Lazy Focaccia Recipe
Focaccia is far and above the thing I make for my friends the most. This recipe is just a little bit easier than my other recipe, and can also be used for a last minute-ish pizza dough! Makes one 8x8” thick focaccia or 13x18” thin focaccia (a little over a 2 lb loaf any way you bake it).
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Once you make your first loaf of homemade bread, it will feel like a crime to ever buy it from the store. There is something so fundamentally compelling about slicing into freshly baked bread and spreading butter generously while you watch it melt into the chewy crumb. Despite the fact that our ancestors made some type of bread daily for millennia with rudimentary measuring tools (they were truly just going on vibes), making homemade bread intimidates most 21st century people.
Luckily, this is the perfect gateway baking recipe and it could not get any easier. You simply mix the ingredients together, let it rise for a few hours, then transfer to a pan for a second rise, season and bake!
Focaccia is a bread whose origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, and was enjoyed by the working class and slaves. Over time different regions in Italy developed their own versions based on locally available ingredients and techniques.
Knowing how often I make focaccia today, I almost don’t believe myself as I type that I was not introduced to it until I was 22. There may have been a few encounters here and their growing up with store bought versions or the occasional bread basket at a restaurant, but definitely never the homemade stuff (which is superior hands down). I had the opportunity to prepare for a friend’s welcome home party alongside a chef who had just graduated from culinary school, and I was mesmerized with his knowledge of food and the luxurious amount of olive oil he used in preparing the focaccia. I took two main things away from that day: 1) You can never use too much olive oil when making focaccia; and 2) Focaccia is my new favorite bread.
How would you serve the focaccia?
Alongside chicken and vegetables
Serve with any stew or meat that has left over juices that could be mopped up with a hearty chunk of bread
Slice it in half long ways and use it as sandwich bread
Cut into chunks and place it on a charcuterie board
Top with garlic and butter and cheese instead of olive oil and make it into a garlic bread (still use the flakey sea salt)
How does this recipe differ from your other focaccia recipe?
In terms of taste, if you are a focaccia connoisseur like myself you will notice that the bread is more dense and tastes more yeasty, but the texture is still very good. If you haven’t spoiled yourself on the other recipe, I promise you and your guests will still be obsessed with this recipe.
How to make this recipe in advance: Mix it before you go to bed at night, and place it covered in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge and pour into a parchment lined and oiled baking pan. Let the dough relax and spread out for 1-2 hours, an bake as usual. Focaccia is best the same day it is baked.
Troubleshooting tips:
The dough didn’t rise: Usually there’s two reasons for this, either your yeast is too old or you killed the yeast when you added the water. Standard shelf life for yeast is about 6 months, but you can prolong that quite a bit by storing it in the refrigerator (mine is probably over a year old and still going strong). The water can be warm, but not too warm when you add the yeast. When you feel it with your hand, it should just be slightly warmer than body temperature; between 100-110°F (37-43.5°C).
Bottom not browning: This happens to me sometimes too, especially if I’m trying to bake other things in my old tiny oven that isn’t very powerful. About 10 minutes before it’s supposed to be done baking, I check the bottom and move it to the lowest rack to help the bottom brown up a bit if needed.
Looks done but when you cut into it it’s still doughy: Your oven probably runs hot so it baked on the outside more quickly than it could fully bake on the inside. Many ovens are either 25 degrees warm or cool, so buy an oven thermometer to know how your oven tends to run.
Tastes bland: You probably need more flakey sea salt! Don’t be shy, the bread needs the salt to balance it out. If I find I didn’t add enough I’ll often sprinkle on a little more to the spots that look like they didn’t get any salt after baking.
Sticking to the pan: Make sure you use parchment paper to line the pan, it saves you from having to scrape the bread off the pan and makes cleanup a touch easier.
Supplies:
Food scale: Whenever you make bread it’s best to use a food scale to measure the flour to make sure you are precise (flour compacts when it This one is my favorite because it’s rechargable, but this is a good more affordable option as well
Large 5 qt Mixing Bowl: To mix the dough and let it rise
Measuring spoons: to measure the yeast and salt
A fork or danish whisk: to mix the dough
Tea towel: To cover the dough while it rises
Pastry brush: For basting with olive oil after baking
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour: Bread flour or OO flour can also be used for a chewier bread, but I almost always use all purpose.
