There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked focaccia roaming through your kitchen and home. This Italian flatbread, with its golden crust and airy, fluffy interior, is perfect for dipping in olive oil and balsamic vinegar or enjoying on its own. This bread recipe was created because of a local restaurant by my home that serves delicious focaccia and I can’t get enough of it. To save lots and lots of money, I figured it was time for me to recreate it at home. And oh boy did I! It’s delicious. Let's get started!
Ingredients for Focaccia
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil
Instructions for Focaccia
1. Activate the Yeast
In a medium bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast with ¾ cup of warm water. Stir well and let it sit for 5 minutes. This step ensures that your yeast is alive and ready to help your dough rise.
2. Form the Dough
Once the yeast is ready, add 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to the bowl. Stir until the mixture starts to come together into a sticky, shaggy dough.
3. Develop the Gluten
Using a rubber scraper, fold the dough over itself about 15 times. This process helps develop the gluten, giving the dough more elasticity and structure.
4. First Rise
Cover the bowl with a towel and place it in a warm spot. Let the dough rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
5. Prepare the Bread Pan
While the dough is rising, prepare your bread pan. Coat it well with butter or vegetable shortening, then sprinkle a small amount of flour into the pan. Shake the pan until all edges are coated with flour, then discard any excess flour. This step ensures that your focaccia won't stick to the pan.
6. Shape the Dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, scrape it out of the bowl and into the prepared bread pan. Use your fingers to stretch the dough, making sure it covers the entire surface of the pan.
7. Second Rise
Cover the bread pan with a towel and let the dough rise for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until it becomes puffy.
8. Preheat the Oven
As the dough finishes its second rise, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place a roasting pan with about an inch of water on the bottom rack of the oven. The steam created will help the focaccia rise well and become wonderfully fluffy.
9. Add the Finishing Touches
Once the dough is fully risen, drizzle olive oil over the top. Rub a little olive oil on your fingers and poke dimples into the surface of the dough. This classic focaccia technique not only gives the bread its characteristic look but also allows the olive oil to seep into the dough, enhancing its flavor.
10. Bake
Bake the focaccia for 8 minutes, then carefully remove the roasting pan with water. Continue baking for another 4 to 8 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
11. Cool and Enjoy
Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. This helps the bread settle and makes it easier to slice. Serve warm, dipped in your favorite olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Tips for the Best Focaccia
- Warm environment: Ensure your rising spot is warm enough to help the yeast work efficiently. A cold environment can slow down the rising process.
- Proper hydration: Keep the dough slightly sticky; this high hydration is crucial for the focaccia's airy texture.
- Steam boost: Don’t skip the roasting pan with water. The steam is key to achieving a light and fluffy focaccia.
Try some of my other homemade bread recipes!
Enjoy this Italian Bread
There you have it—a straightforward recipe for making delicious homemade focaccia. This bread is perfect for any occasion, whether you’re hosting a dinner party or just enjoying a cozy night in. No need to go spend an arm and a leg out at a fancy restaurant when you can have delicious, homemade Italian bread right at home. Happy baking!
Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water 105 to 110 degrees F
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the yeast and warm water and stir. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Once yeast is ready, add the flour and salt to the bowl and stir until the dough starts forming. It will be a sticky, shaggy dough.
- Use a rubber scraper to fold the dough over itself about 15 times. The dough should start gaining more stretch through this process.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for one hour.
- Oil and flour a bread pan. To do this, I always use either butter or vegetable shortening and coat the pan well, then sprinkle a small amount of flour into the pan and shake around until all edges are coated well. Dump the remaining flour out and your pan is ready.
- Once the dough is doubled in size, scrape it out and place it into the prepared bread pan. Use your fingers to stretch the dough to cover the entire pan.
- Cover the bread pan with a towel and let rise for another 30 to 45 minutes, until it starts getting puffy.
- While the dough is rising and only has a few minutes left, start preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Add a roasting pan with about an inch of water onto the bottom rack of the oven. The steam will allow the focaccia to rise well and become fluffy.
- Once the dough is completely ready, drizzle olive oil over the top of the puffy dough in the bread pan. Drizzle some olive oil onto your fingers and then proceed to poke dimples into the focaccia dough.
- Bake for 8 minutes and then remove the roasting pan with the water. Then bake for another 4 to 8 minutes or until the top of the focaccia is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing and dipping in your favorite olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
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