Focaccia recipe

Make focaccia with a few readily available ingredients. Here are the proportions, steps and tips for baking and serving it.

Ingredients

500 g wheat flour
400 ml water
7 g instant yeast
10 g salt
40 ml olive oil
Rosemary
Coarse salt

Step-by-step preparation

Mix the flour, yeast, water and salt. Add half the olive oil, mix and leave covered for 20 minutes.
Fold the dough several times with wet hands, then leave to rise for about an hour.
Transfer to a greased tin about 25 x 35 cm and gently stretch it out. Leave for 30 minutes.
Drizzle with the remaining oil, make dimples with your fingers and sprinkle with rosemary and salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 230°C.

Time and servings

Allow 25 minutes of active preparation, plus rising and baking time. Serves 8.

Tips and variations

The dough is wet, so dampen your hands when folding it.
Do not rush the stretching. If the dough shrinks back, let it rest.
Add olives or cherry tomatoes before baking.

Working with wet dough

Focaccia is an Italian yeast bread with a soft interior and a golden surface. The generous amount of water in this recipe makes the dough sticky and looser than ordinary bread dough. It does not need to form a ball straight away. Mix until no dry flour remains, then let it rest and fold with wet hands.

To fold it, take one edge, gently stretch it and bring it towards the centre. Turn the bowl and repeat with the other edges. The movements should stretch the dough without tearing it. If it sticks badly, wet your hands again. Cover the bowl while the dough rises to keep its surface from drying out. This stage is complete when the dough has noticeably increased in volume and looks airy. It may need longer in a cool kitchen.

Oil the tin, including the sides. This makes the bread easier to remove and helps the base brown. Transfer the dough gently to retain its air, then stretch it towards the corners. If it springs back, leave it for a few minutes and try again. There is no need for a rolling pin. Cover the tin and wait until the dough looks puffy again.

Dimpling, toppings and baking

Before baking, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dough. Press damp or oiled fingers deeply into it to create dimples across the surface. Oil will collect in the hollows and the edges will turn golden. Sprinkle with rosemary and a little coarse salt. If the rosemary sprigs are large, remove the leaves to make the bread easier to slice.

Drain olives well, and halve cherry tomatoes before gently pressing them into the dough. Do not crowd them: too many moist toppings can make the centre difficult to bake through. You can also bake focaccia with just oil and salt and choose herbs to suit the meal. Preheat the oven before putting in the tin. After the stated time, check that the top is golden and the base is baked; leave it in for a few more minutes if needed.

After removing the focaccia from the oven, wait briefly, then transfer it to a wire rack so steam does not collect underneath. Cut into pieces and serve with soup or salad, or use as a sandwich base. Keep completely cooled bread in a closed container. If freezing portions, separate them before packing so they are easy to take out. Warm thawed pieces briefly in the oven.

How to tell when focaccia is done

The top and base should be golden, with a soft, airy centre when cut. If the surface is already dark but the base is still pale, move the tin lower in the oven and bake for a few more minutes, watching the colour. Baking too long can dry out the crumb. Let the bread rest briefly before cutting so steam does not condense on the board. For sandwiches, slice a thicker piece horizontally and add your chosen fillings once cool. Thin pieces work well with sauce or soup.