Focaccia is a traditional Italian bread. A flatbread, made with a moist, oil-based dough, which can be seasoned with an infinite number of spices and aromatic herbs. Similar to pizza but slightly thicker. In addition, it is ideal to accompany a multitude of dishes, or even as an appetizer. Join us to learn more about this dish, we will also see the recipe for the basic Italian focaccia.
Italian cuisine is a very varied and healthy cuisine. The basis of the Mediterranean diet, it is rich in fresh and natural ingredients. And, one of the Italian staples is dough. Like pizzas, focaccias are also a popular dish in Italian gastronomy.
These preparations, besides being simple, are very versatile. They will serve as an accompaniment to a multitude of different dishes. But they are also perfect as a base for a dinner or lunch. Either to accompany a snack menu, with sauces, hummus, etc.. Or to make toasts. Focaccias are also used to make sandwiches or snacks. They are cut in half, just like any other bread, and filled with the ingredients you like best.
As you can see, there are many uses for this recipe in the kitchen. But later we will see some ideas to accompany your focaccia and have a very complete menu. Now, let’s go with the step-by-step recipe to make an authentic Italian Focaccia.
How to make the basic homemade Focaccia recipe
For this recipe we are going to use two types of flour: strong flour and common wheat flour. This way it will be easier to make the focaccia.
We will simply have to make the dough, and paying close attention to the kneading. Because it is fundamental so that our focaccia is well. However, as we have already mentioned, the focaccia is made with a wet dough. So, at the beginning it can be somewhat difficult to knead correctly. Since it will stick to us quite a lot. Do not despair and continue kneading, remember that this dough is like this. Knead until you get an elastic and smooth texture.
When the dough is ready, let it rest for 1 hour and a half. Remember that changes in temperature or air currents are very bad for the dough. Therefore, it is best to find a warm place to let it rest. Inside the oven is a good place, besides it will be protected from air currents.
Then, when we place it in the baking pan, we have to let it rest again. This time half an hour will be enough. Just before putting it in the oven is the time to add the ingredients we want to put (if we want to put any). After seeing the recipe we will leave you several options to elaborate your own focaccia. All that remains is to bake it, and it will be ready to eat.
Basic Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Strong flour
- 2 Cups common wheat flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 & 1/2 Cup water
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Provençal herbs (to taste)
- Coarse salt (to taste)
Instructions
- We will begin by mixing the flours, previously sifted, with the salt. We make a hole in the middle of the mixture and add the water with the yeast and sugar.2 Cups Strong flour, 2 Cups common wheat flour, 1 tsp Sugar, 1 tsp Salt, 1 & 1/2 Cup water, 1 tsp dry yeast
- We begin to knead for about 10 minutes. The focaccia is made with a wet dough, so at the beginning it may be a little difficult to knead.
- When we have achieved a homogeneous dough, on a smooth surface, we continue kneading. To do this we have to grease the work surface with some oil and continue kneading until we get an elastic and smooth texture.Extra virgin olive oil
- We put it in a bowl again, previously greased, and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Let stand between 1 h and an hour and a half.
- After this time, we grease well the tray where we are going to bake the focaccia. For these quantities, it should be a rectangular tray. We also grease our hands with some oil and place the dough. We spread it on the tray but delicately and carefully so as not to flatten it.Brush it with oil and let it rest again for half an hour.Extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 480ºF. Spread the dough again, very gently and without touching the edges of the mold. Brush again with oil and make some holes with your fingers, all over the surface.Extra virgin olive oil
- Add a little more oil and let it rest for 10 minutes.Now dress it with the ingredients of your choice, you can see below all the options you have, or simply with the Provencal herbs. Press lightly, add more oil to the surface and let it rest for 10 minutes.Extra virgin olive oil
- After that time, add oil again and a little coarse salt, and bake for 5 minutes. After that time, lower the oven temperature to 430ºF and continue baking for 15-20 minutes.Extra virgin olive oil, Coarse salt
- After this time, add again a drizzle of oil all over the surface (as soon as you take it out of the oven) and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove from the mold and let it cool on a wire rack.Your homemade focaccia is ready.
Nutrition
Do you like Italian cuisine? Then you will surely love these Italian dishes, such as Caprese salad, a simple and light salad very typical of Italian cuisine; Mozarella Bruschetta with Tomato; or, if you prefer something sweet, Tiramisu recipe.
What ingredients to use for Focaccia?