Instant or Active Dry Yeast: Active Dry yeast needs to be activated in warm water (or other warm liquid), and instant yeast can be added to the flour with out adding to water. If you don’t know what you have then just activate it in the water.
Sea salt: Kosher salt would work here as well. If you’re using table salt, decrease the amount by half.
Lukewarm water:
Olive oil:
Flakey Sea Salt
Other topping combinations: Garlic confit, minced garlic + rosemary, olives + garlic, oil packed sundried tomatoes, cheddar + jalapeños
You can also do a sweet version. My favorite combinations that I’ve seen are blueberry with lemon glaze and cinnamon roll.
METHOD
Mix the dough: If you are using active dry yeast, activate the yeast for 3-5 minutes in the warm water before adding to the flour. Then combine flour, sea salt, water, and yeast to a large bowl and mix together with a fork or Danish whisk.
Cover with a towel and let rise in a cozy spot for 2-5 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line your 8x8 (20x20cm) or 9x9 pan with a sheet of parchment paper. The parchment doesn’t need to cover the sides just the bottom. Drizzle 2-3 tbl of olive oil on the bottom (more if using a half sheet pan) and then add the dough to the pan. Cover and let rise until the dough relaxes into the corners, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you already did a long first rise of three or more hours, then 30 minutes should be enough.
Sprinkle the flakey sea salt and any other toppings over the top of the dough then drizzle the rest of the olive oil. Use 1-2 tbl more if the olive oil is not covering the dough.
Lightly wet your fingertips, and use them to press down into the dough and make the signature focaccia dimples.
Bake in the oven on the center rack for 25-30 minutes until golden brown across the top, and rotate halfway through.
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting, and eat within 3 days.
Notes: For a thinner focaccia, bake in a half sheet pan for 20-25 minutes.
Notes: You can have pizza dough in as soon as two hours with this recipe. To use for pizza dough, let the dough rise for 1 1/2 to 4 hours. Then pour out the dough onto a clean countertop, and divide into 2 large or 4 smaller dough balls. Sprinkle the dough with flour, and use the pink side of your hands to gently tuck in the edges of the dough, rotating as you go. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before using more flour to spread out the pizza dough. If the dough springs back, let it rest for about 10 mintues before trying again. I like to spread the dough on parchment paper for easy transfer to the pizza pan. Top with desired toppings and bake for 15-22 minutes as hot as your oven will go (500-550°F or 260-290°C). If you don’t want to use all of the dough at once, you can put in a plastic bag and freeze for up to one month or the fridge for up to three days.
Recipe very lightly adapted from Alexandra Stafford’s book Bread Toast Crumbs.
Lazy Focaccia Recipe
Recipe can be made in as soon as 3 1/2 hours or you can do an overnight rise in the fridge. No kneading or folds needed for this chewy salty bread perfect for sandwiches or dipping.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Activate the yeast for 3-5 minutes in warm water before adding if using active dry yeast. Add dough ingredients to a large bowl and mix.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a cozy spot for 2-5 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prepare and 8x8 or 9x9 pan with a sheet of parchment paper. It doesn’t need to cover the sides just the bottom. Drizzle 2-3 tbl of olive oil on the bottom and then add the dough to the pan. Cover and let rise until the dough relaxes into the corners, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Sprinkle the flakey sea salt over the top of the dough then drizzle the rest of the olive oil. Use 1-2 tbl more if the olive oil is not covering the dough. If you are adding other toppings, add them now.
- Lightly wet your fingers and use them to press down into the dough and make dimples.
- Bake in the oven on the center rack for 25 minutes until golden brown across the top, and rotate halfway through.
- Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting, and eat within 3 days.
Notes
- See blog notes for directions on using this dough for pizza dough
- For a thinner focaccia, bake in a half sheet pan for 20-25 minutes.
- Recipe very lightly adapted from the pizza dough recipe in Alexandra Stafford’s book Bread Toast Crumbs
