So many of you have asked about this, I thought I’d share so everyone can learn to love (and make repeatedly) this wonderful bread! You can have this bread on the table in less than 30 minutes, just be sure to pre-heat your oven first!
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar (only if baking right away!)
1 tsp salt
Olive oil for the pan
Yep! That’s it. Four ingredients and warm water. Here’s what I used: (Ohhhh shameless product plugs!)
Directions:
Pour the water into a bowl and add the (sugar – if you are baking right away), salt and yeast.Let the yeast foam up and then leave it alone for five minutes! This is what it should look like:
Don’t worry about the clumps. It’s My Imperfect Kitchen, remember? ;-) I promise it won’t hurtthe taste of the bread. Pour the flour into the bowl and mix well. It should look like this:
At this point you can cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours, or even overnight. For you morning people, you can put this together, then throw it in the oven (Make sure the oven is OFF) to rise all day while you are at work.
To those of you saying “Wait? I added sugar! You said you could make this in less than 30 minutes? Who wants to wait TWO HOURS for bread to rise?!?” To you, I say AMEN!We’re going to mix this up and toss it in the oven right now! The rest of you can follow along when your dough has risen to perfection.
Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees. You want your oven nice and HOT.
Use an 8×8″ pan OR a metal pie pan.Just be sure it’s an 8″ pan. I’ve found the 9″ pans make the bread too thin. Coat the bottom (don’t be shy about this step) with olive oil and dump the bread dough into it.(Do not add any flour and don’t knead the dough – you will want to keep those lovely air bubbles!) Drizzle more olive oil over the top of the dough. Using your fingers (or let the kids do it!) spread the dough to the edges of the pan and poke holes into it. You want tosee the bottom of the pan! This will give the olive oil a place to settle in and will let your crust be crisp, with that traditional Foccacia look, but still soft and yummy in the middle. Like this:
Now, top it with any ingredients you’d like. Tonight, I used Italian Seasoning, Parmesan cheese, basil, Sea Salt and Red Pepper Flakes. It looked like this:
Bake at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it. There should be enough oil in the pan so you can slide it out easily when it’s done.
Ta-DA! So delicious and so easy! Now you have bread to go with your dinner and your house will smell fabulous! You can also serve the bread as an appetizer to dip with olive oil and balsamic vinegar! You can also cut it in half horizontally and use it to make an Italian Sub Sandwich. Imagine ham and salami, layered with basil, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and spicy peppers! Mmm-Mmm, I’m getting hungry! Here is what we are having for dinner tonight: Beautiful Foccacia, Baked Rigatoni with Spicy Italian Sausage and Roasted Zucchini! Enjoy your bread!
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar only if baking right away!
- 1 tsp salt
- Olive oil for the pan
Servings:
Instructions
Pour the water into a bowl and add the (sugar – if you are baking right away), salt and yeast. Let the yeast foam up and then leave it alone for five minutes!
Pour the flour into the bowl and mix well.
At this point you can cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours, or even overnight. For you morning people, you can put this together, then throw it in the oven (Make sure the oven is OFF) to rise all day while you are at work.
Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees. You want your oven nice and HOT.
Use an 8×8″ pan OR a metal pie pan. Just be sure it’s an 8″ pan. I’ve found the 9″ pans make the bread too thin. Coat the bottom (don’t be shy about this step) with olive oil and dump the bread dough into it. (Do not add any flour and don’t knead the dough – you will want to keep those lovely air bubbles!) Drizzle more olive oil over the top of the dough. Using your fingers (or let the kids do it!) spread the dough to the edges of the pan and poke holes into it. You want to see the bottom of the pan! This will give the olive oil a place to settle in and will let your crust be crisp, with that traditional Foccacia look, but still soft and yummy in the middle.
Now, top it with any ingredients you’d like.
Bake at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it. There should be enough oil in the pan so you can slide it out easily when it’s done.
FAQs
Flour - I used a mixture of bread flour and All-purpose flour (high grade or strong and plain if you're not in the US). Bread flour is slightly higher in protein than All-purpose, so gives the focaccia just a little more chew. I love the mix of both, but just AP flour works just fine too!
