Easy Focaccia Recipe
This easy focaccia recipe is the best! Just mix, rest, stretch and chill overnight to let all that amazing flavor develop. Take it out of the fridge and bake it fresh with rosemary and flakey salt. This focaccia recipe is ultra-soft and chewy and my favorite bread to make as an appetizer or side dish for dinner.
Servings 24 servings
Calories 168kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a dough hook
Ingredients
- 16 ounces warm water (110ºF) divided into two bowls 2 cups
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 7 grams active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
- 2 ounces olive oil 1/4 cup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon flakey salt
- 24 ounces bread flour or all-purpose flour (5 cups spooned and leveled)
- 4 ounces olive oil for the pan and for drizzling on top of the focaccia after rising (1/2 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
Instructions
- Combine your first cup of warm water with your yeast and sugar and mix to combine. Set it aside for about 5 minutes or until it looks foamy
- Place the water/yeast mixture in the bowl of your stand mixer with the bread hook attached. You can also make this dough by hand with a bowl and spoon but you'll have to use some elbow grease.
- Add in about 1 cup of flour and mix on low until combined
- Add in the rest of your water, the olive oil and the salt and half of your remaining flour. Mix on low until combined
- Continue adding in your flour while mixing on low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it's still too sticky, add in a couple more Tablespoons of flour until it comes together. The dough will be very soft though
- Keep mixing on low until your dough develops enough gluten that when you touch it, it bounces back. I took my dough out of the bowl and finished kneading it on the countertop for about 2 minutes until the dough bounced back.
- Place your dough into a bowl with about a Tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size. If you're using instant dry yeast, it will only take about 30-45 minutes to rise.
- Pour enough olive oil into a 12"x17" sheet pan (or any pan of similar size) so there is a thin layer of oil covering the entire bottom of the pan
- Put some olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking and then pull the focaccia dough out of the bowl. It will be very loose. Lay it in the pan and begin stretching it to the edges. If it shrinks back, walk away for about 15 minutes to let the gluten relax before you stretch again.
- Once you can get the dough all the way to the edges, cover it with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge overnight to develop flavor. If you're using instant yeast, you can let it rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes then it's ready to bake!
- When you're ready to bake your bread, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up for about 30 minutes. Dimple the surface with your oiled fingers to create some areas where the olive oil can collect.
- Drizzle a good amount olive oil onto the top of the bread until all the dimples have a little oil in them. Sprinkle flakey salt and rosemary on top.
- Bake in the oven at 450ºF for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia bread is nice and golden.
- This bread will keep at room temperature for 2 days or you can freeze it for three months. Re-heating the bread in the oven for 5 minutes will bring back that chewy texture.
Video
Notes
I place my dough near my oven set to 170ºF to help the dough rise. Mine usually only takes about 1 hour if my room is warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg