Is how a timeless and traditional Italian Focaccia recipe should be – ridiculously soft and fluffy inside, just-crispy on the outside and with a signature
Focaccia – that dimpled, flat–shaped Italian bread generously flavoured with olive oil – is found all over Italy and varies from place to place. I was torn with indecision about what type of focaccia to share, but eventually landed on this particularly well-known type called
It’s from the city of Bari in Puglia, and this focaccia has an exceptionally fluffy interior and distinctive chew that comes from incorporating mashed potato into the dough.
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The outside crusts meanwhile takes on a lovely golden crunch from baking in the pan thanks to an Italian “dash” (ie. more than just a teaspoon 😉) of olive oil.
And yet, focaccia is also one of the easiest breads to make and is pretty much foolproof. Even a first-time baker could pull this off without breaking much of a sweat.
The recipe does require three proofs for the dough. But really, it is not a big deal! They are quick and the benefit is no messy kneading on the counter or in the stand-mixer. It takes just 1 hour 40 minutes for rising in total for the whole recipe, and just a minute or two to prepare the dough for each rise.
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We need to rise the dough 3 times because because the dough is so wet we can’t knead it. Instead we let the bread “knead” itself through proofing. Proofing and folding several times before baking encourages gluten development and starch transformation to give the bread structure, as well as the time to develop flavour.
Which might sound fancy, but it’s just garlic that’s cooked in oil over a low heat until soft. Why do we have to bother, you ask? Because otherwise the garlic burns too much at the high oven temperature required to crisp the surface of the focaccia. Soft-cooking larger pieces helps protect the garlic. Nobody wants bitter black bits of garlic on their focaccia!
Made with cherry tomatoes, the trick with this is to squish them before pressing them firmly into the dough. This makes the tomatoes soften and stay semi-sunk in the dough, and allows the juices to seep into the crumb (the best part!).
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If you don’t squish, the cherry tomatoes kind of pop out and end up rolling around on the surface of the focaccia… and inevitably across the floor! 😂
Kalamata olives (pitted) make an ideal choice here. I love how juicy and salty they are, and how the deep purple, almost black colour, really stands out against the golden brown surface.
In addition to the above toppings, all focaccia are finished with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt flakes. It’s really worth using sea salt flakes for the surface, rather than cooking / kosher salt so they stay mostly whole as little salty pops rather than dissolving into the bread surface.
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As mentioned above, this focaccia recipe calls for 3 dough rises which takes 1 hr 40 minutes in total. Read more about why it’s worth it and yields a better result – don’t skip it!
Also, it’s worth noting that this is a no-knead bread. The dough is quite sticky, so it’s simply mixed with a spatula!
This is what the underside of the focaccia should look like – a deep golden brown, and beautifully crispy like it’s been fried. Which it practically has been – in all that delicious olive oil!!
Focaccia Bread Recipe
As for how to serve it? This bread is so rich, flavoursome and full of textures that it’s perfect as-is, straight out of the oven. But of course a little final drizzle of olive oil across the surface before slicing up into thick batons certainly won’t go astray …
And though some might think we’re olive oiled-out, providing a saucerful for dunking isn’t such a bad idea either – think like an Italian! 🇮🇹
The focaccia will keep for a few days in an airtight container, but I do recommend reheating before serving. It will reinvigorate it to a near-freshly made state – warm, soft and fluffy on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside.
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Focaccia this delicious and varied can wear many outfits. It’s easily worthy of a party antipasto or appetiser spread. It also makes a great snack or picnic food. Sandwich bread? Toasted for breakfast? For sure. Or, serve it alongside just about everything and anything – especially stews, braises and soups. There is nothing Focaccia doesn’t work with (except, ok, maybe Asian food, you get a pass … !) and your imagination really is the limit with this Italian beauty! – Nagi x
Recipe video above. Forget the pale, too-sweet pillow bread that fuelled the focaccia rage of the 90's. This is how Focaccia should be – crispy on the outside, yet moist and fluffy inside with a little chew. This authentic Italian bread is bursting with character and impossible to stop eating at just one slice!
1. Bread flour – high protein flour especially for bread which yields a chewier, more elastic crumb than using plain/all purpose flour. If making focaccia for company, worth a trip to the store to get it! But it’s still worth making with plain/all-purpose flour. The crumb is just not quite as chewy.
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2. Instant / rapid rise yeast – this is the yeast that doesn’t need to be mixed with warm water and left to foam before using. It is just added straight into the dough. We found this makes the fluffiest focaccia.
3. Potato – All-rounders or floury potatoes are better here than waxy ones. Australia – Sebago (dirt brushed) are great. US: Russet or Yukon Gold. UK: Maris Piper. See my Creamy Mashed Potato post if you need more detail on making mashed potatoes (only follow potato mashing steps, and don’t salt the water – so, no butter or cream! 😉).
4. Sea salt flakes work best for sprinkling across the surface, rather than cooking/kosher salt. Definitely do NOT use table salt– too fine, makes it too salty,
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5. Garlic Rosemary – this is a classic topping option. For this, we need to make Confit Garlic instead of using just raw garlic on the surface because raw garlic burns at the high temp required to bake the focaccia. Confit garlic becomes soft so it wonʼt burn, it will go golden and a bit crisp. The next day, some of it goes jammy which is sooo good!
6. Dough rising: The rate at which dough rises and how much it rises in the times provided depends how warm it is. At 25°C/77°C, the dough will rise by almost double in Rise 1 and Rise 2. Don’t let the dough by much more than double (eg. triple in size) because the yeast may run out of rising power so the focaccia doesnʼt rise as much as it should when baking.
My winter fallback for dough rising: the dryer! Run it (empty!) for a couple of minutes, then put the bowl in and quickly close the door. A warm cosy place for the dough to rise!
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7. Pan – Metal pans will make the crispiest crust, and non-stick is best. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, ensure you oil the pan base evenly and well. It may slightly stick but will still come out. Glass works fairly well too. 9”/23cm round cake pan also works great – see the olive focaccia pictured in post. Better if itʼs not springform as it leaks oil.
Rectangle pan size: For rectangular pans, any pan with a (Length x Width) equal to around 500 – 600 (cm) / 75 – 85 (in), and a Height of around 5 cm / 2 in will work. So a 9-in square pan for example is perfect. Some US product links here, here and here.
8. Dimples: Donʼt be shy with this step – make lots of holes, you cannot ruin it, I promise! They donʼt need to be even, irregular is fine. Most of the holes disappear when baked.
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9. Storage – Focaccia keeps well for a few days sealed in a zip lock bag. I highly recommend reheating in the oven to make the inside soft and fluffy again, and crisp the outside!
10. Making dough ahead – We found this is one bread where letting the dough sit in the fridge for several days (whether to improve flavour or to prep ahead) actually leads to a WORSE focaccia. The dough loses much of its rising power, and results in a much denser bread when cooked. Overnight might be OK, but I did not test this. To be safe it’s best to make this one on the day you plan to serve!
Calories: 265 cal (13%) Carbohydrates: 31 g (10%) Protein: 5 g (10%) Fat: 13 g (20%) Saturated Fat: 2 g (13%) Sodium: 487 mg (21%) Potassium: 123 mg (4%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 3 g (3%) Vitamin A: 1 IU Vitamin C: 4 mg (5%) Calcium: 8 mg (1%) Iron: 1 mg (6%)
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even
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