with nice bubbles and a crisp crust, lots of delicious olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Because of it's ease, this is a great starter recipe if you are new to bread.
If you'd rather cold rise the dough, you can do this by refrigerating the dough for about 8 hours on the first rise. If you choose to do that, you could put the dough together at night, then do an overnight cold rise in the fridge, and wake up the next morning to continue the process. However you choose to make this recipe, it's sure to become a staple for how simple and delicious it is!
"This recipe needs no special equipment, which means everyone can make it. All you need is a little patience! I added all two cups of water. The dough felt pretty sticky, but it turned out just fine! You can make great sandwiches with it, or just dip it in olive oil and enjoy!" – Tara Omidvar
Whisk yeast, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups warm water in a large bowl until fully incorporated. Allow the mixture to proof for 5 minutes, it should get foamy.
Add flour, 1/4 cup oil, and salt to the yeast mixture and stir using a rubber spatula. If the mixture feels dry, add remaining 1/2 cup water and stir until no dry streaks remain.
Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to a clean bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning the dough into the olive oil until all sides are coated, but the oil is not worked into the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 3 hours, or until doubled in size.
Once doubled, generously oil a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the oiled baking dish. Use your fingers to spread to dough toward the edges of the pan.
Cover the dough again with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm, dry place for another 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Every half hour, uncover the dough and use your oiled fingers to spread it more toward the edge of the pan. Don't be afraid to deflate the dough a little when spreading.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 450 F. Once the dough is doubled, drizzle the top generously with more olive oil and use your oiled fingers to create deep dimples all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven carefully and immediately flip it onto a serving tray or large plate. Allow to cool slightly, then serve.
Focaccia Variations
Herbs are a simple addition to focaccia. Simply add chopped fresh rosemary, sage, or tarragon to the top before drizzling with olive oil and dimpling.
Flavored olive oils, like a lemon infused oil, also makes for a great variation.
How to Store Focaccia
Focaccia is best eaten the day it's made, but store leftovers on the countertop in an airtight container.
To freeze, slice and freeze individual pieces on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store the slices in a freezer-safe container. To reheat, place the pieces on a baking sheet in a 300 F oven until warmed through.
What pan should I use for focaccia?
If you like your focaccia on the thinner and crispier side you can use a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. For a thicker focaccia, a smaller sheet pan is best.
Can you use whole wheat flour in focaccia?
Whole wheat flour would be a great addition to focaccia, try subbing 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour for all-purpose for a delicious range of flavor.
Why is my focaccia not fluffy?
The biggest culprit to your focaccia not being fluffy is likely dead yeast. Be sure to check the expiration date on the package. Your yeast mixture (step one) should be foamy.
Can you overproof focaccia dough?
You can definitely overproof focaccia, but it is difficult. There is so much oil in the dough, and very little sugar, so the yeast is "sleepy" or slow due to both of those elements and less likely to overproof.
Focaccia Bread Recipe
Yeast Breads
Bread Basics
Breads
Italian Food
Italian Sides
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
142
Calories
6g
Fat
20g
Carbs
3g
Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 15to 20
Amount per serving
Calories
142
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g
7%
Saturated Fat 1g
4%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 96mg
4%
Total Carbohydrate 20g
7%
Dietary Fiber 1g
3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg
0%
Calcium 5mg
0%
Iron 1mg
7%
Potassium 29mg
1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe Tags:
focaccia
side dish
italian
winter
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Unlike sourdough, which requires that you feed a hungry little starter gremlin every day, focaccia is mostly hands off. It also doesn't require any special equipment besides a digital scale. Made with a high-hydration (80% in this case) dough, it comes together quickly in a bowl and doesn't need to be kneaded.
The method uses a long rise instead of kneading to align the dough's gluten molecules with each other so as to produce a strong, elastic network, resulting in long, sticky strands. The automatic alignment is possible because of the wetness of the dough, which makes the molecules more mobile.
Focaccia: The two focaccias were very different. The one made with bread flour was taller, airier, had much more open bubbles in the crumb, and browned nicely. In the mixer, the all-purpose dough never seemed to come together as a cohesive whole in the same way as the bread flour dough.
Focaccia uses more baker's yeast, making it rise higher with a firmer crust. Top fresh focaccia with rosemary, olive oil, and salt for an authentically different table bread.
Because it creates the kind of focaccia that I like, light and fluffy instead of fine crumbed and cakey. Focaccia is all about olive oil, on the dough, in the dough, in the topping, and finally a little drizzle when it comes out off the oven nice and hot. It may SEEM like a lot but it's a big bread we're making here!
Why is my focaccia not fluffy or chewy? It could be the type of flour you used. The best flour to use to make focaccia bread is bread flour which gives you fluffy baked bread. Or, it could also be because you did not knead the dough enough for the gluten to form a structure which can result in flat or dense bread.
No-knead (Passive): In this mix-to-combine, long-fermented method, time is used to maximum effect for developing both flavor and strength. Pros: Dough develops flavor during extended fermentation. Easy. Cons: Uncontrolled fermentation may cause variable impacts to crumb structure and flavor.
A failure to knead dough (unless you're working with a no-knead recipe) can lead to: Poor gluten development: When you don't knead bread, the gluten won't form properly. This can result in a lack of elasticity and strength, meaning your final product is likely to come out of the oven dense and heavy.
You did not aerate your flour before measuring. Flour always settles in the bag or container and must be aerated before measuring; otherwise, you will be using too much flour. To aerate flour, using a large spoon or spatula, stir the flour around to incorporate some air.
This dough will be very, very wet – almost like cake mix. If you can, wet your hands (to stop them sticking) and fold the dough over a little, just to see what a dough of this wetness (or 'hydration') feels like.
Not allowing the focaccia to proof long enough in the fridge will prevent enough gluten from being formed. This causes flat and dense focaccia once baked. If you are short on time, preform some stretch and folds as this mimics the kneading process, helping to develop the gluten structure.
Rise and Proof - when making this focaccia recipe, we have two options on rise times. You can either take the shorter route where you let the focaccia proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes until it doubles in size or let it rise in the refrigerator for 9-12 hours (overnight) until it doubles in size.
A moderate consumption of focaccia bread can be healthy. It is because complex carbs in focaccia offer the body energy slowly and help control blood sugar levels. In addition, it gains an advantage if it contains whole wheat flour. It is also rich in vitamin, mineral, and fibre content.
Serving: Focaccia is incredibly versatile and can be served as an antipasto, appetizer, table bread or snack. In contrast, ciabatta serves as a delicious sandwich bread.
But though pizza can stand in for a meal, focaccia is more of a snack, or at most an appetizer. In Italy, it's a popular walking-around food. Also, though cold pizza may have a certain raffish charm, focaccia really needs to be eaten when it's hot to be at its best.
If a dough seems dry it could be because the liquid isn't evenly distributed. The center of the dough can often be wet while the outside is dry. Give the dough a little extra kneading, just until it comes together, and that alone might be enough to fix it. If using a stand mixer, try finishing the dough by hand.
If mixed too long the dough can become loose and sticky. The water that was absorbed by the flour gets released back into the dough and the gluten structure breaks down. After this there is no way to fix it. It will be a loose, soggy, and sticky mass unable to hold in fermentation gasses.
Dimpling (aka poking holes) in focaccia helps to release gas and air, which helps your focaccia to maintain its signature flat look. At the same time, olive oil that's drizzled onto the foccacia is able to infuse into the dough for a truly wonderful flavour! Follow us for more baking tips and recipe.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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