Focaccia is an Italian leavened flatbread that is typically topped with olive oil, salt and pepper, and herbs or vegetables. It can even be a sweet bread topped with fruit.
How to Make Focaccia in the Bread Machine
All you need for the dough are water, olive oil, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. That’s it! I like to use garlic infused olive oil in the focaccia. The bread machine is an excellent way to make the dough for a loaf of focaccia. The wet dough is kneaded and risen in the machine, leaving you to enjoy time to do other things. It’s a wet bread, but the bread machine handles if beautifully. The dough cycle might vary from machine to machine—my Zojirushi takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes.
After the dough is finished in the bread machine, it needs to rest a bit to relax. Scrape it into your prepared pan and leave it for about 15 minutes, then stretch it gently until it fills the pan. After another brief resting period it’s ready to dimple, then add your toppings and bake in the preheated 425 F oven.
How to Prepare the Pan for Focaccia
Focaccia has a tendency to stick to the pan, so make sure you use plenty of olive oil—this ensures an easy release from the pan and a crisp crust. If your baking pan is NOT nonstick, go ahead and line it with parchment paper before you add the oil. Alternatively, grease the pan with butter before adding the oil. The size of the pan you choose will dictate the thickness of the bread. Use a 10-inch round pan or 9-inch square pan for a thick focaccia. For a thinner loaf, use a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan. The thicker loaf will take a few minutes longer to bake.
Finish It With Toppings
Fresh rosemary or thyme leaves are excellent toppings, along with flaky sea salt or coarse kosher salt and a bit of cracked or coarsely ground black pepper. Or stud the bread with olive halves or cherry tomato halves just before it goes into the oven. Thinly sliced onions are another favorite topping.
Recipe Tips and Variations
For thicker bread, bake it in a 10-inch round pan or 9-inch square pan. Stud the bread with olive halves or tomato halves just before adding the salt and olive oil topping, and bake as directed. Add a few teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme leaves to the topping. A nonstick pan works well with just olive oil, but if it is not nonstick, grease the pan or line it with parchment before adding the olive oil.
What does focaccia bread go with?
Here are some excellent ideas to get you started:
- Pasta with asparagus and ham.
- Ranch pasta salad.
- Spaghetti meal.
- American chop suey.
- Pasta Alfredo.
- Instant Pot cock-a-leekie soup.
- Mulligatawny soup (Instant Pot).
How to Store Focaccia
Wrap focaccia in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. If any topping ingredients are perishable, store the focaccia in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. To reheat, place the focaccia on a baking sheet and heat in a 375 F oven for about 10 minutes, or until hot. To freeze focaccia, wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and then place it in a resealable freezer bag. Label with the name and date and freeze it for up to 2 months.
PrintBread Machine Focaccia
This is a surprisingly easy recipe for focaccia. The bread machine kneads the dough and you shape it. Use a gentle touch and you’ll be rewarded with a perfect focaccia!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Resting/Proving: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 7 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Bread, Yeast Bread
- Method: Bread Machine
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour (410 grams)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Toppings
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Rosemary leaves, optional
- Garlic powder, optional
Instructions
- Add warm water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, bread flour, yeast, sugar, and table salt to your bread machine following the manufacturer’s directions. Set the machine on the dough cycle.
- Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan, or for thicker focaccia, a 9-inch square baking pan. If the pan is NOT nonstick, line it with parchment paper or butter it before adding the oil.
- When the cycle is finished, scrape the dough out into the pan, disturbing it as little as possible. Let it relax for 15 minutes, then stretch it gently to fit the pan. Let the dough rise in the pan for 25 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- With oiled fingers, poke the dough all over, making several “dimples.” Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper and flaky sea salt, along with rosemary and garlic powder, if using. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then bake the focaccia for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove the bread to a rack and let it cool slightly before slicing.
Notes
You might also like this fougasse or this recipe for no-knead olive bread. Or try this easy no-knead focaccia.
