Quick and dirty focaccia
Recipe video above. Thanks to an ultra-high 93% hydration dough based on the infamous NYT No Knead Artisan Bread, all you need to do is mix in a bowl and pour into a pan - no kneading, no folding, no touching the dough until it's time to dimple! The result is extraordinary - a golden, crisp crust with a soft, fluffy interior and a respectable amount of big bubbles. 93% as good as traditional focaccia with 30% of the effort - high returns!It’s so easy and so good, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to Focaccia Heaven. :)Sound too good to be true? Try it. :-) It's so low effort and so fool-proof, you've got nothing to lose!
Servings: 6 - 8 people
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300g) bread flour (or plain/all-purpose flour, Note 1)
- 1 1/8 tsp (3.5g) instant yeast (aka rapid rise yeast) (Note 2)
- 3/4 tsp (4.5g) cooking salt / kosher salt (-50% for table salt, + 50% for salt flakes)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (280 ml / 280g) very warm water (1/3 cup boiling water then top up with cold tap water) (Note 3)
Topping:
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp (heaped) sea salt flakes (or regular salt, couple of pinches)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED:
- Mix dry, then mix in water. Rise 2 hrs to double. Drizzle EVOO into pan, pour into pan, rise 45 min by 50%. Oil surface, very lightly dimple, sprinkle with salt flakes, bake 25 min at 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan).
FULL RECIPE:
- Very sticky dough - Put the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl, mix to combine with a rubber spatula. Make a well in the centre, pour the warm water in then mix until you no longer see flour. It should be like a thick muffin batter - way too sticky and loose to knead.
- Rise #1 (2 hrs) - Cover with cling wrap then put in a very warm place to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in volume (Note 4), or do Rise #1 in the fridge 24 - 48 hrs (Note 5).
- Line pan - Use a 26.5 x 20 x 5cm (10.5 x 8 x 2") rectangle pan (metal, not glass or ceramic) or a 22cm/9″ square pan. Lightly grease with butter (not oil). Scrunch up a sheet of baking paper, un-scrunch then press into the pan, ensuring you have overhang to lift the focaccia out later. (Note 6)
- Dough in pan - Drizzle and spread 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan on the paper. Pour the dough batter in, then use 2 rubber spatulas to coax the dough out into the corners as best you can. Don't get too hung up on this, it will fill the pan as it rises.
- Rise #2 (45 min) - Cover with a cutting board (or similar - flat - but make sure there's enough space for the dough to rise!! Note 6), then put in a very warm place for 45 minutes or until it rises by 50 - 70% (you should see some nice big bubbling on the surface). Halfway through, preheat oven.
Bake!
- Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan-forced) with the oven rack in the middle.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil across the surface. Rub a little oil on your fingertips then use your fingers to spread the oil lightly across the surface. (Note 6 for Toppings)
- LIGHT dimpling - Use your fingers to LIGHTLY press dimples into the surface of the dough, only pressing down about 1cm/0.4" into the dough, not all the way down like traditional focaccia else you will deflate the dough.
- Salt flakes - Sprinkle all over the surface.
- Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan at the 15 minute mark, until the surface is deep golden.
- Cool 10 minutes - Lift the focaccia out of the pan using the excess paper onto a cooling rack, then slide the paper out from underneath. Cool for 10 minutes then attack! Always best served warm.
Serving / cutting:
- Bread basket - I cut into 4cm / 1.5" wide strips then each into 2 pieces. Appetiser or to nibble on with drinks - I cut them into smaller pieces (generous) 2-bite pieces. In every scenario, it's accompanied with a good extra virgin olive oil for dipping, sometimes with a swirl of aged balsamic vinegar. Also makes excellent cheese toasties and sandwiches!
Notes
1. Bread flour has higher protein so rises better with better bread-chew. If packet label is ambiguous, look at the nutrition panel - protein should be 12%+ (ie 12g+ per 100g).
Plain/all-purpose flour still makes a really great focaccia with but with fewer bubbles and a slightly less rise.
2. Instant yeast is also sold as "Rapid rise yeast", find it in the baking aisle of regular grocery stores. No need to foam in water before using, just mix into flour!
To use Active dry yeast - Mix 1 1/8 tsp active yeast with 1 1/2 tbsp warm water and 1/8 tsp sugar. Let sit 5 mins until foamy (if not, yeast is dead). Mix flour and salt, add foamy yeast and remaining water, then proceed with recipe. End result is the same -instant yeast just skips the foaming step.
3. Water temp - 38-45°C is a good temp (100–113°F). Think, comfortable bath, though if you want to be sure, use a thermometer or mix 1/3 cup boiling water and top up with cold tap water.
4. Warm place for dough rising - Do whatever you need to find a cosy environment for the dough to rise! I put the bowl next to a heater. Dryer trick is also a fave - run the dryer for a few minutes to heat it up then put the bowl inside. Works so well!
Not rising? Move it to a warmer place. Don't worry if it takes longer than 2 hrs! :) Rising too fast? Move it to a colder place to slow it down, or even stop the rising if it's already doubled. It's best not to shortcut rise time.
DON'T OVER RISE. If it goes well over double in volume (eg 1.5x), it won't rise as well in the oven because the yeast has used up too much of the rising power during this proving stage.
5. Overnight fridge rise – 24 to 48 hrs. Dough will double in size but no more. Scrape into pan as per recipe, allowing 30 min to 1 hr extra for Rise #2 to de-chill. Note: bread improvement only noticeable after 48 hrs – see FAQ for details.
6. Pan size – 20cm/8" square or 23cm/9" round pans work but focaccia will be slightly thicker, for Rise #2 spray cling wrap with oil and loosely cover (if you cover with cutting board, dough may touch board). For a 23 x 33cm (9 x 13") pan, scale recipe up by 50% for same thickness (hover on servings to adjust). Metal pans give the crispiest base (rather than ceramic or glass).
Pan depth - My pan is 5cm/2" high for sufficient head space for Rise #2, if yours is not as deep, spray cling wrap with oil and loosely cover instead of covering with cutting board (dough may touch).
Scrunch baking paper so it stays in place - neat chef trick! Use one large sheet to hold in oil (don’t trim neatly like cakes). Grease with butter so it sticks.
7. TOPPINGS – Add whatever you like after dimpling! For sliced veg (like potato or zucchini), drizzle with extra oil and don’t forget the salt. If using salty toppings like olives, go easy on the sprinkle. Avoid dried herbs and raw garlic—they burn. Use confit garlic instead - see traditional focaccia recipe).
Leftovers keep 3–4 days in an airtight container, but reheating is best - focaccia is always better warm! 5 minutes at 180C/350F. Freezes well for up to 3 months.