This fabulous Italian-style bread is an excellent appetizer when served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Steps
1
Proofing the Yeast
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Combine the sugar and milk in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the liquid has just warmed through. Pour into a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes before sprinkling the yeast over top. Let stand for another 10 minutes.
2
Mixing and Kneading the Bread
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt in an large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Work in more flour as you go until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is slightly sticky. Turn onto lightly-floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Add a bit of flour from time to time to prevent from sticking but don't add too much.
3
Rise Up
Ingredients
olive oil
The dough should be smooth and elastic by the time you finish kneading it. Place it into a lightly-greased, extra-large bowl turning it once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours or until tripled in size.
4
Making the Herb Garlic Topping
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Finely dice the garlic and chop the rosemary and basil leaves. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat for a minute or two. Do not let the garlic brown or it will taste bitter. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs. Let stand for at least 30 minutes to infuse the oil.
5
Rolling in the Dough
Ingredients
1 tbsp yellow cornmeal
Sprinkle cornmeal onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Punch down the dough. Gently roll the dough into a 10 x 15-inch rectangle and about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to the pan. Gently stretch and shape the dough to cover the pan. Cover again with plastic wrap and let proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
After proofing, make indentations over the surface with your fingers, about 1/3-inch deep. This is called "dimpling."
6
The Finishing Touches
Ingredients
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
Drizzle the Herb Garlic topping over top. The oil will pool in the dimples.
Sprinkle with finishing salt such as fleur de sel.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes before removing and transfering to wire rack to cool.
Serve with a dipping dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The First 3 Are On Us
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Thank you Steve, for trying my recipe.
It looks fantastic, and I know how good it tastes.
You did an outstanding job,
I'm glad that you and your little chef give my recipe a try.
I am planning to have a large party at the house and was thinking of making things ahead of time. Could this be a bread i can make, freeze and then reheat?
I made this aboard our boat this summer and it was fabulous! I impressed the entire crew! I sprinkled on too much coarse sea salt though, so next time I'll be more cautious about how much to add in the final prep before baking.
Hi, also thinking about making this ahead for a party. But was wondering if you could let the dough rise overnight in fridge like you do pizza dough, and the bake the next day for the party.
Yes you can. Keep it in a lightly-oiled bowl covered with a cloth or plastic wrap. The next day, gently place the dough onto an oiled cookie sheet, being careful not to flatten it too much. Cheers!
my dough was prefect....until I baked it. I could taste the yeast. I let the dough rise overnight and it rose. However, I did touch the dough put a dent in the dough and a big bubble appeared. I did not use it until a few hours later. When I was ready to bake my bread the bubble flatten out and my dough seem flat. What happened.
Caroline- When you flattened the dough, did you let it sit in the refrigerator or in a more temperate spot to re-proof? Was your first overnight rise in the fridge?
Big yeasty flavor means that there was plenty of potential for CO2 creation (i.e. bubbles in dough) which helps create the rise. Let's see if we can uncover what happened here, as the focaccia should have a bit of lift for sure. Enjoy!
Hi,
I'd like to try this recipe but maybe add some goat's cheese and sundried tomatoes, would you need to adjust the volume of dry ingredients or will it still work out okay?
Thanks
Hi Grainne, I would recommend that you use the goat cheese and sundried tomatoes as a swap for the topping portion. No adjustments to the dough would be necessary. Cheers, Sandy
Hi Grainne, Wow, I am sorry to hear you had difficulty achieving the desired outcome! There are a few critical points in the process that could have gone awry. My first inclination is to question your yeast. The wrong type, out of date, or improper storage of yeast can make it underachieve in its leavening capabilities. The visual cue I would look for to be sure the yeast is still alive is, once it has been added to the liquid and let to stand for 10 minutes, did it start to foam? This would mean that the yeast are, indeed, alive and active. If no foaming has occurred, you should start over again with fresh yeast. Secondly, when the dough was left to rise, did it triple in size? If not, the yeast may have been weak, even if there was some foaming, and couldn’t create enough gasses in the dough. And furthermore, did you carry on with the process after the 2 hours of rising? If not, and the dough was left to sit for a long period of time (at room temp, as refrigerating slows the rising process), a lot of the gasses may have released, deflating the dough before the heat of the oven could set the structure. I hope you find the issue and are successful on your next batch. Bread is a trial-and-error process but gets easier once you have the hang of it. Good luck! Cheers, Sandy
Dawn T •I was lucky enough to try this the other day and I have to say...it was delicious! Thanks to both of you for the great recipe.
Sandrine K •I am planning to have a large party at the house and was thinking of making things ahead of time. Could this be a bread i can make, freeze and then reheat?
Kimberley S • Rouxbe Staff •Yes, baked focaccia can be frozen and reheated prior to serving. Cheers!
Keith B •I made this aboard our boat this summer and it was fabulous! I impressed the entire crew! I sprinkled on too much coarse sea salt though, so next time I'll be more cautious about how much to add in the final prep before baking.
Bill J •Trying to improve my bread/focaccia/pizza dough making. Is it ok to let dough rise more than once? What kinds of effects might I expect?
Christophe K • Rouxbe Staff •Yes you can. Keep it in a lightly-oiled bowl covered with a cloth or plastic wrap. The next day, gently place the dough onto an oiled cookie sheet, being careful not to flatten it too much. Cheers!
Ivana S •I just made it and it's delicious!!! super easy and tasty!! thank you...I couldn't take pic cause It desapeared in seconds.... :o)
Caroline D •my dough was prefect....until I baked it. I could taste the yeast. I let the dough rise overnight and it rose. However, I did touch the dough put a dent in the dough and a big bubble appeared. I did not use it until a few hours later. When I was ready to bake my bread the bubble flatten out and my dough seem flat. What happened.
Ken R • Rouxbe Staff •Caroline- When you flattened the dough, did you let it sit in the refrigerator or in a more temperate spot to re-proof? Was your first overnight rise in the fridge? Big yeasty flavor means that there was plenty of potential for CO2 creation (i.e. bubbles in dough) which helps create the rise. Let's see if we can uncover what happened here, as the focaccia should have a bit of lift for sure. Enjoy!
Grainne H •Hi, I'd like to try this recipe but maybe add some goat's cheese and sundried tomatoes, would you need to adjust the volume of dry ingredients or will it still work out okay? Thanks
Sandy S •Hi Grainne, I would recommend that you use the goat cheese and sundried tomatoes as a swap for the topping portion. No adjustments to the dough would be necessary. Cheers, Sandy
Eric W • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Hazel, yes, you can use plant milk. And, if preferred, you can also use water. ~Eric