Focaccia Bread Recipe

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Uncover the secrets and techniques to creating focaccia bread, enhanced with the strong style of tomatoes and olives. The bread’s crispy exterior and chewy inside will make it a favourite in your kitchen.

Italian Focaccia with tomatoes, olives, and rosemary.

Table of Contents

Focaccia bread, a staple of Italian delicacies, carries the essence of the Mediterranean with each chew. Identified for its olive oil-infused texture, golden crust, and herbs, this flatbread has received the hearts of bread fans worldwide. The recipe I’m sharing is exclusive as a result of I’ve integrated tomatoes and olives, which add depth and complexity to the normal Focaccia. The saltiness of the olives, mixed with the candy and tangy style of the tomatoes, creates one rattling wonderful piece of crusty bread! When you’ve received the dangle of it, you’ll end up making it time and again!

What Is Focaccia Bread?

The origins of Focaccia bread will be traced again to historical occasions, with numerous cultures placing their distinctive spin on this bread. In historical Rome, “panis focacius” was a flatbread cooked on a fire or fire, and its title possible derives from the Latin phrase “focus,” that means fireplace.

Focaccia is such a fantastic and straightforward bread to make. It may be made thick or skinny, crunchy on prime or not, however it’s virtually all the time mushy within the middle. I like mine baked to a pleasant golden brown with coarse salt and different savory components sprinkled on prime and served with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.

Traditional Italian Focaccia bread topped with tomatoes, olives, and rosemary.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Versatility: Serve this bread as an appetizer, a aspect dish, or perhaps a major course. Focaccia pairs fantastically with salads, soups, and numerous entrées.
Customizable: The fundamental recipe is just the start. You may experiment with completely different toppings like caramelized onions, minced garlic, shredded Parmesan, or recent herbs to make it your individual.
Easy Substances: Made with pantry staples like bread flour, olive oil, yeast, and coarse salt, this recipe doesn’t require any unique or hard-to-find components.
Texture Perfection: With a golden crust on the skin and a mushy, chewy inside, this focaccia affords a texture that’s irresistible. The dimpling approach ensures the olive oil and toppings infuse each chew.

How To Make Focaccia Bread

This nice recipe tailored from one I found way back is straightforward to make and scrumptious with no matter you select to placed on it. I don’t embrace measurements for the toppings as a result of you may add no matter quantities you want—some individuals like a couple of components scattered on prime, and a few prefer it piled excessive. Keep in mind to scroll down the web page to the recipe card for full recipe directions.

Substances For Focaccia

speedy rising dry yeast
heat water
sugar
bread flour
coarse salt
olive oil
cornmeal
toppings: olives, sun-dried or roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, and many others…

Close-up overhead image of dimpled focaccia dough.

Instructions

Put together the Dough: Proof the yeast within the bowl of a stand mixer by combining it with the sugar and heat water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand for 3 minutes. Incorporate bread flour and blend with the dough hook attachment. The dough needs to be clean and elastic.
Form and Let Rise: Kind the dough right into a spherical and let it rise till doubled in dimension.
Put together the Pan: Grease a jelly roll pan with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Add Toppings: Roll and stretch the dough, then dimple together with your fingertips. Add olive oil, coarse salt, slow-roasted tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and any elective toppings you want.
Bake: Bake at 400˚F for 15 to twenty minutes or till browned on prime.

Ideas For Focaccia Success

Making home made focaccia generally is a enjoyable expertise, and listed below are some extra ideas to make sure success!

Bread Flour: Bread flour is usually utilized in focaccia for its greater protein content material, which creates a chewier texture. Should you can’t discover bread flour, all-purpose flour generally is a substitute, however the texture could range barely.
Use Heat Water: That is necessary; the water should be heat, between 105˚F and 115˚F, to create the right surroundings to activate the yeast, setting the stage for a profitable rise and a textured bread.
Endurance with Rising: Permitting the dough to double in dimension is important for a lightweight, ethereal texture.
Kneading Approach: Whether or not kneading by hand or utilizing a mixer, reaching the fitting texture is vital. The dough needs to be clean, elastic, and barely sticky. If kneading by hand, utilizing a pushing and folding movement may also help develop the gluten construction.
Dimpling Approach: Earlier than baking, use your fingertips to create dimples within the dough. This not solely provides texture but additionally permits the olive oil and toppings to permeate the bread.
High quality Substances: Utilizing sun-dried tomatoes or rigorously slow-roasting your individual can improve the flavour.
Customization: Be at liberty to mess around with the toppings. Add minced garlic, recent herbs, or shredded Parmesan for an additional punch of taste.
Keep away from Overcrowding with Toppings: Whereas it’s tempting to load up on scrumptious toppings, too many could make the bread soggy. A balanced strategy will end in the very best texture and taste.

Overhead image of cut up focaccia arranged on a gray wooden board.

