Here is an easy method for making Focaccia Bread with a crunchy crust outside, soft-yet-chewy inside, and most importantly, the ever coveted biggest airiest bubbles. No scale, no stand mixer required. And if you want, and who doesn't want? The option to add toppings to make it pissaladiere-style, a type of pizza/tart with caramelized onions, olives, and most importantly, anchovies! Shall we?
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Ingredients You Need for Focaccia with Big Bubbles
For the Focaccia in a 9x13-inch pan for a flatter, rectangle loaf, or 9x9-inch for a taller square loaf:
- Active dry yeast, 1 ¼-ounce package, ~7 grams
- Warm water, 2 tablespoons between 80-100³F
- Water, 2 cups ~470 grams
- Olive oil 1 tablespoon ~15 grams, plus more for the pan and drizzling
- All-purpose flour 4 cups ~560 grams
- Sea salt 2 teaspoons ~10 grams
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Flaky sea salt and fresh herbs optional for topping plain focaccia (without the Pissaladiere-style toppings below).
For the Caramelized Onions, Olives, and Anchovy "Pissaladiere" topping:
- Onions 2-3 large yellow or white, sliced ¼-inch thick and lightly caramelized
- Olives, 1 cup
- Anchovies, 12-14 fillets
- Sea salt
Best Topping Ideas for Focaccia Bread
A beautifully bronzed, bubbly Focaccia Bread doesn’t need anything beyond a perfect dusting of big flaky sea salt, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to add toppings to make it into something more. Focaccia's relatively short bake time makes it an ideal blank canvas for ingredients that bake right into its dimpled surface.
- fresh herbs, particularly the sturdier ones like rosemary, sage, and thyme are common, though tender herbs like basil and parsley are best left to sprinkle on after the bread is baked
- roasted garlic and garlic confit are amazing
- cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers in summer
- melty cheese will basically turn your focaccia bread into a type of thick-crust pizza!
And of course, once a Focaccia Bread is fully baked, you can top it with just about anything else from fresh arugula greens to smoked salmon slices!
In addition to the "pissaladière" style above, here are some of the best combinations that we've made and loved at home:
- 1 whole head of roast garlic cloves dimpled into the bread, then brushed with garlic butter immediately after baking
- brush with marinara sauce, caramelized onions anchovies and capers dimpled into the bread, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, garnish with oregano after baking
- paper-thin slices of yukon gold potato, fresh rosemary, shredded cheese
- pear slices, mild blue cheese, drizzle with hot honey after baking
Ingredients Notes and Resources for Focaccia Bread
Active Dry Yeast. Active dry yeast is a dehydrated form of baker’s yeast, sold as dehydrated granules in small standardized pre-measured packets or larger jars. I use packets because I don't bake often enough to justify buying whole jars. Red Star and Fleischmann’s are available in packets and have been reliable for me. SAF and Bob’s Red Mill are well-known among bread bakers for consistent performance and strong fermentation (bubbliness!), though I have seen them only in larger bags or jars.
Water. Water is normally not an ingredient that gets called out, but for bread, it does deserve some attention for the temperature. To dissolve the yeast in water and check for activity, it is helpful for the water to be 80°-100°F. Nothing bad will happen if the water is a little too cold, it will just take longer, but if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
Flour. I use Bob's Red Mill organic all-purpose white flour.
Olive Oil. The olive oil here is more for consistency and texture, not necessarily for strong flavor, so use an everyday olive oil like California Olive Ranch.
Salt. Use a coarse sea salt or kosher salt. I use this sea salt or this kosher salt. If you only have regular table salt, which is a very fine grind, use half the amount in the dough, and add more of the flaky sea salt as the topping.
Flaky sea salt. These are the big visible flakes of salt that have a satisfying crunch when you bite into them. This is the only brand I use. Costco has large tubs of this for a greta price!
For Pissaladière style Focaccia:
Olives. I like Castelveltrano olives, which are big, bright green olives that are milder in flavor than some of the others. Traditionally, pissaladiere is made with small dark, brinier olives like French Nicoise or kalamata olives.
