This dense and filling bread has tons of uses. And it's also delicious on its own! This bread tastes like it just came from a professional bakery, but it doesn't take much effort to make!
* This recipe was updated with a slightly different method and new photos
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What is focaccia bread?
Focaccia bread is a flat, dimpled Italian bread. It's typically used as sandwich bread or as a side for dipping in soups. But focaccia bread has a lot of different uses!
I would classify this bread somewhere in between a pizza dough and a no knead bread. It doesn't take as much kneading as most traditional yeast doughs.
All you have to do is work the dough a bit to make it smooth and you're all set! Most of the time spent on this bread is inactive.
Focaccia variations:
This recipe is just a plain focaccia bread, which means it's very versatile! Aside from the usual sandwich making and soup dipping, focaccia bread can just be served plain. While it's delicious plain, there are a lot of different toppings you can add to this bread.
Some ways to spice up this focaccia bread include:
• Herb focaccia: Make a thyme or rosemary focaccia. Or top this bread with Italian seasoning, oregano, basil (or any other type of herb you like) before baking off and enjoying!
• Focaccia pizza: Bake focaccia halfway. Take it out of the oven and top with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on the bottom.
• Garlic focaccia: Heat some of the olive oil with garlic to infuse the flavor. Top the focaccia with the garlic olive oil and bake.
• Sesame focaccia: Top the focaccia with some sesame seeds before baking off. For added flavor, lightly toast the seeds before topping!
• Salty focaccia: Keep it simple and top the focaccia with some flaky sea salt before baking!
Focaccia storage: How to keep focaccia fresh:
The only downside to focaccia bread is that it doesn't have much of a shelf life at room temperature (but that's common with homemade bread). It does start to get stale after about one or two days out.
If you don't plan on finishing your focaccia within 1 day, I recommend keeping it in the freezer.
Storing focaccia in the fridge: Wrap focaccia tightly in plastic wrap, or place in a heavy duty plastic bag, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Storing focaccia in the freezer: Place cooled focaccia in a freezer bag, push as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal. Store focaccia frozen for up to 2 months.
When you want to enjoy it, let the focaccia defrost at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Warm in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes before serving.
Alternatively, defrost focaccia in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes and continue to heat for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until defrosted and warmed through.
Check out some of these other bread recipes!
• braided garlic bread
• homemade pizza dough
• soft dinner rolls
• homemade sandwich bread
• garlic knots
• Dutch oven no knead bread
Focaccia Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water, between 105°F and 110°F
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 & ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry or instant yeast
- 2 & ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir to combine, and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes or until the surface of the water becomes bubbly and foamy.
- Add flour, salt, and ¼ cup of olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes or until it's smooth and soft. This doesn't take too long so it's easy to do by hand, but you can also use an electric mixer. If the dough is too sticky, add in more flour as needed to get a slightly tacky, but not sticky, dough.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of a large bowl. Place dough in the bowl and toss to coat in the oil. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the oil to coat the base fully. Transfer the dough into the baking dish. Stretch the dough out to the sides of the baking dish. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place again for 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Uncover the dough, and use your fingers to make dimples on the surface of the dough. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough (about 2 tablespoons). Bake the dough in the center of a preheated 375°F oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Take the dough out of the oven and allow it to cool slightly to handle. Slice and serve.
Video
Enjoy!
