Focaccia bread is my absolute favorite bread. It tastes nothing like store bought. This is soooooo much better. And best of all it is not difficult to make.
Topping ingredients are optional. Some suggestions, olive oil, garlic, granulated onion, coarse salt, crushed red pepper flakes, rosemary, grated parmesan cheese, basil, Italian spices, oregano to name a few. Customize it to your tastes.
How to make the Best Focaccia Bread
Start off by getting all your ingredients together for the dough. Place the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in mixing bowl and combine on low speed for about 1 minute. Add the olive oil and mix in.
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- Ingredients
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- Mix flour and salt.
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- Add yeast and sugar.
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- Add olive oil and mix.
With the mixer running, slowly start adding the water, you may not need all the water if the dough looks good. Knead on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes (or 10 to 15 minutes if kneading by hand.) Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead about 50 times and shape into a ball.
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- Add water slowly, you may not need it all.
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- Knead for 5-7 minutes by machine, 10-15 minutes by hand.
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- Turn out onto a floured surface.
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- Knead 50 times by hand.
Add some olive oil to a bowl and brush it around to prevent the dough from sticking. Either brush the dough with olive oil like in the video or place the dough in the bowl, seam side up and turn go coat with oil, turn over so the seam side is down. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and set aside in a draft free place for the dough to double in size, about 60-90 minutes.
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- Oil/grease a bowl. Place dough in and turn to coat with oil or oil like shown in video.
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- Cover with plastic wrap.
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- Cover with towel and allow to double in size 60 to 90 minutes.
The dough has doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces. Form each piece into a focaccia loaf round and place on a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet.
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- Double dough.
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- Turn out onto floured surface.
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- Cut into 4 pieces
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- Form dough rounds.
Drizzle the loaves with olive oil. Sprinkle with optional toppings such as garlic, coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt work well too), crushed red pepper flakes (optional). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC.
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- Sprinkle with olive oil.
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- Sprinkle with garlic.
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- Sprinkle with coarse salt (sea salt or kosher is ok)
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- Optionally sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.
After the loaves have doubled in size, sprinkle some fresh rosemary needles. Bake in a preheated oven at 400ºF/205ºC until the focaccia loaves are a golden brown.
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- After the rounds have doubled around 20 minutes, add fresh rosemary on top.
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- Ready for oven. Bake in preheated 400ºF/205ºC oven until golden brown.
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- Best Focaccia Bread
Enjoy!
Best Focaccia Bread Recipe
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Package Active Dry Yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons or ¼ ounce or 7g)
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Warm Water (about 110ºF/44C)
- additional olive oil for bowl
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Drizzling
- 4 Cloves Garlic Thinly Sliced
- to taste Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper (to sprinkle over top)
- to taste Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1½ Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Rosemary
- Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Add the olive oil and mix using dough hook until combined.
- With the mixer running slowly add enough water to form a dough- you may not use all the water, if you need more add more. The amount of water needed depends on how dry the flour is, weather conditions etc.
- Once the dough comes together continue to knead for 5-7 minutes. If kneading by hand that is about 10-15 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand 50 times. Form into a ball.
- Place some olive oil into a bowl, and rubs the side with it, You can rub the dough ball with olive oil and place it into the bowl (or you can place the dough into the bowl and turn the dough to coat), Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel and allow the dough to double in size about 60-90 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 4 pieces and form each piece into a focaccia loaf/round. Place on a parchment lined (or greased) baking sheet,
- Drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt, garlic slices and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the focaccia to double in size, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF/205ºC.
- Sprinkle on the fresh rosemary needles.
- Bake in a preheated 400ºF/205ºC oven until golden brown. 10-20 minutes depending on how thick it is.
Video on How to Make Best Focaccia Bread