Anchovies. Anchovies are a hallmark of pissaladière. Use the highest quality anchovies you can afford. I like this brand, especially since they're packaged in jars that you can close and put back in the fridge. Recently, I've tried these anchovies in a tin which are good, too.
What Size/Type of Pan Do You Use for Focaccia Bread?
This recipe for Focaccia Bread bakes in a 9x13 rectangular baking pan.
You can also use a 9x9 square baking pan for a slightly taller bread.
How to Make Focaccia with Big Bubbles
Make Focaccia with Big Airy Bubbles
In a bowl, combine ¼-ounce package active dry yeast and 2 tablespoons warm water, stir to dissolve and let sit until you see it foaming, about 15 minutes. If it doesn’t bubble, your yeast is not alive and you need to start with new yeast.
Once the yeast has started to bubble, add all the remaining 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 cups flour, and 2 teaspoons sea salt to the bowl and stir until a shaggy, sticky dough forms in the bowl, about 15-20 turns with a spoon or 2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and set aside in a warm-ish part of your kitchen for 30 minutes.
Pro-tip: If your room temperature is particularly cool/cold, turn on the light in your oven (but not the heat) and place the bowl inside with the door closed. The oven light will warm the small space enough for your dough.
After 30 minutes of resting, uncover the dough (save the plastic wrap!). The dough will have expanded slightly. Dip your hands in water to keep the dough from sticking. Gently pick up the far end of the dough out of the bowl doing so slowly and gently to avoid tearing the dough. Fold the dough over itself toward you. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat the stretch and fold of the dough. Turn the bowl, stretch, and fold the dough two more times for a total of four folds. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
Repeat the stretch and fold process three more times at 30-minute intervals, for a total of four folds. From the first to last stretch-and-fold, you will have spent 1½ hours.
Rise and Ferment ~18-48 hours
Lightly slick the top of the dough with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, using your hands to brush the oil over the entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight, for at least 18 hours, and up to 48 hours.
Or, if you want a quicker result, you can skip the cold rise/fermentation in the fridge completely. Instead, you can simply allow the dough to sit one last time at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes.
Bake Focaccia Bread ~ 2-4 hours final rise, 20 min to bake
Remove bowl from refrigerator. The Focaccia dough should have big, airy bubbles! Do 1 full set of four stretches and folds on the dough in the bowl. It's ok if some of the bubbles pop.
Drizzle baking pan with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and brush to evenly cover the entire surface.
Slide the dough out into the oiled pan. It will not fill the pan yet. That’s ok. Cover the pan and set aside at room temeprature for at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours. The dough will come to room temperature, spread and rise.
After 2-4 hours, pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
Uncover the pan. Coat your hands with olive oil and stretch the dough gently toward the edges of the pan without tearing the dough. The dough may not reach all the way to the edges. That’s ok.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Press your fingertips straight down through the top surface of the dough to the bottom of the pan to create dimples all over.
Add Topping: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and press optional toppings that are coated with a little olive oil into the dough, if using.
Pissaladière-style: If you are making it pissaladière style, cover the top of the focaccia with caramelized onions, dot with olives pressing the olives firmly into the dough, and then evenly scatter anchovy fillets over top.
Bake the Focaccia Bread for 20-25 minutes until deeply golden brown.
Remove baked Focaccia Bread from the oven. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out of pan and continue to cool for at least another 10 minutes before cutting.
Tools and Equipment You Need
As I always say, you don't need any special equipment to make almost any recipe. However, that's not to say there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it a LOT easier to get Focaccia Bread from your pantry to plate.
- 9x13 Baking Pan. This will make a large rectangle focaccia bread.
- 9x9 Square Baking Pan. If you bake in a 9x9 square pan, your focaccia bread will be a little taller.
- Glass Mixing Bowl. You need a medium to large mixing bowl. I like glass because it's heavy, so it stays in place when you pull the dough from it during the stretch-and-fold process. Also, you can see the bubbles in the dough from the side, so satisfying!
- Angled Liquid Measuring Cups.
- Measuring Cups.
- Measuring Spoons
- Cast Iron Skillet. I have had this enamel-covered 10-inch cast iron skillet for years and I have never used anything else because I love it.