Focaccia, like pizza, can be made with almost any ingredient. It is a very versatile dish, and with this recipe as a base we can make many different versions of Focaccia. Let’s take a look at some of them:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cheese
- With onion
- Olives
- Anchovies
- Ham
- Chistorra
- Bacon or bacon
- Spices, aromatic herbs, seeds?
Try the ingredients you prefer. Or even combine them as you like. But, if you are going to add different ingredients, do not overload the focaccia. If you overdo it, you could create the opposite effect to the desired one. Remember that, although it is similar, it is not a pizza.
Add these ingredients to the dough before baking. This way they will cook together with the dough.
5 different recipes
We are going to see five different recipes to make an Italian focaccia, with different spices and flavors. Which one do you choose?
- Olive and sun-dried tomato focaccia. We will make the dough as we saw in the recipe and, before baking, we will decorate the top with some black olives (pitted), which we can cut in half, and with some dried tomatoes previously rehydrated in oil.
Before baking, sprinkle a little rosemary and a pinch of coarse salt. - Pancetta and Chives Focaccia. Add these two ingredients, the pancetta in small cubes and the spring onion in not too thick slices. Also add a little grated cheese to give it a better touch.
- Iberian Focaccia. Although it is a very Italian dish, why not elaborate a more Spanish version? Surely you can imagine it, but simply with a few slices of ham on top and some cherry tomatoes it will be amazing.
- With fine herbs. For this version we are not going to add any extra ingredients, we are simply going to flavor the focaccia dough with Provencal herbs. Then, before baking, put a sprig of thyme or rosemary on top of your focaccia, it will get much more flavor.
You can give it more flavor with a little parmesan cheese before baking or just after taking it out of the oven. - Caramelized onion and goat cheese focaccia. Before baking this focaccia, we are going to put some slices of onion that we will have previously caramelized with brown sugar, until they are soft; and with a few pieces of crumbled goat cheese.
How to accompany the Focaccia
If we have prepared a great Italian focaccia for lunch or dinner, and we do not know how to complete the menu, here are some ideas. Remember that it is still a bread. So it will look great with any other dish with which you like to eat bread. Or with any appetizer for dipping or spreading. Or, if we want to give the focaccia the starring role, we can accompany it with any type of snack, such as pates, sardines, spreadable creams, etc.
Let’s see some options to accompany the focaccia:
- If you have prepared a focaccia with various ingredients, such as some of the ones we proposed above and you do not want it to go unnoticed, you can simply serve it with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. To dip the focaccia.
Or try a flavored oil that matches the ingredients you have chosen for your focaccia. - With cured meats and cheeses. Serve the focaccia with a board of cold meats and cheeses. Accompany with some olives or some dried fruit, and you will have a quick and delicious dinner, as well as an informal one.
- With spreads of all kinds. Try a selection of sauces and spreads such as hummus, tapenade, garlic or herb butter, pesto sauce…
- To accompany main dishes of all kinds.
Some tricks to get the perfect Focaccia
Like all doughs, the secret to get it right lies in practice. Although making bread at home is not complicated, we do need some practice to get it just the way we want it. Since they require a lot of care, such as resting, kneading, temperature … Even if we are already great professionals making bread at home, it is possible that not every time we get the same result. Since many factors have an influence.
Anyway, let’s see some tips to try that our focaccia is perfect, even the first time we make it.
- Flour is key to get a good dough. That is why we have chosen to mix two types.
- Knead well until the dough is smooth, homogeneous and elastic.
- Respect the resting time, which is essential for our dough to ferment.
- Be generous with the olive oil. And, of course, use a quality extra virgin olive oil.
Origin and history of Focaccia
The origin of Focaccia, as you all know, is in Italy. More specifically in the Liguria region. And, to get to its origin we have to go back several centuries in history. For bread is an ancient elaboration, and, in particular, breads more similar to focaccia, we can find them already in ancient Greece and Rome.
In ancient Rome we find the so-called “panis focacius”, possibly the ancestors of the focaccia as we know it. These breads were very similar in shape to focaccia, and were also baked on hot stones over a fire. As the Roman Empire expanded, this bread also conquered different regions, so there began to be a multitude of variations of this recipe.
The current recipe originated in the Liguria region, and it is believed to have been made around the 12th and 13th centuries.
The word Focaccia comes from the Latin “focus”, which means hearth or fire. This is because, in origin, this bread was baked in homes, and baked on hot stones in the fire. It was a very simple and economical recipe, since it used only ingredients available to everyone, such as flour, water, salt and oil.
And this is the end of our recipe for a classic Italian focaccia. If you liked it, remember to leave us your comments, ideas, tips… We love to read them! You can also follow us on social networks to keep up to date with all our publications. You will find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
