Focaccia with Herbs and Olives

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is one of my go-to recipes when we have friends over because it goes with almost any appetiser you wish to serve, plus it always looks impressive. If you plan to serve a grazing board with different types of cheese and cured meats, a homemade focaccia on the side is just what you need to take everything up a notch.

And the best part is that you can add almost any topping you like to the focaccia! Here, I have used black olives with herbs, but you could easily swap the olives for cherry tomatoes, sliced sausages, grated cheese, salami slices … the choices are endless!

What is Focaccia?

Focaccia is a yeasted flat bread which originates from Italy.

It is similar in taste and texture to a pizza base, but it is generally thicker and softer than a pizza dough.

Focaccia is commonly served as a starter or appetiser, and it can even be sliced horizontally to form a sandwich.

Focaccia Recipe

Although I would describe this focaccia recipe as easy, there are multiple steps involved if you want to achieve the best texture.

I happen to think the easiest way of making focaccia is to start the night before, which will allow you to break down the steps and split the proofing time over 2 days. Please scroll down to see my steps my making focaccia overnight.

Having experimented with many focaccia recipes over the years, I have found that bread recipes with at least 80% hydration give the best results for a focaccia dough. This means the dough will be quite wet and sticky, but the moisture content means a soft and chewy bread with just the right amount of air bubbles.

Often when we have friends over for dinner, I like to turn to this focaccia recipe for an easy starter or appetiser.

Having experimented with many focaccia recipes over the years, I have found that bread recipes with at least 80% hydration give the best results for a focaccia dough. This means the dough will be quite wet and sticky, but the moisture content means a soft and chewy bread with just the right amount of air bubbles.

Stretching and Folding the Dough

For a “normal” bread dough which yields a soft ball of dough, you have to knead the dough to develop the gluten, which is what gives you the nice chewy texture of bread.

But for a wet bread dough, like this focaccia dough or a No-Knead Bread, which is impossible to knead, you instead stretch and fold the dough to activate the gluten. And the more often you stretch and fold, the better the texture the resulting bread will be. Hence, this recipe calls for 3 rounds of stretching and folding, although each round only requires about 1 minute of your time.

I have seen many focaccia recipes where no stretching is performed at all – the dough is simply mixed together, left to proof, and then transferred to the baking dish before dimpling and baking. I have tried this method too, and whilst you can produce a decent loaf of focaccia with absolutely minimal effort, I do actually think spending a few minutes to stretch and fold the dough makes a difference to the final result. Focaccia recipes which do not call for any stretching or folding generally produce a dough which is denser and with few air bubbles.

On those occasions where I stretch and fold the dough, I have found that the dough holds its shape better, meaning a taller bread which is soft and pillowy, and with more air bubbles.

How to Make Focaccia

Step 1

Place all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix lightly.

Step 2

Add the water and oil, and mix until all of the flour is hydrated with the water. I prefer to do this using my electric stand mixer with dough hook, but you can also use a large wooden spoon. The dough should be quite wet in texture.

Cover the bowl and place it somewhere warm for about 15 minutes to proof.

Step 3

Wet your hands, and use one hand to lift up one edge of the dough, stretching it upwards, before folding it towards the centre. Repeat with all of the edges of the dough, rotating the bowl as you go, and until you can loosely form a ball of wet dough in the bowl.

Cover the dough and place it somewhere warm for another 15 minutes.

Step 4

By now, the dough should have risen a bit.

Repeat the stretching and folding method mentioned in Step 3. The dough should feel more firm and elastic by now, so it should be easier to stretch and fold at this stage.

Cover the bowl and place it somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 5

Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil onto a non-stick baking tray or cast-iron skillet.

For a rectangular focaccia, I use a baking tray which measures 23 x 33 x 5 cm/9 x 13 x 2 inches .

For a round focaccia, I use a cast-iron skillet which is 26 cm/10 inches in diameter (see more in Kitchen Notes below).

Use a spatula to transfer the dough onto the pan, but try not to deflate the dough.

Wet your hands and then fold the dough like an envelope, i.e. fold the top third down towards the centre of the dough, and then fold the bottom third up towards the centre.

Step 6

Carefully flip the dough so that the seam is facing down. If you are using a rectangular baking tray, rotate the dough so that the long side of the dough is following the length of the baking tray. Gently push out the dough with your fingertips so that it fills most of the baking tray.

Step 7

Cover the tray with a clean tea towel or sheet of baking paper, and place the tray somewhere warm for about 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen to almost the top of the tray, and it has filled the entire baking tray with lots of large air bubbles.

At this stage, handle the tray lightly and delicately so as to not deflate the air bubbles which you have waited so patiently to form.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F (without fan). Place a metal tray in the middle of the oven to preheat.

Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough, and sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary.

Step 9

Oil your hands and fingers, and then press your fingers into the dough to leave indents. The dough will deflate as you do so. Repeat until most of the dough is dimpled, but try not to remove too many air bubbles. Tuck in some rosemary leaves into the dimples, if you wish. Sprinkle over sea salt flakes.

Step 10

Bake the focaccia for 15-20 minutes, or until it is nicely golden on top. If it is browning too quickly, cover the focaccia with a sheet of foil. Let the focaccia rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips for Making Focaccia Dough Ahead of Time

This focaccia recipe involves a bit of waiting time for the dough to proof at various stages – you will need to set aside about 4 hours to make and serve the focaccia. Despite the time commitment, very little effort is required on your part at each stage.

As with most bread recipes, I typically make the dough the night before and allow it to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. The longer proofing time has the added benefit of allowing the dough to develop more flavour and a better texture. Come the morning, the dough will have at least doubled in size, and it will be ready for shaping as per the recipe. And for a focaccia which requires 4 rounds of proofing, I think it makes sense to start the night before.

To make the dough the night before:

1. Make the dough as per the recipe until you have completed the Second Mini Proof.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover.
3. Place the bowl into the fridge.
4. Let the dough rise for the Third Proof overnight, or for at least 8-10 hours.
5. The next morning, the dough should have at least doubled in size.
6. Gently remove the dough from the bowl.
7. The dough is ready for shaping in the baking tray as per the recipe.
8. As the dough will be cold from the fridge, the Fourth Proof may take slightly longer.

Update

This recipe was first published on 14 October 2020. It has been updated with more comprehensive recipe notes.