I remember when I posted this recipe in 2018 for the first time – a time when the social media community and blogging felt much different. A time when I was not on TV and did not have any cookbooks. It was posted because so many of you wanted it, after I had been posting some really delicious pictures and videos of the focaccia that I had been making both at home and professionally while I was the head baker for an Italian hospitality company. I fell in love with focaccia years ago. True love. The kind that keeps you up at night, dreaming about the dough, the aroma, the texture, and the flavor. Focaccia is undeniably one of my all time favorite breads, and for good reason: a crisp, flaky exterior accompanied by a creamy, light interior that has a salty flavor profile and is the perfect vehicle for literally anything and any sandwich. But that’s just half of it – have you ever made focaccia before? Yes? Then you know how fun it is! It is hands down the most fun bread to make, from start to finish. Sloshing water and oil into the dough while mixing (especially if you’re using the new Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer), lathering it up with olive oil and dimpling it is a very comforting experience. This recipe is an adaptation of my classic sourdough recipe, but it still yields an incredible light, airy, and open crumb structure . I love the balance that yeast gives the texture. I also use a decent amount of whole grain flour, but not enough to disrupt how light and airy focaccia is supposed to be.
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What Is Focaccia?
Focaccia is an Italian flatbread that is actually quite simple to make, typically using only a handful of ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast, olive oil, sugar, and salt. The inclusion of sugar is something that I learned while working at certain Italian inspired bakeries, but it may or not be the most traditional. You can certainly make focaccia without sugar, however I find that a small percentage definitely helps with the Maillard reaction required for the perfect golden brown crust. There are many different types of focaccia out there, some regionally specific in Italy, and quite a few toppings for you to choose from. If you want to keep it traditional, things like rosemary, oregano, tomato, olives, capers, and onion are a good place to start. If you’re like me, you know there are no rules to making a delicious focaccia and will throw whatever on there…see my Oxtail and Plantain Focaccia, for example.
What Type of Flour Do I Need?
Flour is the most important ingredient in baking – there is no way around that fact, especially when it comes to breads, pizzas, and flatbreads. If you want something to taste good, start by making sure you are using a high quality flour. At the very least, make sure the flour is not bleached or bromated. If you have access to a farmers market or organic grocery store, chances are you’ll be able to find some high quality flour there.
In terms of the specific type of flour you want to use for focaccia, a “bread flour” works best as the primary flour, complimented by a percentage of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. This balance of strength, softness, and whole grain flavor makes my recipe as close to perfect as one can get.
What Kind of Yeast Do I Need?
Since this bread is not using any form of sourdough or pre-fermented flour, you can use any of the following three types of yeast to make it:
- Instant Yeast
- Active Dry Yeast
- Fresh Yeast
Instant Yeast
Instant yeast is probably the most common type of yeast you might find at the grocery store or already in your kitchen cabinet. This is a dry yeast that doesn’t need to be proofed or manipulated in any way before adding it straight to your dough.
Active Dry Yeast
Although just as common as instant yeast, for it to be the most effective, it is best to proof it in warm water for a few minutes before adding it to your dough. This extra step is not that big of a deal, but skipping it means you won’t get the best rise out of your breads.
Fresh Yeast
This is probably the least commonly used yeast in the U.S. by home bakers, but select grocery stores might have it in their refrigerator section. Fresh yeast has about a 1-2 week usability life, but it gives off a unique creamy/milky flavor profile that I absolutely love using in my doughs. You also will want to multiply the quantity of instant/active dry yeast by 3 to get your fresh yeast number as you will need slightly more by weight to match up.
How Do I Make This Focaccia?
850 grams bread flour
150 grams whole wheat flour
800 grams water
3 grams instant yeast
50 grams sugar
50 grams olive oil
25 grams salt
In the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached, combine 700 grams of the water with the flours and yeast. Mix on low/medium speed for 2-3 minutes until just combined. Let rest for 15 minutes, covered.
Next, add the sugar and half the olive oil on medium speed and mix until combined and you do not see any sugar or oil left on the surface of the dough. The dough should be very smooth now.
Begin drizzling in the remaining water during the mix, half at a time. You will see your dough break apart a little bit and thats fine. Be patient and allow it to come back together before adding more water.
Increase the speed of the mixer and add the salt to the dough while it is mixing. Slowly drizzle the remaining water and olive oil to the mix, alternating or at the same time if you are able to.
After you allow the dough to absorb everything and it smooths out again, dump it out of the mixing bowl and place it into a heavily greased container with olive oil.
Allow your dough to rise for 3 hours. It should be nice and bubbly to the touch, with a web-like structure at the bottom.
Flour your work surface and dump out your dough. Shape into a long cylinder by using your pinkies to fold the dough from the top and into the center of itself. Do this a few times until you have a loosely shaped cylinder .
Rub the dough with olive oil and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 48 hours.
Preheat your oven to 450-500f. I like to bake focaccia hot so that it gets nice and crispy!
Coat your dough with olive oil and use your fingers to begin docking the dough with both hands until you have an even pattern of peaks and valleys. You don’t want to tear through the bottom of the dough so don’t be too rough with it!
Mince up any herbs and/or toppings you want on your focaccia. I tend to opt for oregano, rosemary, and tomato. I’ve also enjoyed one with capers, olives, cherry tomato, and red onion. At this point you can let your dough proof again for another hour or two if you feel it was not active enough during docking.
Bake the focaccia for 15-20 minutes or until it is slightly darker than golden brown. I like to make sure I have a nice crispy bite and chewy interior.
Enjoy warm with olive oil and balsamic vinegar! Or by itself. Do your thing.