Focaccia Recipe, with Pissaladiere-style options
Ingredients
For the Focaccia Bread
- 1 ¼-ounce package active dry yeast ~ 2¼ teaspoons or 7 grams
- 2 cups water ~ 470 grams, "sunny day" warm, between 80-100³F
- 1 tablespoon olive oil ~ 15 grams, plus more for the pan and drizzling
- 4 cups all-purpose flour fluffed with a fork, and leveled in measuring cup ~ 560 grams
- 2 teaspoons sea salt ~ 10 grams
- chopped rosemary or other sturdy fresh herbs, coated in olive oil optional
For the Onion, Olive, Anchovy "Pissaladière" Topping
- 2-3 large yellow or white onions sliced ¼-inch thick and lightly caramelized
- 1 cup Castelveltrano olives pitted, or any briny type you like
- 12-14 fillets anchovies from one tin
- sea salt
Instructions
Prepare Dough ~ 35 minutes
- In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, combine ¼-ounce package active dry yeast and 2 tablespoons of the water, stir to dissolve and let sit until you see it foaming, about 15 minutes. If it doesn’t bubble, your yeast is not alive and you need to start with new yeast.
- Once the yeast has started to bubble, add the remaining water from the 2 cups, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 cups flour, and 2 teaspoons sea salt to the bowl and stir until a shaggy, sticky dough forms in the bowl, about 15-20 turns with a spoon or 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and set aside in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold Series, ~ 1½ hours
- After 30 minutes of resting, uncover the dough; save the plastic wrap. The dough will have expanded slightly. Dip your hands in water to keep the dough from sticking. Gently pick up the far end of the dough out of the bowl doing so slowly and gently to avoid tearing the dough. Fold the dough over itself toward you. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat the stretch and fold of the dough. Turn the bowl, stretch, and fold the dough two more times for a total of four folds. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold process 3 more times at 30-minute intervals, for a total of 4 folds. From the first to last stretch-and-fold, you will have spent 1½ hours.
Rise and Ferment ~18-48 hours
- Lightly slick the top of the dough with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge overnight, for at least 18 hours, and up to 48 hours.
- Or, if you want a quicker result, you can skip the cold rise/fermentation in the fridge completely. Instead, you can simply allow the dough to sit one last time at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes.
Bake Focaccia Bread ~ 2½ -4½ hours
- Remove bowl from refrigerator. Do 1 full set of four stretches and folds on the dough in the bowl.
- Drizzle 9x13 pan with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, and brush to evenly cover the entire surface.
- Slide the dough out into the oiled pan. It will not fill the pan yet. That’s ok. Cover the pan and set aside for at least 2 hours, up to 4 hours. The dough will come to room temperature, spread and rise.
- After 2-4 hours, pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
- Uncover the pan. Coat your hands with olive oil and stretch the dough gently toward the edges of the pan without tearing the dough. The dough may not reach all the way to the edges. That’s ok.
- Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Press your fingertips straight down through the top surface of the dough to the bottom of the pan to create dimples all over. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and chopped herbs that are coated with a little olive oil if using.
- Pissaladière-style: If you are making it pissaladière style, cover the top of the focaccia with caramelized onions, dot with olives pressing the olives firmly into the dough, and then evenly scatter anchovy fillets over top.
- Bake the Focaccia Bread for 20-25 minutes until deeply golden brown.
- Remove baked Focaccia Bread from the oven. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out of pan and continue to cool for at least another 10 minutes before cutting.
ahu says
i've never heard of Pissaladiere, and it looks beautiful! Thanks for introducing me to something new...
1educatedpalate says
Yes, I'm salivating
bal says
Sometimes I crave Pissaladiere so badly I don't know what to do with myself. So thank you for including it in your beautiful blog. Personally, I prefer a pizza or focaccia dough to a puff pastry - but many people make it this way. Puff pastry is buttery, and I prefer a heartier 'shell' for my sweet onion/salty anchovy/tangy olive goodness. I also like to leave the olives whole (pitted of course), and put them in the middle of where two anchovies meet. X marks the spot. :)
Innate Technology says
Try phyllo dough.