Kennedy Family Recipes

Focaccia Bread

Baked Good

Dairy-Free

Soy-Free

Focacia bread is flat, oven-baked Italian bread that is absolutely delicious. It's also a relatively easy bread to make and is good for beginner bakers.

Focaccia bread is baked with olive oil, which gives it a wonderful flavor and creates a crispy crust to the top and sides of the bread. Focaccia bread can be topped with all sorts of herbs and vegetables, but I think the classic toppings of rosemary and sea salt are the best.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons of Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 cups of Warm Water (about 100 degrees (Fahrenheit))
  • 1 teaspoon of Granulated Sugar
  • 500g of All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons of Sea Salt
  • 4 Tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • ...any additional toppings (sea salt, rosemary)...

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, add the yeast, warm water, and sugar.
  2. In a small bowl, add the flour and salt. Mix to combine.
  3. Wait for bubbles and foam to appear in the bowl with the yeast.
  4. Pour the flour and salt into the large bowl with the yeast and mix together with a spatula. Make sure to mix it well so there is no flour left at the bottom of the bowl. (Note: the dough should be a very sticky)
  5. Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil, roll the dough around to coat the dough in olive oil.
  6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 2 hours (the dough should double in size).
  7. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a non-stick oven dish (9×13 inches).
  8. Transfer the dough into the oven dish using a spatula. Carefully stretch the dough into the shape of the oven dish.
  9. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and leave to proof again at room temperature for 1 to 1.5 hours.
  10. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees (Fahrenheit).
  11. Drizzle olive oil on the top of the dough.
  12. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples all over the top of the dough.
  13. Sprinkle the desired toppings (sea salt, rosemary).
  14. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until nicely golden brown.
  15. Once the bread comes out of the oven, transfer the bread to a cooling rack.
  16. Slice the bread after about 10 minutes of cooling. Enjoy!

Tips

  • This recipe does not work with a stand mixer, like most bread recipes. The dough only needs to be mixed to make sure all the flour is incorporated with the liquid.
  • This bread recipe requires two stages of proofing the bread. The first proof should be about 1.5 to 2 hours. The second proof should be 30-35 minutes.
  • It may seem like there is a lot of olive oil on the dough (before it goes into the oven), but that olive oil gives the bread a crunchy exterior and a wonderful flavor. I would recommend added sea salt on top of the dough, even if you don't want to add any other toppings.
  • This focaccia bread goes so well with your favorite cheese.
  • This recipe is inspired by the No Knead Focaccia Bread recipe from my favorite recipe creators: Cooking with Ayeh.