Focaccia Loaf Bread

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Soft, golden focaccia meets gooey cheese and toppings in this irresistible Focaccia Pizza. A homemade bread base that doubles as a pizza crust — the best of both worlds!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Rising2

Total Time2 45

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Focaccia Loaf

Servings: - 12 slices

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Equipment

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (300g) flour , all-purpose / plain flour
2 ⅓ tsp instant yeast
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water
½ tbsp honey or sugar See Note 1
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
1 tsp flaked sea salt
1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Instructions

Prepare the dough

Place the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the water, honey and olive oil and stir to combine – the dough will be very shaggy. Cover the bowl and leave it for 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb some of the water.
2 ½ cups (300g) flour, 2 ⅓ tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water, ½ tbsp honey, 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Use oiled hands or a dough whisk to fold and stretch the dough to give it some structure. To do this, lift the edge of the dough and fold over towards the middle. Repeat, turning the bowl until you have done a series of four folds. At this point the dough should start to get smooth and elastic.
Rest for 15 minutes and do another set of stretch-and-folds. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled.

Shape the loaf

Add a drizzle of olive oil or water to your worktop and tip the dough on it. Spread the dough with oiled hands to form a rough rectangle shape. Do a letter fold, folding one edge over towards the middle and the other over the top. The dough will be very loose and sticky, don't expect it to hold its shape.
Transfer, seam side down, into a lined loaf pan greased with olive oil. Use plastic wrap to cover and leave to rise for 45 – 60 minutes, or until the dough rises and expands past the top of the pan.

Dimple and bake

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) while the dough is still rising.
Drizzle the top of the focaccia with olive oil and dimple with your fingertips, pressing deeply into the dough (my favorite part of baking focaccia bread – so satisfying!).
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and chopped rosemary and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. The internal temperature should be 190-210°F (88-99°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
1 tsp flaked sea salt, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
Lift the bread out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

Note 1: If using sugar instead of honey, stir it in with the flour, salt and yeast.

Storage Tips: Store wrapped in a clean linen towel or a bread bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you don't think you will eat it in that time frame, it would be best to slice the entire loaf and freeze it in an airtight bag for up to a month. That way you can just toast it straight from frozen whenever you crave a slice.
Recipe Variations: Focaccia loaf is not suitable for loading with toppings – if you want to add cherry tomatoes, onions or other ingredients on top its best to bake a traditional focaccia. You can experiment by adding different types of herbs or using flavored olive oil to customize your loaf.
Top Tip: For accurate measurements it is best to use digital scales. If you are using measuring cups, spoon the flour into the cup instead of scooping straight out of the bag.
You can let the focaccia dough rise in the refrigerator overnight if you like. Prep the dough up to the stretch and fold stage then transfer to an oiled container (with plenty of space for the dough to rise) and place in the fridge for 8- 12 hours. Take the dough out of the fridge when you are ready to bake and proceed with the recipe, allowing the bread more time for the second rise.

Nutrition