This easy-to-make focaccia is the perfect accompaniment to soups, stews, shakshuka, antipasto platters and more!
Focaccia is an Italian olive oil and yeast bread that is chewy and airy on the inside with a beautiful, salty, golden crust on the outside. Focaccias generally contain water, yeast, flour, salt and olive oil. In this recipe, honey has been added for a subtle sweetness and for its ability to support yeast activation through its sugar content. The honey can also add moisture to your bake and promote a beautiful golden crust upon baking. Focaccias are easy to make with this recipe only taking a couple of hours!Baking your Focaccia
I used the USA Pan rectangular cake pan to bake this delicious focaccia. Having used flat baking trays in the past for my focaccias, I was extremely excited at the idea of using a rectangular pan with high sides. USA Pan bakeware is a favourite brand of mine as it is used commercially by bakers due to its durability and quality. The higher sides gave my bake the visually polished shape I was after, and the pan was great for holding oil in. The oil soaked nicely into the bread rather than going to waste dripping off onto the tray.
Additionally, the pan's non-stick silicone-based coating meant there was no need to line the pan with olive oil or baking paper – the focaccia easily slid straight out! Focaccias also require a high cooking temperature, therefore the unique ridged texture of the USA Pan Cake Pan is perfect for that crisp and golden finish that focaccias are famous for. The even heat distribution made for an evenly cooked bread including the centre, and allowed for an even quicker cooking time.
Try using the USA Pan rectangular cake pan for other delicious treats. The pan is extremely versatile and will also bake the perfect sweet focaccia or cake, delicious slices, giant cookies, and crumbles.
Adding Toppings to Your Focaccia
Easily incorporate toppings into your focaccia recipe to accentuate the flavour and elevate the appearance of your bread. If you get confident enough, there is even a trend of focaccia art where you can create beautiful designs on your focaccia using herbs and vegetables. In the meantime, there are numerous simpler toppings that are just as satisfying to eat: Tomatoes: Tomatoes are a delicious topper for your bread. Only use a modest amount of small cherry tomatoes to avoid adding too much moisture to the dough. Tomatoes enhance the sweetness of the bread and in combination with fresh herbs, is the perfect marriage of flavours. Onions: Finely slice red onion and add it fresh. You can also get creative and caramelise your onions on the stovetop using butter, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, cooling it down before topping your focaccia. Olives: Poke about 10-15 kalamata or Greek olives into the top of the dough before baking, this will achieve a more savoury and salty result. Herbs: Lightly press fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or sage into the dough before baking. If you only have dried herbs on hand, go for it! Dried Italian herbs or oregano work excellent. Parmesan: Add 50 grams of finely grated parmesan into the flour mix and bake as per recipe. Sprinkle some extra parmesan on top of the bread halfway through, baking for a crispy crust. Olive oil and Coarse salt: Use always!Focaccias can be eaten on their own or cut in half and stuffed with sandwich fillings. I love adding sliced focaccia to grazing tables as it is perfect for dipping in balsamic vinegar and olive oil or a home-made dip. Focaccia is also wonderful dipped into soup fresh or torn up and baked into croutons and added to your soup.
Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 500mls lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoon dried yeast
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoon EVOO (plus extra 2 tbsps. for greasing)
- 550g baker’s flour
- 3 teaspoon salt
- 5 - 10 cherry tomatoes
- 3 sprigs rosemary
Method:
1. Grease a large mixing bowl with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
2. Grease the surface of a large piece of cling wrap.
3. Into a bowl, add lukewarm water, yeast and honey – mix well and let sit for five minutes.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of EVOO to the mixture.
5. In another bowl, combine the flour and salt, pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients mixing well with a spatula ensuring totally combined. Your mixture will be on the wet side – this is perfect.
6. Cover with greased cling wrap and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size and bubbles have formed on top.
7. Pour the dough into the USA pan cake pan; with oiled hands, press and shape, stretching the dough out evenly to the sides of the tray.
8. Leave in a warm place for another 40 minutes.
9. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and cut rosemary into smaller pieces.
10. Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius.
11. Gently press holes with your finger into the focaccia dough once it has proved, then gently press in tomato halves and rosemary.
12. Pour over more EVOO, sprinkle over a generous amount of rock salt and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and browned all over.
13. Cool for ten minutes before slicing. Best eaten immediately after cooking or on the day.
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