Easy Focaccia bread Recipe (with 2 topping ideas)

This easy Focaccia bread recipe makes a delicious, Italian, olive oil flatbread that can turn an ordinary meal into a feast. Top this classic, Italian, dimpled olive oil bread with Mediterranean herbs, olives, tomatoes and garlic for a wonderful accompaniment to a perfect meal… what are you waiting for

Please don’t be put off by the lengthy explanation but this really is a very simple bread to make. However, like all yeasted breads, it may not require much time to make but it does need time to sit and rise. This means that it may be something that you think about making at the weekend. Consider making two flatbreads so that you have one to freeze and enjoy at another time.

Different ways of making this easy Focaccia Bread Recipe

I’ve included 3 different ways of making the focaccia bread dough to ensure that as many folks as possible get to enjoy this wonderful olive oil flatbread.

There are detailed instructions for making this bread recipe in a breadmaker so you could have it every day if you wanted to. There are also instructions for making it by hand and for making it with a food processor

I’ve included suggestions for two different toppings but to be honest you can let your imagination go a little. Mix up your favourite herbs, spices, seeds, sun-dried tomatoes… olives; green or black and enjoy.

Ingredients

Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe – ingredients

The flat bread itself is made with:

• strong white flour – this will give you the best texture.
• active dried yeast – I use this as it’s simple and straightforward to use. You don’t need to froth it up, you just add it to the flour. It will often say that it’s suitable for use in breadmakers. It’s really good for the home baker.
• salt – the salt is present to add flavour.
• olive oil – in an olive oil bread this is an important ingredient. Try and use a good quality oil as this will give you the best flavour. It’s the olive oil that really makes it special. A blended version won’t give you the all delicious flavours that this bread is capable of.
• water – simple water to bind all of the ingredients together.

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Topping Ingredients

There are many possible toppings for focaccia bread. These are the ingredients used in our suggestions in the recipe below. Take a look at the ‘Variations’ section for more ideas.

• fresh rosemary – a wonderful aromatic herb. I prefer to use the fresh herb as it gives a gorgeous flavour and aroma.
• garlic – brilliant flavour and almost a classic on this type of flatbread.
• black olives – these are thinly sliced, add to the mediterranean flavour vibe and look great. Tinned or fresh work well.
• salt flakes – season the topping and really bring the flavour alive.
• Olive oil – this is olive bread and it needs olive. This is drizzled across the top to cook the toppings. The oil adds great flavour which permeates through the bread.

Making focaccia bread dough

You can make this easy focaccia bread recipe by hand, with a mixer with a dough hook attached and it also works pretty well with a breadmaker.

Mix the dough by hand

This involves measuring out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt on one side of the flour and the yeast on the other side. If the salt and yeast come into contact too quickly the salt kills the activity in the yeast and you won’t get a very good rise. So, for now, keep them apart.

Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the water and begin mixing them together. Start mixing with a fork if you prefer and then go in with your hands or just start mixing it together with your hands.

Add a little more of the water if you need to. The idea is for it to be wet enough to incorporate all of the flour. Take your time at this stage. Keep working the flour so that it gradually all comes together. It is quite a soft dough but resist adding any more flour.

Once it has come together to form a dough, tip it out onto a floured surface and start kneading it. Knead the dough for approximately 5 – 10 minutes. You will feel it become smoother and more elastic. Once this has happened, pop the dough into an oiled bowl, brush a little olive oil on top to prevent it from forming a crust and cover it with either a clean tea towel or cling film.

Allow the dough to rise

Leave it for about an hour to double in size.

Line your baking tray with parchment paper ready for the dough.

Once the dough has had a chance to double in size, place the dough on the baking tray and using your hands again stretch the dough into a roughly rectangular shape. Place it on the trays and cover it again. Leave it to prove for around 30 – 40 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Making focaccia dough using a food processor with dough hook attachment

Making this easy focaccia bread recipe couldn’t be simpler.

Add the ingredients to the mixing bowl with the salt on one side of the flour and the yeast on the other. Add the olive oil and the water. Process using the dough hook until all the flour is incorporated.

Process until the dough is smooth and elastic. Brush the dough with a little oil to prevent it from forming a crust and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or cling film. Leave it to double in size. This will probably take about an hour.

Once this has happened take the dough out of the bowl. Place it on the baking tray (oiled or covered in baking parchment) and stretch it using your hands into a roughly rectangular shape. Brush with a little olive oil to prevent it from forming a crust and cover again with either a tea towel or cling film and leave it to double in size. This will take around 40 minutes.

Make the focaccia dough using a breadmaker

Use this easy focaccia bread recipe in the breadmaker too. Although this does depend a little bit on the breadmaker. Add the flour, salt, olive oil and all of the water to the bread pan. If your breadmaker has a yeast dispenser, pop the yeast in there. If it doesn’t, then add the ingredients in the order that your breadmaker’s instructions suggest.

