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Easy Focaccia Bread Recipe

Focaccia, a versatile Italian bread, perfect for anytime. Good for beginners who want to start bread baking.

Keyword Homemade Focaccia bread
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12
Author Samira

Ingredients

For Garlic Oil

  • 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
  • 1 tsp Rosemary
  • 1 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs

For The Dough

  • 1.5 Cups Wheat Flour
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Honey
  • 1/2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast
  • 3/4 Cup Lukewarm Water

For Focaccia

  • 1/4 Cup Veggies (Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Onion etc)

Instructions

Make garlic herbed oil

  1. Heat olive oil with crushed garlic, rosemary, oregano and mixed Italian seasoning. Let it cool down.

For The Dough

  1. Proof yeast. Add instant dry yeast and honey to luke warm water. Cover it and leave for 10 to 15 minutes till frothy and bubbly. Having lukewarm water is very important. It should be such wherein you can put your fingers comfortably.Too hot water will kill the yeast and if not warm then yeast will not activate.

  2. Take wheat flour and salt in a big bowl.

  3. Add frothy yeast solution to the flour mix and knead it.

  4. Add garlic oil and continue kneading till smooth and stops sticking. Put the dough on your kitchen counter and knead for another 4 to 5 minutes. Stretch the dough using the heel of your hands, fold it, then again stretch. Soon the dough will be smooth and shiny.

  5. Grease the bowl liberally, put the dough in it, invert the dough so that the top also gets oily. Cover it with a plate or lid and let it rise for an hour or so till doubles in volume. Time is just a rough guide and will depend on the weather. If too cold then it may take even longer. So, instead of time, watch your dough. 

  6. When the dough has risen, punch it to release the gases. Knead it lightly for few seconds.

Making Focaccia

  1. Grease a baking tray and put the dough in it. ( I used 7'' by 7'' square baking pan).

  2. Spread it in the tray so as to keep it 1/2'' thick.

  3. Cover it with a kitchen napkin and leave for second proofing for 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. During this time, chop the veggies.

  5. After about 10 minutes, start preheating oven. Preheat it to the highest temperature (200 or 220 degrees C) in your oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

  6. Once the dough has risen, poke dimples using your fingertips.

  7. Drizzle garlic oil all over it. Spread it using pastry brush.

  8. Put veggies on it. Slightly press the veggies.

  9. Bake it at 200 degrees C for 25 minutes approximately till it turns golden from the top.

  10. Take it out of the oven. Let it cool down a bit for 5 to 6 minutes. Run a knife around it and invert it on a wire rack.

  11. Cut pieces and serve with love, mayonnaise optional.

Recipe Notes

  1. To replace instant yeast with active dry yeast, use 1 tsp. As 1 TSP INSTANT YEAST   =  1.25  TSP ACTIVE DRY YEAST.
  2. You can use the same quantity of sugar in place of honey.
  3. The quantity of water for kneading the dough may vary as different flours have different absorption capacities.
  4. Rising time depends on the quantity of yeast and on the weather conditions. During summers it may rise in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Whereas in winters it may take even up to  2 hours.
  5. While making dimples, do not dive till the bottom of the dough.
  6. You may skip veggies and bake after drizzling garlic oil only.