How To Serve Focaccia

Focaccia is flexible; it may be paired with numerous dishes and dips. Right here’s how one can get pleasure from it:

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar: Serve your focaccia with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The wealthy, fruity olive oil mixed with the tangy sweetness of balsamic vinegar creates a dipping sauce that enhances the bread’s flavors.
With Soup or Salad: Focaccia makes a wonderful aspect to hearty soups or recent salads. Strive it with my White Bean Soup and this Tomato Salad.
As a Sandwich Base: Use it as a base for sandwiches, crammed together with your favourite chilly cuts, cheeses, and greens for a Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Alongside Pasta: Serve it with pasta dishes like my Rooster Pasta Primavera!
With Cheese and Charcuterie: Create a easy but elegant appetizer by serving focaccia with a choice of cheeses, cured meats, and olives.
As a Pizza Different: High with recent tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, then briefly bake for a fast and engaging focaccia pizza.

Traditional Italian Focaccia with tomatoes, olives

Storage

If the focaccia is barely topped with olive oil and herbs, you may hold it at room temperature sealed in a ziplock bag or in an hermetic container. Nonetheless, if the focaccia is like mine right here, topped with tomatoes and olives, then you definately’ll wish to hold it within the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

ENJOY!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook dinner Time 20 minutes

Whole Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Proof the yeast within the bowl of a stand mixer by combining it with the sugar and heat water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes or till foam seems.
Utilizing a dough hook attachment, flip the mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl.
Dissolve the salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the bowl whereas the mixer is operating.
Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil.
When the dough begins to come back collectively, enhance the pace to medium.
Combine till the dough is clean and elastic, about 10 minutes, including flour as crucial.
Prove the dough onto a piece floor and fold over itself a couple of occasions.
Kind the dough right into a spherical and place it in an oiled bowl; flip to coat all the ball with oil.
Cowl with a humid towel and let it rise in a heat spot till doubled in dimension, about 45 minutes.
Grease a jelly roll pan with olive oil and sprinkle it with corn meal.
As soon as the dough is doubled and domed, flip it out onto the counter.
Roll and stretch the dough out to an rectangular form about 1/2-inch thick.
Place dough on the pan and canopy with plastic wrap. Let relaxation for quarter-hour.
Uncover the dough and dimple it together with your fingertips.
Brush the floor with extra olive oil after which add your toppings.
Bake for 15 to twenty minutes or till browned on prime.
Take away from oven and switch onto a cooling rack; let stand a couple of minutes earlier than chopping and serving.

Select the Proper Flour: Bread flour is usually utilized in focaccia for its greater protein content material, which creates a chewier texture. Should you can’t discover bread flour, all-purpose flour generally is a substitute, however the texture could range barely.
Monitor Water Temperature: The water used to proof the yeast needs to be heat however not scorching, often between 105°F to 115°F (37°C to 43°C). If the water is simply too scorching, it might kill the yeast, whereas if it’s too cool, the yeast could not activate.
Kneading Approach: Whether or not kneading by hand or utilizing a mixer, reaching the fitting texture is vital. The dough needs to be clean, elastic, and barely sticky. If kneading by hand, utilizing a pushing and folding movement may also help develop the gluten construction.
Correct Rising Surroundings: Place the dough in a heat and draft-free spot to rise. In case your kitchen is cool, you may create a heat surroundings by turning on the oven for a minute or two, then turning it off and putting the dough inside to rise.
Use Contemporary Yeast: If utilizing lively dry or rapid-rising yeast, make sure that it’s recent, as expired or outdated yeast can fail to rise.
Dimpling Approach: Earlier than baking, use your fingertips to create dimples within the dough. This not solely provides texture but additionally permits the olive oil and toppings to permeate the bread.
High quality Olive Oil: Since olive oil is a big taste in focaccia, utilizing further virgin olive oil of fine high quality will improve the style.
Experiment with Toppings: Don’t be afraid to get artistic together with your toppings. Along with the basic ones, you could possibly attempt roasted greens, completely different cheeses, or perhaps a sprinkling of sea salt flakes.
Watch the Baking Time: Oven temperatures can range, so regulate the focaccia because it bakes. Search for a golden-brown crust and use the baking time within the recipe as a suggestion slightly than a strict rule.
Permit to Cool Earlier than Chopping: Let the focaccia relaxation for a couple of minutes after it comes out of the oven. Chopping into it whereas it’s too scorching could trigger it to grow to be gummy.
Serve Contemporary or Reheat Correctly: Focaccia is greatest loved recent, however in case you have leftovers, reheat them within the oven slightly than the microwave to take care of the feel.
Keep away from Overcrowding with Toppings: Whereas it’s tempting to load up on scrumptious toppings, too many could make the bread soggy. A balanced strategy will end in the very best texture and taste.

Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could range in line with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.

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Focaccia Bread Recipe | Topped with Tomatoes and Olives