Basic Focaccia (Ultimate)

Name: Basic Focaccia (Ultimate)
Total time: P3H
Yield: 18
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: yeast, active dry; bread flour; salt; sugar; water; water; olive oil; rosemary leaves; olive oil, extra-virgin; kosher salt; black pepper

Submitted by MorningStar

Easy homemade focaccia, with the bread machine doing the kneading. Hand-dimpled, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and showered with coarse salt and rosemary. A crisp-edged, golden Italian flatbread.

YIELD

18 servings

PREP

15 min

COOK

30 min

READY

3 hrs

Bakery-style focaccia is far easier than it looks, especially when the bread machine handles the kneading and first rise for you. All that’s left is shaping, dimpling, and baking.

Those dimples aren’t just for looks. Pressing your fingertips deep into the risen dough creates little wells that catch pools of extra-virgin olive oil and coarse salt, giving focaccia its signature craggy, golden, savory top.

Bread flour is the right choice here. Its higher protein builds the chew and open, airy structure that makes a good focaccia, where all-purpose would bake up denser.

Don’t rush the second rise after shaping; the dough should puff until doubled and pillowy before it goes in. Bake it on the bottom rack so the base crisps up. A scatter of fresh rosemary and cracked pepper is the classic finish, but the bread is a blank canvas for any topping.

Chef Tips

Let the bread machine handle the kneading and first rise; just use the dough setting.
Dimple deeply with oiled fingertips so the wells hold olive oil and salt.
Use bread flour for the chewiest, airiest crumb.
Bake on the bottom rack for a crisp, golden bottom crust.

Variations

Press cherry tomatoes, olives, or thinly sliced onion into the dimples.
Add caramelized onions or roasted garlic for a richer focaccia.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and a little grated Parmesan before baking.

Ingredients

2 ¼

TEASPOONS YEAST, ACTIVE DRY

CUPS BREAD FLOUR

TEASPOON SALT

TEASPOON SUGAR

CUP WATER

TABLESPOONS WATER

TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL

Focaccia topping

ROSEMARY LEAVES
optional *

TABLESPOONS EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

TEASPOONS KOSHER SALT

BLACK PEPPER
freshly ground, to taste *

Directions

Machine Procedure (For a 2-cup capacity bread machine): All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise noted.

Add ingredients, except toppings, in the order specified in your bread machine owner’s manual.

Set bread machine on dough/manual setting.

At the end of the program, press clear/stop.

To punch dough down, press start and let knead for 60 seconds.

Press clear/stop again. Remove dough and let rest 5 minutes before hand-shaping.

If your bread machine does not have a dough/manual setting, follow normal bread making procedure, but let dough knead only once.

At the end of the kneading cycle, press clear/stop.

Let dough rise for 60 minutes, checking after the first 30 minutes to make sure dough does not overrise and touch lid.

Press start and let machine run for 60 seconds to punch dough down.

Press clear/stop again.

Remove dough and let rest 5 minutes before hand-shaping.

Hand-Shaping Technique: Sprinkle hands with flour.

With fingertips, spread dough evenly into a 13- X 9- X 1-inch lightly oiled baking pan.

Cover with a clean kitchen cloth.

Let rise until doubled in height, about 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Make light indentations with your fingertips in the surface of the risen dough.

Brush with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper.

Bake on bottom rack of oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool in pan.

Cut into twelve equal pieces and serve at room temperature.

* not incl. in nutrient facts

Related