How to Make Authentic Homemade Focaccia Bread
Remember what it was like when we all used to go to restaurants? Even better, remember how they would bring a breadbasket out and sometimes there was focaccia in there, and if your family is anything like mine you would have to fight just to get a piece? Congratulations my friends, your fighting days are now over!
This week we’re making Focaccia, a traditional Italian bread that’s rich with olive oil and guaranteed to have you wanting more.
Ingredients
Focaccia Bread Ingredients
500 g (4 cups) 00 Flour
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water
3 g (1/2 teaspoon) yeast
10 g (2 teaspoons) sugar
10 g (2 teaspoons) salt
50 g (4 tablespoons) Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Rosemary
Flakey sea salt
How to make Focaccia Bread from Scratch at Home
Homemade Focaccia Recipe:
This week we’re making Focaccia, a traditional Italian bread that’s rich with olive oil and guaranteed to have you wanting more. Let’s get started.
Honestly there’s nothing better than carbs to the face, but this week’s focaccia recipe takes the cake, I mean bread… Whatever. You guys know what I mean.
Ok, so let's get started. Focaccia, one of my favorites of the five families, carb families that is.
It’s a simple bread that uses fresh ingredients, some extra love, and a ton of olive oil.
To start, we’re going to take 1 and 1 quarter cups or 300 milliliters of room temperature water and add in 2 teaspoons or 10 grams of granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon or 3 grams of active dry yeast.
Mix them together so everyone can get to know each other, and let the mixture rest for 8 to 10 minutes until the yeast blooms and looks all foamy.
While the yeast is blooming, to a mixing bowl, add 4 cups or 500 grams of 00 flour, drop in 2 teaspoons of or 10 grams of kosher salt and mix together with a whisk.
After that’s done, add in the wet ingredients first, add our dry on top, and then add 50 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil, and turn the mixer on to low speed and let it knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Once the time is up, the dough should look nice and elastic.
In a well oiled bowl, place the dough ball in, drizzle some more olive oil on top and wrap it in plastic wrap, where we’ll then place it in a warm environment to rise for about 2 hours.
After the dough has risen and looks all grown up, into a baking pan, drizzle a good amount of olive oil, around 2 tablespoons, and make sure that the pan is oiled.
Once oiled, dump the dough out and begin to gently stretch it using your fingertips and the palms of your hand until it reaches the edges of the pan.
Ok so the dough is in the pan, and i’m sure you’re asking, “But Evan, aren’t we ready to bake this thing yet?” Not so fast my friends, we’re running on Italian time. Don’t rush it. We have to let this rest overnight in the refrigerator and then wait some more the next day to ensure we get the right taste and rise. To do this, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and let it rest overnight. The next day, after it’s been in the fridge, take out the dough 3 hours before you’re ready to bake it and let it sit at room temperature.
Once we’re ready to bake, we’re going to take some fresh rosemary and get all of the leaves off of the stem, which we’re going to use later to add on top of our focaccia.
To prepare the focaccia for baking, using your fingertips, press into the dough and make craters. The dough is going to feel light and airy, and honestly it’s so satisfying.
After you’ve made your craters, add some more olive oil on top and do the same thing again for good measure.
Once done, place your rosemary on top and some flakey sea salt to taste.
Now it’s time to bake our focaccia. Place the pan into a preheated oven set to 550° Fahrenheit or 285° Celsius for around 15-20 minutes being sure to check every once in a while if it’s done. Not all ovens are built equally so it may take some people more time and some people less.
Once the focaccia is golden brown, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. After the bread is cooled down, take it out of the pan and place it on to a wire rack to cool some more. Side note, check the bottom of the bread to make sure it's nice and crispy. That’s the best taste right there. The olive oil that was at the bottom of the pan has now basically fried the dough and given it some out of this world flavor.
Next and final step, grab your knife and slice it right down the middle and realize that the bread is fluffy, airy, crispy, and spongy all at the same time, and marvel in the fact that not only are you now a baker, but a magician as well.
So I guess there’s just one question left for all of you. You want some focaccia?
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