Focaccia is so comforting and delicious!

Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread that can be used as a side for many meals or as sandwich bread! Mine was so good it was gone within a few minutes😋 It tastes so nice with pesto! You can make Wild Garlic Pesto using my recipe – click here.

Focaccia

Vegulicious

This is a basic recipe for focaccia, you can serve it with pesto or dip it in a good quality olive oil.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 45

Baking Time: 25

Total Time 2 10

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Equipment

baking tray 40cm x 30cm

Ingredients

600 g white spelt flour or wheat flour or italian pizza flour type 0
30 g fresh yeast, crumbled or 3 tsp dried instant yeast (12 g)
380 g warm water
20 g olive oil plus extra for greasing
1 pinch sugar
1 tsp salt

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the sugar and yeast, then add three tablespoons of flour. Stir until the yeast and sugar dissolve, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave it for 20 minutes. You should notice a foam on the top of the mixture - that is absolutely normal.
Add the salt. Then add the flour slowly and gradually, kneading constantly with your hand. Finally, add the oil and stir until combined.
Keep kneading vigorously for about 5 minutes - until you have a smooth, springy and soft dough.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Transfer the dough into a prepared baking tray. Make sure to oil your fingers, otherwise the dough will be stick to your fingers – which is pretty annoying!
With oiled hands form the dough into a round shape and cover it with a large bowl or cling film, let it rise for approx. 1 hour in a warm place.
Meanwhile prepare your toppings and don’t forget to preheat the oven to 220°C
After approx. 1-hour check if the dough is ready.
To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready yet.
When the dough is ready, spread with oiled fingers so it covers the whole baking tray.
Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, just like if you were playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough-place your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan.
Leave for a further 20 minutes.
Add your toppings.
Toppings can include:
- olive oil, sea salt flakes and fresh rosemary
- olive oil, sea salt flakes, oregano and olives
- olive oil, sea salt flakes and cherry tomatoes (for tomatoes to stay in the place squish tomatoes before pressing them firmly into the dough)
- olive oil, sea salt flakes, garlic and fresh rosemary (Note: Fresh garlic will burn if placed on the dough so fry chopped garlic in oil over low heat until it is soft)
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (or until golden)
Cool down before serving!