How to Make | Focaccia Bread
Focaccia is Italian for FANTASTIC….okay not really but if you try this recipe you will think so. Focaccia is great with soup, pasta, as sandwich bread, dipped in oil/balsamic vinegar, etc.
Ingredients:
5 cups A/P Flour
1 tbsp Sugar
1 package active dry yeast
2 teaspoons Salt
Coarse Salt for topping
Italian Seasoning for topping
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 ¾ cup warm water
Start by waking up the yeast. Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast to a bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. The yeast will become bubbly and smell like fresh bread.
Add the yeast mixture, A/P flour, ½ cup of olive, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Start on low speed to combine the flour and wet ingredients.
Once combined turn the mixer up to medium speed for 5 minutes. This will be a wet dough.
After 5 minutes dump the dough onto a floured surfaced and kneed by hand for a minute. Coat the sides of the mixing bowl with olive oil and add the dough back to the bowl. Let rise for an hour in a warm place.
Add the remaining ½ cup of olive oil to a 10x15 pan then dump the dough into the pan. Spread the dough to all the corners of the pan and create holes in the dough by spreading your fingers. The holes and craters you create in the dough will add dimension to the focaccia. Let rise in the pan for another hour.
Sprinkle the top with coarse salt and Italian seasoning. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.
Notes: J.Q. Dickinson Heirloom Salt is a great coarse salt for this recipe. You can find this at shopcahomestead.com. This recipe seems like an excessive amount of olive oil but just roll with it and trust me. Don’t panic when the dough seems very wet when you get it out of the mixer. Make sure to flour the surface and your hands well or you will have a mess.
Enjoy,
