Focaccia is a flat, open bread baked in a tin with a lot of olive oil. The oil goes in the dough, under the dough and over the top. It fries the base until crisp, soaks into the crumb and pools in the dimples. That is the whole point of it.
This version uses a wet dough that you fold instead of knead. It is forgiving, and it gives the big, uneven holes that make focaccia worth making at home.
Ingredients
For a 30 x 20 cm tin, or similar.
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 400 ml lukewarm water
- 7 g instant yeast (one sachet)
- 10 g fine salt
- 90 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided: 2 tbsp for the dough, 2 tbsp for the tin, 2 tbsp for the top
- 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Flaky sea salt, to finish
Timings at a glance
- Mixing and folding: 45 minutes, mostly waiting
- First rise: 1 to 1.5 hours
- Second rise in the tin: 30 to 45 minutes
- Baking: 20 to 25 minutes
About three and a half hours in total, with very little of it hands on.
Method
- Mix. In a large bowl, stir the flour, yeast and salt together. Add the water and 2 tbsp of the oil. Mix with a spoon or your hand until there is no dry flour left. It will be sticky and shaggy. That is right.
- Rest. Cover the bowl and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Fold. Wet your hand. Grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the middle. Turn the bowl a quarter and repeat, four times in all. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Do this three times. By the last round the dough will be smoother, stretchier and hold its shape a little.
- First rise. Cover the bowl and leave it somewhere warm until the dough has roughly doubled and is full of bubbles, about 1 to 1.5 hours. In a cold kitchen it can take longer.
- Into the tin. Pour 2 tbsp of oil into the tin and spread it over the base and into the corners. Tip the dough in. Turn it over once so both sides are oiled. Gently stretch it towards the corners. If it springs back, leave it for 10 minutes and try again.
- Second rise. Cover loosely and leave for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 230°C conventional or 210°C fan while you wait.
- Dimple. Drizzle the last 2 tbsp of oil over the top. Oil your fingertips and press them straight down into the dough, all the way to the bottom of the tin, all over. Push small sprigs of rosemary into some of the dimples and scatter over a good pinch of flaky salt.
- Bake. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden on top. Lift a corner with a spatula: the base should be crisp and brown.
- Cool. Leave it in the tin for 5 minutes, then move it to a wire rack so the base stays crisp. Wait at least 15 minutes before cutting.
What makes the difference
Do not be shy with the oil. It feels like a lot. It is meant to. The oil in the tin is what gives focaccia its fried, crunchy base. Cut back and you get a soft, pale bread that is fine but not focaccia.
A wet dough is a good dough. Do not add extra flour to make it easier to handle. Wet hands and oiled fingers solve the stickiness. The water is what makes the open, airy crumb.
Dimple properly. Press right down to the tin. Shallow pokes disappear in the oven. Deep dimples hold the oil and the salt.
Make it ahead
For a slower rise and a little more flavour, put the dough in the fridge after the folds instead of leaving it out. Cover it well and leave it overnight, up to about 18 hours. In the morning, carry on from the tin step. Cold dough needs a longer second rise, often 1.5 to 2 hours, until it is soft and puffy.
Keeping and serving
Focaccia is best on the day it is baked. Leftovers keep, wrapped, at room temperature for a day. Warm slices in a hot oven for 5 minutes to bring the crust back. It also freezes well in pieces.
Serve it torn rather than sliced, with soup, with cheese, or split for a sandwich.
Six tablespoons of oil is a fair amount, so it is worth using a bottle you enjoy the taste of. Ours is extra virgin olive oil from Dukat, in Vlorë county, Albania, in 0.5 L dark glass bottles with the harvest date on each one. You can find it here if you need a bottle for baking day.