Focaccia is a favourite in our family! We love this particular recipe because it makes a spongy, flavourful bread. You can alter the base recipe with the toppings of your choice, including tomatoes, fresh herbs, olives, potatoes, peppers and many more! I have even used this recipe to make focaccia art!
Given how much we love this bread, I thought it would be perfect for my next YouTube video! Below is the video in which I guide you step-by-step through the process of making this bread, as well as the recipe. Enjoy!
Yields:
1 Serving
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 3 Hr 30 Mins
Cook Time:
25 Mins
Total Time:
3 Hr 55 Mins
Amazing Focaccia Bread Made with Yeast
For those of you that want to make amazing homemade Focaccia but don’t have sourdough starter to make the sourdough version, here is a modified recipe that uses commercial yeast. This focaccia has great flavour and an airy, sponge-like crumb! To achieve maximum flavour, the recipe uses a sponge which is put together 8 – 24 hours before you make the dough. I recommend measuring by weight for best results but I have put volume measurements for your reference as well.
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
-
For the Sponge
- For the Dough
Instructions
-
For the Sponge
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, water and yeast. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours and up to 24 hours. For the Dough
- 9:00 am - Add sponge, flour, water and salt to a mixing bowl. Do not add the olive oil at this time. Mix by hand until the dough forms a cohesive mass, then continue kneading the dough using the slap/fold technique until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil to the dough in the mixing bowl. Mix the dough and oil together until the oil is fully absorbed and the dough comes back together, 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a covered container for bulk fermentation.
- 9:15 am - 1:15 pm - Give the dough 4 sets of stretch and folds, starting 30 minutes after mixing, and a set every 30 minutes thereafter. After 4 sets of stretch and folds, transfer the dough to an well olive-oiled, deep 9 x 13 inch rectangular pan.
- Ferment the dough for 2 more hours. During this time gently stretch the dough, with wet hands, toward the corners of the rectangular container. The dough will resist stretching and spring back (especially with the oil underneath), but don't force it — each time you stretch it'll relax a bit more and eventually fill the container.
- 1:15 - let the dough proof, untouched but covered, until it almost fills the pan (1- 2 hours). If you poke it with wet fingers it'll feel extremely soft and jiggly— like poking a marshmallow.This time period is flexible and dependent on the temperature: if it's cooler, it will take longer.
- 2:15 pm - Top and Bake - First, dimple the unadorned dough with wet fingers. Make sure the dimples are evenly spaced and go all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Then, drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of your extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and coarse sea salt. If using other toppings, add them now as well and press them gently into the dough.
- Bake the focaccia in the oven at 450°F (230°C) until deeply colored on top, about 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan front-to-back halfway through this time. Keep an eye on it during the last 5 minutes and pull it out if it's coloring too quickly, or leave it in longer if you'd like it a little darker. Let the focaccia cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. It's fantastic warm from the oven, and best on the day of baking, but it'll keep well for a couple days loosely wrapped in foil (reheat before serving).
