Fennel Foccacia

This fennel focaccia is a smart shortcut that delivers bakery-quality results using frozen bread dough. Press it into oiled, cornmeal-dusted pans, dimple the surface with your fingertips, drizzle generously with olive oil, and scatter on fennel seeds, salt, and pepper. Ten minutes in a screaming hot oven and you’ve got a crispy, golden flatbread that fills the kitchen with the sweet, anise-like aroma of toasted fennel.

The high heat is doing the work here. Baking at 475°F (246°C) gives you a golden, crunchy bottom (thanks to the cornmeal creating a barrier between dough and pan) and a soft, airy interior. The olive oil pooling in those finger dimples fries the surface slightly, creating little pockets of crispiness across the top.

Those dimples aren’t just decorative. Pressing your fingertips into the dough creates channels that trap olive oil and seasoning, so every bite has concentrated flavor. Go deep enough to nearly touch the pan but not so hard that you poke through.

Half a cup of olive oil sounds like a lot, but focaccia needs that generosity. The oil is what makes this bread special, giving it a rich, golden crust that plain bread can never achieve.

Pro Tips

• Thaw the frozen dough completely before pressing. Cold dough resists stretching and will spring back on you
• Let the pressed dough rest 10 minutes if it keeps shrinking. The gluten needs to relax before it’ll stay in the corners
• Use coarse or flaky salt instead of fine table salt for a more professional look and bursts of salinity in each bite
• Serve warm for the best texture. Focaccia stales faster than regular bread, so eat it the day it’s made

Variations

• Top with thinly sliced red onion or halved cherry tomatoes before baking for a loaded version
• Add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan along with the fennel seeds
• Replace fennel seeds with fresh rosemary and sea salt for a classic Italian combination