Focaccia is an Italian flat bread that you just can’t have enough of. Every time I teach a class on Italian cooking, I make this bread to welcome students to my class. This is, without doubt, one of my most requested recipes. When students in one of my recent classes asked if they could find the recipe on my blog, I realized that this recipe had yet to be posted. So, today I had to share this foolproof recipe for focaccia with sea salt and fresh herbs!
Focaccia is similar to pizza, but it requires much more leavening and a longer rising time. As a result, the dough is not dense, but soft. It rises much higher than a pizza does and, because of its texture, it can absorb large amount of olive oil–which is a good thing. Also, whereas pizza’s origin is southern Italy, focaccia is a bread of northern Italy.
The toppings for focaccia can be as simple as just a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, or, as elaborate as sautéed vegetables, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and cheeses. The bread is usually cut into small squares and offered as part of an antipasto course. Focaccia is also one of the most beloved Italian sandwich breads, split in half and filled with tomatoes, salami, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, arugula or your own favorites. This recipe makes a lot of focaccia; make it all, as this is a real crowd pleaser and will disappear fast!
- 1¾ cups warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 TBSP. sugar
- 5 cups bread flour or pizza flour
- 1 TBSP. sea salt
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup fresh herbs, finely chopped (thyme & rosemary)
- --- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
- --- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside in a warm place until the yeast is forming small bubbles, about 10 minutes.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, the sea salt, ½ cup of the olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 3 more minutes on a medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. If the dough feels sticky and tacky, sprinkle it with some more flour.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary.
- Coat the inside of the mixing bowl lightly with some olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
- Coat a large pan (13” x 18” x 1” jelly roll pan) with ¼ cup of the remaining olive oil. Alternatively, coat three 9” cake pans or cast iron skillets with olive oil.
- Put the dough onto the pan (or the three smaller pans) and begin pressing it out and stretching it to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. Put the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Sprinkle liberally the top of the focaccia with the chopped herbs, some coarse sea salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using) and lightly drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Bake it until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven, place on a rack and let it cool. Cut in small squares and serve.
-- Bread flour or Pizza flour (“00”) will be easier to work with, but unbleached all-purpose flour can be used too.
-- The focaccia can be topped with a variety of herbs and wonderful Italian cheeses. Favorite combinations are Gorgonzola picante, garlic and fresh thyme or red onion ribbons, olives and oregano. Spread the toppings on the focaccia about five to eight minutes before it is ready to come out of the oven.
Social Media: People ask me often if Marilenaskitchen.com is on Facebook. The answer is no, but you can find me on Instagram – a better fit for my food blog and my food photography.
If you are on Instagram, click below to see one of my very first videos, where I show how to dimple the focaccia. It was shot long time ago by my youngest son, and surprisingly enough, it got a lot of attention with over 20,000 views, as of today!
I just absolutely LOVE your breads, and I can attest for anyone wondering, your Foccacia has no rival. Chef’s assistants at Culinaria fight to work your bread classes…. Will you adopt me? 🙂
Thank you so much Cindy! I can’t believe it that I had not posted this recipe on the blog yet! I am glad it is now up and I can share it with all bread lovers out there!
Another focaccia lover right here 😉 . Yours look really good, with beautiful pictures, as always 🙂 . I like making foaccia, even in the thinner crispier version. It takes some time but it’s worth the while. I like herbs and sea salt too! (and sometimes I tuck few cherry tomatoes and olives in the pockets 🙂 p.s. Following you on IG, now!
Hi Nicoletta,
Thank you for your note and your comments. Yes, this is one of my favorite breads! It is a very easy recipe – it just requires some time to rest and rise, that’s all. Thank you for following me on IG too!
Marilena
We tried this in class and it was AMAZING. I cannot wait to make it myself! I’ll let you know how it goes (although I don’t think it will be as good as yours!).
I am so glad you liked my focaccia in class Taylor! You should definitely make it at home and let me know how it goes…It is a super easy recipe, especially if you have a stand mixer that you can use – it will do all the work for you!