sliced focaccia

Focaccia

A simple dough of flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil is kneaded and allowed to rise before being stretched into a thick, flat loaf. The surface is dimpled with fingertips and drizzled with olive oil, then sprinkled with coarse salt, herbs, or other toppings. Baking produces a golden, slightly crisp exterior while keeping the interior airy and soft.

During baking, the olive oil and dimples help create a moist, flavorful crust, while the dough rises to develop light, open crumbs inside. The preparation emphasizes gentle handling, proper fermentation, and topping placement to achieve a rustic, aromatic Italian bread with tender, airy texture and characteristic dimpled surface.

Print Recipe
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
Bread
Italian
Servings: 12

Equipment

  • 9″x13″ metal baking pan
  • large mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 500 g bread flour
  • 12 g (2 tsp.) instant yeast
  • 1 tsp. honey or sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 400 mL warm (110°F) water
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions 

Mix

  • Combine water, yeast, and sugar or honey in a large bowl.
  • Combine flour and salt separately and add to the liquid.
  • Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and fold together thoroughly.
  • Cover the bowl of dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
    mixed focaccia dough

Slap & Fold

  • After 15 minutes, wet your hands, then fold and slap the dough by grabbing the edge of the dough ball, stretching it out and shaking it, then folding it back down to the center of the bowl. Work your way around the bowl, stretching and folding the dough, until you’ve worked all the way around. Re-wet your hands if they begin to stick to the dough.
    folding and slapping focaccia dough
  • Pick the ball of dough up out of the bowl, flip it toward you and slap it back down into the bowl. Repeat this slap a couple of times until the dough is formed over into a ball.
    folded dough
  • Repeat this step three more times, every 15 minutes, until an hour has passed since you originally mixed up the dough and set it to rest.
    focaccia dough after folding and slapping four times
  • After the final fold and slap, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for an hour until the dough doubles in size. It should have bubbles beginning to form under the surface of the wet dough.
    risen focaccia dough

Transfer & Rest

  • Liberally coat a 9×13 non-stick metal baking pan with olive oil (about 3 Tbsp.).
  • Oil both of your hands to work with the dough.
  • Dump the dough out into the oiled baking pan and gently press out the dough across the bottom of the pan.
  • Fold the ends of the dough back toward the center in order to square off the ends of the dough.
  • Spin the dough 90°, press out, and fold the edges in to form a rectangle.
  • Flip the dough over to thoroughly coat both sides with olive oil and press flat. Don’t worry about filling the pan, you’re just looking for a rectangular shape.
    focaccia dough shaped in the pan to rest
  • Cover the baking pan (with another baking pan of the same size if you have it is the easiest way) and let it rise for 30-45 minutes. I usually leave it for 45 minutes. “They” say don’t let it over-rise but I don’t know what that means.
    focaccia dough after final rise

Form & Bake

  • Pre-heat the oven to 500°F. Set the bottom rack of the oven one notch above the bottom, about 6 inches.
  • Oil your hands with olive oil and using all the fingers of both hands, press the dough out into the corners of the baking pan. Work it gently, shaking the dough side to side as you spread your fingers to shape the dough.
  • Move your hands down the pan, pulling the dough down and out toward the sides of the pan. Don’t worry about making it look pretty, just spread the dough out.
    pressed focaccia dough
  • If you are adding any additional toppings, such as rosemary, garlic, olives, grape tomatoes, etc., press them down into the spread out dough. Since the focaccia bakes at a high heat, soak any herbs in water for 10 minutes. You can optionally cover soft ingredients like garlic slivers or tomatoes in olive oil before pressing them into the dough to help keep them from burning.
  • Spread out all the fingers of both hands and press them down into the dough near one end of the pan. Press all the way down, but don’t puncture the bottom of the dough. Move your fingers down, leaving about a finger width and press down again.
  • Finish the focaccia by working your way down the pan, pressing holes into the dough to make the familiar stippled shape.
  • Once the dough is shaped, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil across the top, sprinkle with coarse or flaked salt..
    ready-to-bake focaccia
  • Lightly sprinkle water across the top of the dough.
  • Place the pan on the bottom rack positioned about 6” from the bottom of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes at 500°F. Check and continue baking for up to 5 minutes until the top is browned to your liking.
    finished focaccia

Notes

  • If the bottom browns too much, cut a strip of parchment paper the width of the pan and place it in the bottom, well oiled, before adding the dough. This will keep the bottom from over-crisping and make it very easy  to remove from the baking pan.
  • Convection oven at 450 for 25 min?