What is the best baking dish for focaccia? ›
I like to use a straight-sided 9 x 13-inch metal baking pan for this recipe, but a Pyrex 9 x 13-inch baking pan will do in a pinch. Before you start on the recipe, be sure to read all of the tips at Baking Together #28: Making and Baking No-Knead Focaccia.
What happens if you don't poke holes in focaccia? ›
Forgetting to dimple the dough
If you forget to dimple your dough and bake it, the dough will collapse when the bubbles burst, resulting in sad focaccia and a sad baker. To dimple your dough, oil your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon handle and gently poke the dough.
Should focaccia be thin or thick? ›
The thickness of a focaccia can vary, too, but an authentic focaccia genovese should be rather thin, even if it needn't be quite as thin as my version presented here. So many non-Italian renditions of “focaccia” are more like bread in their thickness.
Why is my focaccia not fluffy? ›
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.
What pan is best for focaccia bread? ›
I like to use a deep pan (as opposed to a baking sheet) so the focaccia doesn't dry out too fast in the oven. My preferred pans: 9″ x 13″ USA Pan Rectangular Cake Pan. Two 10 x 2.25″ LloydPans Round Pans (use the same dough weight as in this recipe, just divide in half and place each half into one pan)
Can you use parchment paper when baking focaccia? ›
Transfer the dough to the baking sheet: Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a baking sheet for thinner focaccia or a 9x13 cake pan for thicker focaccia.
Is focaccia better with bread flour or all purpose flour? ›
Ingredients needed
The 00-flour and bread flour produce a chewier loaf but the all purpose flour is still delicious and great if that's the only flour you have.
Can you use Pyrex for focaccia? ›
This recipe, originally from Alexandra Cooks has been our go-to focaccia recipe. A pyrex glass casserole dish is perfect for a thicker bread that can be sliced for making sandwhiches. If not preparing overnight, let the mixed dough rise at room temperature for about 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled.
Should you stretch and fold focaccia? ›
Note: The stretch and fold method is better suited than kneading for a high-hydration dough such as this because the dough is naturally sticky and this method reduces hand contact. Additionally, the stretch and fold will allow for an open crumb when baked because the air isn't pushed out of the dough.
Focaccia, an Italian baked flatbread, is a yeast-leavened bread that is soft on the inside and crispy, crusty on the outside. This focaccia is a snap to make. In this version, the gluten in the bread is developed by stretching and folding several times throughout the proofing time.
Should you punch down focaccia dough? ›
As Elizabeth Yetter wrote in her helpful primer "How To Punch Down Bread Dough," the more air pockets "you can remove from the dough, the finer the grain (or crumb) will be." While that's great for sandwich bread or sweet rolls, it's not as desirable for loaves, like focaccia, where you want airiness.
Does focaccia have to rise twice? ›
Ingredients: Almost all focaccia varieties use flour, water, salt, oil, and yeast. Two rising periods: In the first period, the dough is mixed together, then set to rest and rise (also called bulk fermentation). In the latter period, the dough is deflated, then transferred to a pan for a second rise.
How do you know when focaccia bread is done? ›
Put the pan in the oven and bake for 20–30 minutes, until the top is a lovely golden and the internal temperature is 190-210°F (88–99°C). When your timer sounds, verify the internal temperature with your Thermapen ONE. Continue to cook if the temp is not high enough.
Is focaccia better with bread flour or all-purpose? ›
Herb Oil – Made with olive oil, fresh or dry herbs, kosher salt, black pepper, and minced garlic. Bread Flour – Using bread flour gives the focaccia a chewy texture; you can substitute all-purpose flour without ruining the recipe, but your bread will be significantly lighter and missing that characteristic texture.
What is the best flour for baking bread? ›
While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.
Why is my focaccia so fluffy? ›
A high-hydration dough gives focaccia its signature dimples
The moisture in the dough also contributes to a soft and airy crumb, giving focaccia its characteristic light and chewy texture.
Which flour makes bread rise the most? ›
So, if you're wondering how to make sourdough bread, you'll probably find most recipes recommend a strong white bread flour over an all-purpose flour. This is because the higher protein content of bread flour will help you create the high rise and rustic crust of an artisan style loaf.
