Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is a soft and airy, flat oven-baked Italian bread that’s infused with rich olive oil. It makes great sandwich bread or as an accompaniment to any dish. Learn how to make artisan style focaccia bread from scratch right in your own home! (Jump to Recipe)
Is there anything better than the smell of fresh bread in your own home? Or getting to rip off a fluffy, warm piece of focaccia and indulging it minutes after it comes out of the oven. I think not.
To Make Focaccia Bread
Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast and let the yeast feed off of the sugar for a few minutes.
Next, add flour, salt, and olive oil and knead the dough with a standing mixer and a fitted dough hook or mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon and knead the dough by hand. Since I’ve baked about 30 loaves last year, I was up for the challenge and kneaded it by hand.
Place the ready dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and place in a warm spot for one hour. It should double in size. This is the first rise.
When the first rise is finished, spread a little olive oil in a baking sheet and turn the dough over into the baking sheet. Begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with olive oil and continue to stretch it until it reaches the sides and corners of the pan. Make holes with your fingers and cover with plastic wrap. Put the dough in a warm place once more until it has doubled in size. This is the second rise.
When the second rise is finished, then drizzle it with a little more olive oil, sprinkle it with sea salt, and bake for 25 minutes. Use this artisan style bread to slice in half and use for sandwiches, eat alongside a bowl of soup, or simply enjoy it as is, warm, straight from the oven.
A Few Of My Favorite Bread Recipes To Check Out:
No Knead Rosemary And Olive Oil Bread
If you make this Focaccia Bread Recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I’d love to hear what you think about it, or better yet, see what you’re cooking! Tag me on Insta, @fettysfoodblog with your creation.
Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
- 1 tbsp sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
Instructions
- Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm place, not hot or cool, until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface, then knead it by hand 2-3 times. Again, give it another sprinkle or two of flour if the dough is really sticky.
- Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
- Coat a medium sheet pan with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Put the dough onto the sheet pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit all sides of the pan. Poke holes with your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Put the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly drizzle a little oil on top of the focaccia and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Bake the focaccia until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.
