When it comes to flatbreads, there's a lot to admire about Focaccia. Like pizza, this fancy flatbread is moist and rich thanks to the inclusion of oil in the dough. A simple focaccia can be made with a regular bread formula that includes this oil (preferably olive oil) but recipes can really take off into orbit by also including herbs, sugar, fruits, vegetables or a combination of them all.

Below is a simple recipe for the flatbread that can be made purely by hand or made even simpler with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Also included are a few variations that are nothing more than just some simple toppings for the focaccia.

Focaccia recipe

Ingredients:

  • 500g bread flour
  • 300g warm water
  • 2 tsp dried yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • Oil as needed
  • Extra flour as needed

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and yeast, stir and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
  2. Combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt in another bowl. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture by the tablespoons, stirring in until it forms a sticky dough.
  3. Gently knead the dough on a dry surface dusted with flour or in a mixer fitted with a dough hook until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add more flour by the tablespoons if necessary.
  4. Place the dough in a bowl lubricated with oil, seal with plastic wrap and let it ferment for an hour or more until it doubles.
  5. Grease a baking sheet with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Punch down the dough and spread it an inch thick across the baking sheet. make dimples in the flatbread using fingers. Brush the remaining olive oil across the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt evenly across the surface. Let the dough rest for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Bake the flatbread for about 20 minutes or until the bread turns slightly brown and puffy.
  7. Serve immediately out of the oven or at room temperature.

Topping variations

  • Focaccia al rosmarino: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary over the surface of the bread in Step 5.
  • Focaccia dolce: Substitute 1 tablespoon of sugar for the salt to be sprinkled over the dough and plug some raisins in the dimples in Step 5.
  • Focaccia alla salvia: Sprinkle 1 tbsp of chopped fresh sage over the surface of the bread before baking.
  • Focaccia con pomodori: Plug some baby tomatoes within the dimples of the dough in Step 5.
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