Focaccia is the great classic of Italian street food with a golden surface, a slightly crunchy bottom, and a soft and fragrant texture. Let alone the scent of freshly baked bread that envelops the whole house.
Focaccia is a delicious leavened product. Generally speaking, focaccia is a delicate dough made with a few simple ingredients such as flour, water, and yeast. The recipe of the dough is basic – very quick and easy to make at home, and you get soft and tasty focaccia, just like the one bought from the baker. Once the dough rises, spread it out in a pan, seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and grains of coarse salt, and finally cooked in the oven.
This supreme delicacy can be topped with any ingredient you please to get whatever taste you like most. You may fill the dough with cold cuts and cheeses but also enjoy focaccia plain, seasoned with oil and rosemary only. Moreover, focaccia makes an excellent sandwich bread.
What is focaccia?
Classic focaccia is a kind of flatbread made from a soft dough similar to that of pizza. Yet, the focaccia is much thicker than the pizza dough, about 1 inch thick. When baked, focaccia has a rather bubbly interior and a very thin golden crust full of gouges that hold the oil, salt, rosemary, or any other ingredient added to the surface.
In Italy, they also bake sweet focaccia, usually topped with Nutella. In short, it is a versatile recipe, just like bread and pizza, and can be adapted to everyone’s tastes. I believe this is exactly the reason why focaccia is so loved all around the world.
The versatile Focaccia
Like any traditional recipe, there are many versions of focaccia as well. You may cook it using gluten-free or wholemeal flour. For a simple treat, you may top it with salt and rosemary only, or throw in a variety of ingredients such as salami and cheese to have it very hearty and fulfilling. What I am sharing here is the basic recipe for the classic homemade focaccia. This is a recipe improved over the years, enriched with little tricks ranging from the choice of ingredients, and the preparation, to the seasoning. With this recipe for focaccia, you will get a perfect result in terms of taste and softness. You can relax, it is easy to prepare and it does not require long leavening. Simply follow the instructions and get ready for a beautifully soft and fluffy focaccia.
Ingredients for 1 classic baking tray
Here’s the list of ingredients for the perfect puffy and crispy focaccia to share with your loved ones:
- 2.5 cups of Manitoba flour, plus a little for the folds
- 1.5 cups of lukewarm water
- 0.5 oz of fresh brewer’s yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp of salt
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- fresh rosemary
- 1 cup pitted olives
- 5 cloves garlic
How to make focaccia?
Before anything, mix the lukewarm water with the fresh yeast. Allow the yeast to activate. It takes 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast begins to form a creamy foam on the water’s surface. That’s how you know the yeast is now active. Watch the video below:
At this point, take a bowl and mix the sifted flour with the water at room temperature. Pour the olive oil, salt, and sugar and start kneading. About 2 minutes of kneading is enough, then let it rest for 30 minutes to one hour under a clean cloth. Remember to fold the dough then let it rest again for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450 F and prepare the baking tray. Grease the bottom and the walls of the baking tray with olive oil and sprinkle some flour on the bottom of it. Put the fluffy dough into the tray and make sure to spread it evenly all over the surface. Make some pits by pressing your fingers into the dough and grease the surface with olive oil. Top the dough with the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 450F. Can you feel the smell already?
Remove the tray from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Cut it using a sharp knife and enjoy the Italian delicacy! Serve it warm and cold, and enjoy every single bite of it!
Easy Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Recipe
Equipment
- baking tray
Ingredients
- 2.5 cup baking flour
- 1.5 cup water room temperature or luke-warm
- 0.5 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 spring fresh rosemary
- 1 cup pitted olives black and green
- 5 cloves garlic finely sliced
Instructions
- Mix the lukewarm water with the yeast. Allow the yeast to ferment from 5 to 10 minutes till foam appears on the surface of the water
- Take a bowl and mix the sifted flour with the yeast water and mix
- Pour the olive oil, salt, and sugar and start kneading
- Knead for 2 minutes and allow it to rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean cloth
- Fold the dough and let it rest for another 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 450 F grease the bottom and the walls of the baking tray with olive oil and sprinkle some flour on the bottom of it
- Evenly spread the fluffy dough into the tray
- Make some pits by pressing your fingers into the dough and grease the surface with olive oil
- Top the dough with the rest of the ingredients
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 450F
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving
