Crispy and Airy Italian Foccacia Bread

This classic Italian bread has a soft fluffy interior and a crispy exterior. It can have a variety of toppings.

Italian Foccacia Bread Topping Ideas

Although Foccacia is delicious on its own, there are many way to dress it up. You can bake it with fresh herbs, chopped garlic, sliced tomatoes, or olives. You are really only limited by your imagination! Foccacia is like a fluffy pizza, so anything that goes on pizza will probably be good on Foccacia.

To incorporate dry herbs, its best to add them with the flour during mixing. Dry herbs would likely be scorched in the heat of the oven if placed on top.

Topped with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil!

A Bit About Yeast

Yeast by definition are single cell microorganisms that eat sugar and produce a gas which we can use to make our dough rise. Yeast are sensitive little creatures and you need to treat them right if you want them to produce gas for you. Moisture, temperature, sugar, and salt amounts all affect yeast performance.

Active dry yeast is the most common yeast product you can find. It is dehydrated. To “wake up” the yeast you need to combine it with warm, around 43°C (110°F) water and some sugar. Hot water above 60°C (140°F) will kill the yeast. Cold water can also damage the yeast, the temperature has to be just right!

Measuring Ingredients

Baking is a science and in science it is important to be accurate to get consistent results. To help you with this I have provided the ingredient amounts by weight in grams or in teaspoons for small amounts. All you need to measure ingredients is a kitchen scale and some measuring spoons. This is the fastest and easiest way to measure ingredients.

Converting recipes to larger or smaller amounts, according to your needs is simpler to calculate. Shopping for ingredients is much easier as well. Its hard to know how many cups there are in a bag of flour, but its very simple to see how many grams there are right on the package.

Mise en place!

Mise en place is French for, ‘everything in its place.’ This means having every ingredient measured and ready to go before even turning on the heat. Read through the recipe to see what ingredients can go into the same bowl to save on dishes. Except for eggs, raw eggs get goopy and stiff when allowed to sit with sugar.

You will need to have the baking ready to go. Its also a good idea to have all cooking utensils out and within reach. Always check the tools and equipment list above the recipe so you know what you’ll need ahead of time.

Required Equipment

Kitchen Scale
Measuring Spoons
Small and Large Mixing Bowls
Sifter
Large baking pan
Cooling rack

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Foccacia
emily This classic Italian bread has a soft fluffy interior and a crispy exterior. It can have a variety of toppings. Italian Foccacia… Recipes Crispy and Airy Italian Foccacia Bread European Print
Makes: 12 Prep Time: About 6 hours Cooking Time: 20 to 24 minutes 20 to 24 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

300 g Water, lukewarm

1 tsp Active Dry Yeast

10 g Honey

30 g Olive Oil

250 g All Purpose Flour

200g Bread Flour

1 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt

Additional Olive Oil for drizzling in the pan and coating the dough. Try to use the best quality Olive Oil you can find, it will make a huge difference in the final product.

Toppings for the Foccacia: Fresh Herbs, Sliced Roma Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic, or Parmesan Cheese. Be creative and do what ever you like!

Instructions

To activate the yeast, in a small bowl combine the 300 g Water, 1 tsp Yeast and 10 g Honey. The water needs to be warm but not hot. Hot water above 60°C (140°F) will kill the yeast. If you have a thermometer it should be around 43°C (110°F). Allow the yeast to proof at room temp for 5-10 minutes. There should be some bubbles forming on the surface.

Add 30 g Olive Oil to the yeast mixture.

Sift together 250 g All Purpose Flour, 200 g Bread Flour, and 1 1/2 tsp Salt into a large bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour in the water/yeast mixture while stirring with your other hand. Work the dough until it comes together, about 10 minutes. It should be a smooth but sticky dough.

Coat the bowl and dough with olive oil. Flip the dough so every side is coated with oil.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean damp dish towel and leave in a warm place. Ferment until the dough is double in size, about 2 hours. I like to take a picture of the dough before it ferments in case I forget what size it was.

Now it is time to fold the dough, gently take the edge of the dough and stretch it upwards. Be careful not to tear the dough. Then fold it over it self. Then rotate the bowl 90° and fold it again. You will want to do 4 folds total. Then flip the dough over and cover it. Place it back in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled. About 1 hour.

Prepare a baking pan around 33 by 45 cm (13 by 18 inch). I have made this recipe in a few different pan sizes so if you don't have this exact pan size it should be okay. This recipe is written for the average pan size but my own pans are actually a bit smaller.

Generously coat your baking pan with olive oil. Gently tip your dough into the pan and stretch it out to the corners. If the dough starts to stretch back then let it rest for ten minutes and try again.

Drizzle Olive Oil over the dough and coat it evenly. Cover and let the dough rise until double around 30 minutes.

Dimple the dough all over with your fingertips. Drizzle with additional olive oil.

Bake the Foccacia at 220°C (425°F) for 20 to 25 minutes. Until crisp and golden brown.

If you want to add toppings do so halfway through baking so they don't burn.

Allow the Foccacia to cool for ten minutes before removing from pan to a cooling rack.

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