Focaccia is a fantastic, crusty Italian bread typically leavened with yeast. Focaccia dough is similar to pizza dough, but more yeast makes the bread softer and thicker. My favorite focaccia is somewhat airy and soft, which comes from a well-hydrated, gently handled dough.
How to Make Focaccia
The keys to this airy and crusty focaccia are hydration and olive oil. A stand mixer is ideal for mixing the dough because it is a sticky, somewhat wet dough. If you do decide to knead it by hand, use an oiled bench scraper and the stretch and fold method—you’ll be rewarded with crusty focaccia with a chewy, airy center.
Focaccia can stick to the pan. A nonstick pan should be OK with just olive oil, but if your pan is NOT nonstick, either grease it with some butter or line it with parchment paper before adding the olive oil.
What to Serve With Focaccia
An Italian pasta meal is terrific with a slice of focaccia on the side, or serve it with a tossed salad or Caesar salad. It’s also an excellent bread to serve with soup, and depending on the toppings, you can even enjoy it for breakfast. Slice it horizontally and fill it with your favorite sandwich fillings if it’s a thick loaf.
How to Use Leftover Focaccia
If you have leftover focaccia and won’t use it within 2 to 3 days, you can wrap it and freeze it for 1 to 2 months. Just defrost it on the countertop and reheat it in a 375 F oven for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Focaccia makes excellent croutons, too, or tear it and toss it in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. You can use the croutons or breadcrumbs to make your favorite stuffing.Related:
You might also like this fougasse or this recipe for no-knead olive bread. This bread machine focaccia is another excellent choice.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- For thinner focaccia, bake it in a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan.
- Any olives are fine in this recipe. Use a combination or use green or canned black olives.
- Add about 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil or a few teaspoons fresh rosemary to the topping.
What do I serve with focaccia?
- Pasta with sausage
- Ranch pasta salad
- Spaghetti meal
- American chop suey
- Pasta Alfredo
- Instant Pot cock-a-leekie soup
Crusty Focaccia With Olives Recipe
This amazing olive-studded focaccia is easy to make with a stand mixer, and it’s ready in about 2 hours! Kalamata olives and a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese make it an impressive bread everyone will love!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rest/Proof: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Bread, Olives
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (283 grams) warm water, about 105 F to 110 F
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 1/4 cups (398 grams) bread flour 14 ounces
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Toppings
- Kalamata olives (about 15 tp 20, halved)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture stand for about 8 minutes or until foamy.
- Add the bread flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Attach the dough hook and knead the mixture for about 8 minutes. The dough will be sticky—use a bowl scraper to scrape it off the bottom of the bowl occasionally. If necessary, add a bit more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl or container; cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. It should more than double in that amount of time.
- Using an oiled bowl scraper, fold the risen dough over on itself 4 times, turning the bowl 1/4-turn each time. Let the dough rest for another 15 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a 9-inch square baking pan. If the pan isn’t nonstick, butter it or line it with a sheet or parchment paper before you add the oil.
- Let the dough rise in the pan for 30 minutes. With oiled fingertips, dimple the loaf all over. Arrange halved kalamata olives in the dimples. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of flaky sea salt and a few grinds of coarse black pepper. Drizzle with another tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the hot bread and cool completely before slicing or tearing.