Select the option for ‘pizza dough’ and press start. All done.

Once the programme has been completed, remove the dough from the bread pan, and pop it on the baking tray. Stretch it out into a roughly rectangular shape, brush with a little olive oil to prevent it from forming a crust and cover with cling film. Leave it to prove until it has doubled in size. This should take approximately 40 minutes.

Prepare the Focaccia bread topping

There are many different kinds of toppings that you can add to this flatbread which make it completely awesome. These are a couple of our favourites but take a look at our ‘variations’ below.

Classic Garlic and Rosemary

Chop four sprigs of fresh rosemary leaves or two tablespoons of dried and finely chopped 3 garlic cloves. Add the chopped garlic and rosemary to a small bowl with 30 mls of olive oil. Leave them to soak a little.

Tomato, Olive and Herb Topping

This topping suggestion owes a great deal to the well-known puttanesca pasta sauce except that this is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Prepare the following ingredients ready to spread on the risen bread dough.

• passata – approximately 150g of this sieved tomato sauce. Or if you don’t have this then press a tin of tomatoes through a sieve to make your own.
• olives – lovely, shiny, juicy black ones. Slice them or use them whole (but always pitted).
• garlic – 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• oregano – 1/2 tablespoon of the dried herb. Adds to the mediterranean feel of this bread.
• rosemary – 3 sprigs of the fresh herb chopped or a couple of teaspoons of the dried version.
• capers – washed and dried to sprinkle over the top.
• chilli flakes – a good teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.(adjust to your personal tastes.)

A few more Focaccia Bread Topping Ideas

Red Onion, Black Olive and Rosemary

Finely slice the red onion into rings and chop the leaves of two sprigs of rosemary. Strip off the leaves and chop finely. Add to a small bowl and add 30 mls (2 tablespoons) of olive oil. Leave them to soak in the oil.

Once the dough has risen, evenly distribute the ingredients on top of the dough along with the black olives. Cook as indicated in the recipe box below.

Sesame Seed, Oregano and Garlic

Chop 4 garlic cloves and add to a small bowl with 30 mls (2 tablespoons) of olive oil. Add 2 tablespoons of dried oregano and 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds. Leave them to marinate for at least 1/2 an hour.

Once the dough has risen, evenly distribute the ingredients on top of the dough. Cook as indicated in the recipe box below. Sprinkle with flakes of sea salt before serving.

Feta, Red onion and Cherry Tomato

Thinly slice the red onion rings and add to a small bowl with 30 mls of olive oil to marinade a little. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, crumble up some feta cheese and place on a plate until needed.

Once the dough has risen, evenly distribute the ingredients on top of the dough. Cook as indicated in the recipe box below.

Baking the focaccia bread

Pre-heat your oven to 220^oC/200 Fan/428 F.

Now it’s time to give this bread its classic dimpled look. Using your fingers make deep dimples all the way to the bottom of the dough. You could use the handle of a wooden spoon if you’d prefer. But fingers are enough… they do a good job.

Spread, pour or drizzle your chosen topping over the top of the dimpled dough. It’s pretty how it collects in the hollows. Ensure that the toppings are evenly spread out.

Pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes. It’s done when you hear a slightly hollow sound when you tap the bottom of the dough. A word of warning, however, this bread has olive oil on the top and if it hasn’t all been absorbed into the bread be careful that you don’t burn yourself with it.

Serving your Focaccia Bread

Now the bread is cooked to perfection, serve it on a board, drizzle a little more olive oil over it or sprinkle over some more herbs. Then, either slice it before taking it to the table or slice it at the table. We tend to use a pizza cutter for this. It is a brilliant tear n’ share bread so enjoy it with friends and family with loads of lovely conversation.

What do I do with leftover focaccia?

It seems unlikely I know but sometimes you may get leftovers – here are a few ideas to use them all up.

This flatbread is best when fresh and warm but if you have any leftovers it can be used for sandwiches. Just split it in half pop in your favourite filling, top it with salad and a dressing and that’s a real treat. What’s even tastier is using it to make toasted sandwiches… depends on what the topping is a bit but it definitely makes a heavenly toastie.

Can I freeze this bread?

To freeze this bread successfully, it is best frozen without the topping.

When you’re ready to eat it – defrost for an hour or so. Add the topping of your choice, wrap in a little tin foil or parchment paper and bake in the oven for around ten minutes. This warms the bread through and allows the flavours to permeate the bread.

It will last well in the freezer for up to two months.

This is an amazing bread to have with a meal. I hope that you enjoy it!

What’s your favourite Focaccia Topping?

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Other Bread recipes…

• Soda Bread
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Recipes to serve your Focaccia bread with…

• Spicy Tomato Soup
• Spicy Red Lentil Soup
• Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Why not Pin this Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe recipe for later?

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