This is my favorite focaccia recipe – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and I like to top it with olive oil, garlic, and salt for the ultimate flavor. It tastes so good warm from the oven with some butter spread on it.
Last week Erez had a cooking competition at work, and he was gonna make his specialty, pizza. I told him it wasn’t a good idea, because by the time he gets there it would get cold, and cold pizza isn’t fun. He pretended not to hear me and was already in the process of making a huge amount of dough. But he came back later that day with his victory face, holding the second prize in his hand and proving to me once again that sometimes, although very rarely, I can be wrong. I always claimed his pizza dough recipe is the best one I know, but after he won a 2-day retreat to a spa hotel, my love for his pizza reached a whole new level.
Lately he’s been playing with dough recipes to make all sorts of pizzas like Nutella pizza or apple caramel pizza. I’ve taught him well. His recent obsession though is with focaccias and breads. He bakes perfect bakery-like breads on a weekly basis now, and if I’d known he’d do that 8 years ago when he first asked me out, I would never have been able to even consider saying no.
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My Favorite Focaccia Recipe
This is the simplest but most perfect homemade focaccia if you ask me. One bite and you’ll quickly gain 5 pounds. It’s addictive. It is quite thin, which is how I like my focaccia – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Make sure to serve it warm, it won’t be as soft at room temperature.
Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g/10 oz) bread flour, sifted (or all-purpose flour)
- ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast (or 1 teaspoon, for softer, thicker focaccia)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (180 ml) warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the topping:
- Olive oil
- Coarse sea salt
- Garlic cloves , fresh rosemary, or your favorite topping
Instructions
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Place flour and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix until combined. Stir in salt. Attach the dough hook to the mixer. Add water and olive oil to the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until dough comes together, 2-3 minutes. Continue mixing for another 7 minutes on low-medium speed until dough is completely smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be slightly sticky, but if it feels too sticky, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, or if it feels too dry, add more water.
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Place dough in a large bowl brushed with oil, and toss to coat (the fat will keep the dough from drying out). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place or on the counter for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can place dough in the fridge overnight or for up to 24 hours. If refrigerated, before using the dough, place the bowl at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to reach room temperature.
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Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Set oven rack to the lowest position and place a baking stone on the rack. If you don’t have a baking stone, use an upturned baking sheet instead.
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After the dough has risen, punch it just slightly to remove air. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each piece of the dough into a very thin round or oval shape using your fingertips (similar to shaping pizza dough). You can also use a rolling pin to roll the dough if this step is hard for you. I like thin authentic focaccias so I roll them into ½-cm thickness, but if you prefer thick focaccias, roll them thicker. Using a fork, poke surface of dough 20-30 times to create little holes. This creates the characteristic holes in focaccia (that I forgot doing this time, so you won't see it in the photos). Transfer dough carefully to parchment paper. Brush or drizzle the entire surface with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and any other topping you like (except for the garlic if using).
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Slide parchment paper with the focaccia onto a pizza peel (if you don’t have a pizza peel, use a large flat plate or baking pan, or cutting board), then slide onto the baking stone. Be careful when you open your oven; it will be very hot.
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Bake for 7 minutes, open the oven door and sprinkle with garlic. Continue baking for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. To remove the focaccias from the oven, slide parchment paper with the foccacia back onto the peel. Let cool slightly and serve warm.
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M Maria says
Is it possible to use active dry yeast instead of instant?
And can I make the dough in advance and keep it in the freezer? Thank you.
Shiran says
Yes, you can use the same amount of active dry yeast. You’ll need to mix the 3/4 cup water with the active yeast and let this mixture stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Then add the water mixture when the recipe says to add the water.
Emma says
Hi~ Shiran : ) can I use this recipe but with no yeast?! is that still work?! ( i had been wrote same question on instagram few days ago… but that’s totally ok if here is more convenience for you^^)
Shiran says
Hi Emma, yeast is necessary for the success of this recipe and other bread recipes, so it can’t be omitted.
Filomena Centeno says
Hi Shira
thank you for your recipe! Have you a vÃdeo of this recipe?
thank you
Shiran says
I don’t have a video for this recipe yet, sorry!
sienna tognon says
IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS WITHOUT A STAND MIXER?
Paul Watson says
Yes, I used a hand mixer with dough hooks no problem.
Martha says
I would like to know as well. I don’t have a stand mixer.
Shiran says
You can knead the dough by hand, it would just take some extra work! Search on Google how you can do that.
Miri says
I doubled the recipe and made this for an Italian themed dinner. It was great!