Best Focaccia Recipe

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Focaccia is the best bread to make if you have never baked bread before. There is no need for a mixer or kneading. This is a simple recipe that anyone can follow and enjoy. It’s a versatile, easy-to-follow recipe that takes seasonings well. You can even decorate it like a cake by adding various embellishments.

This no-knead focaccia bread is flavorful, savory, and has the ideal chewy texture despite requiring only a few simple ingredients. I enjoy dipping focaccia in olive oil or balsamic vinegar, but it also goes well with soup and makes a great sandwich bread.

Materials Required for This Recipe

  • Hot liquid; honey and yeast thrive in warm conditions. The yeast can be killed by too hot water, and it won’t activate if it’s not warm enough. For optimal results, maintain a water temperature of 112°F to 125°F.
  • You can use regular all-purpose flour to make this focaccia bread instead of breaking out any specialty flours.
  • Flavor and texture are both improved by the addition of olive oil to the focaccia. The olive oil is used in multiple stages of the bread-making process, beginning with its incorporation into the dough and ending with its coating of the risen loaf. The olive oil’s quality determines how good the bread will taste.

Ingredients

  • ▢2 cups warm water 110-120F, (480mL)
  • ▢2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • ▢1 tablespoon honey
  • ▢5 cups all-purpose flour (600g)
  • ▢1 tablespoon salt
  • ▢8 to 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • ▢flakey sea salt
  • ▢chopped fresh rosemary or thyme

FOCACCIA: HOW TO MAKE IT

Set of two photos showing water, yeast, and honey combined and then a dough being mixed with a spatula.
  • Mix the yeast, honey, and water in a large bowl. Allow sitting for about 5 minutes, or until frothy.
  • Put the flour and salt in the bowl. Using a spatula, mix until a very sticky dough forms and all of the flour has been moistened.
  • Images of a dough ball being added to an olive oil-sprayed bowl and then, after proofing, having grown to twice its original size.
  • Spread 4 tablespoons of olive oil around a second large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and gently toss it around a few times to coat it in oil.
  • Chill for 12-18 hours, covered. Alternately, let it double in size at room temperature.
  • Lightly oil your hands after you wake up. Fold the dough in half by sliding your fingers under it on one side and lifting it over the other. Repeat after I turn the bowl a quarter turn. There should be a total of four folds, including two turns and folds.
  • Division by two is the sixth step.
  • Place dough in baking pans that have been oiled. Tuck your fingers under the dough and gently lift and pull to gently stretch it to the edges of the pans.
  • Stretch the dough every 30 minutes while it rises until it fills the pan, and then let it rise for another 1 to 2 hours, until it is puffed and bubbly. After the focaccia has risen, use the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil to drizzle it.
  • Two images depicting the process of dimple-forming in dough and subsequent baking and cooling on a rack.
  • Dimple the dough all over with your fingertips by pressing down on it in step 9.
  • Until the top and sides are golden brown, 20-25 minutes in the oven. After 5-10 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. The focaccia can be served warm or allowed to cool on the rack.


Expert Advice on Preparing This Dish

  • If you’re using yeast, make sure it hasn’t gone bad. If your bread fails to rise, old yeast is likely to blame.
  • Use your fingertips, not your palm, to make dimples in the focaccia dough. Do not risk tearing the dough by pressing your fingers all the way to the bottom.
  • Tomatoes, garlic cloves, olives, sliced onions, and whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand are all great additions to focaccia. Olive oil infused with herbs works just as well.
  • If you only have instant yeast, you can use that instead; just skip the overnight proofing step.
  • If you’re using yeast from a jar, keep any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container to prevent it from going bad.
  • If you want to make vegan bread, feel free to replace the honey with sugar.
  • If you measure your flour accurately, you won’t have to worry about adding too much. Most frequently, people will use too much flour than called for in the recipe. A scale is the most accurate tool for measuring flour. If you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a spoon to aerate the flour before sprinkling it into a measuring cup and then leveling it off with a knife.
  • The dough for this focaccia should be brought to a temperature of 75°F to 78°F if you plan on doing a quick rise instead of the overnight rise.
  • Focaccia is baked in a round pan.


FAQ

WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE DIMPLES IN THE BREAD?
Dimples in focaccia help to reduce the amount of air in the dough, which slows the bread’s rise. It also works to incorporate any additional toppings into the dough so that they bake into the pizza rather than sitting on top.

WHERE DO I PUT THIS?

Focaccia can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored in an airtight container. Put it in the oven to reheat when you’re ready to eat. The bread can can be kept out on the counter, but it will keep for much longer in the fridge.

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