This focaccia recipe is easy to follow, requires no kneading, and takes a much short time to make compared to overnight focaccia recipes. The focaccia is light, airy and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. It's the perfect bread that requires minimal work but maximum impressiveness! You can enjoy it by itself as a snack, eat it with hummus, top it with pesto and and make a toast, or use it to mop up a bowl of turkey chili.
Make the dough:In a large mixing bowl, combine together all-purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast. Mix until well combined.
To the flour mixture, add the water and mix until a dough forms and no more dry flour is visible. The dough will be very wet and shaggy at this point. Cover and set aside to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, perform the first fold. Wet one hand with water and starting with the right side of the dough, gently pull the edge up as far as possible and fold the dough over to the left. Repeat this step with the remaining top, left, and bottom edges of the dough. Rewet your hand as needed when the dough starts to stick to your hand. Cover and set aside to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes.*Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference!*
After another 15 minutes, perform the second fold. Repeat the same folds as the previous step. At this point, the dough should look much smooth and can hold its shape decently well. Pour the olive oil over the dough and using the oil, move the dough around until it's well coated everywhere.
1st Proof:Cover the bowl and let the dough proof in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled, punch it down to deflate it and fold the edges of the dough to the center. Repeat this motion until the dough is back to to it's original size and most of the olive oil is absorbed. Round out the dough and make the top smooth by pulling the top and tucking it to the bottom.
2nd Proof:Generously grease a 9x13 inch rectangular pan with olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Rub olive oil on the sides of the pan as well.
Place the rounded out dough into the prepared pan, smooth side up. Gently pull at the edges of the dough to lightly stretch it out into a rectangle. It doesn't have to fit the whole pan at this point.
Cover the pan and allow it to proof in a warm area until doubled and jiggly, about 1 hour.
Bake:Once the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Generously drizzle olive oil on top of the proofed dough. Also lightly grease both of your hands with olive oil. Using your fingers, gently press into the dough to create dimples. Repeat on the entire dough, leaving about 1 inch of space in between each set.*If you're topping with rosemary and salt, you can sprinkle them on the dough after your drizzle oil and before oiling your hands.*
Add your desired toppings, if any. For large toppings, gently press them into the dimples to help them adhere better.
Once the oven is ready, bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes or until the the top of the focaccia bread is golden brown and the internal tempearture registers at least 200°F (93°C).
Remove the focaccia from the oven and allow to cool for a moment before removing from the baking pan. Allow the focaccia to cool on a baking rack.
Enjoy the focaccia while it's warm, by itself, with olive oil and balsamic, or use it as a sandwich bread.
Notes
Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference, tips, storage, and FAQs!
Serving size - The nutritional info provided is only an automatically calculated estimate. The serving size is 1 portion of the whole focaccia cut into 12 equal pieces.
Active dry yeast - If you'd like to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, simply add the yeast to the warm water to dissolve and activate instead of adding it straight into the flour. Once the yeast has dissolved, you can add the entire water+yeast into the flour mixture, then follow the recipe as is.
The only thing to note is that active dry yeast may work a little slower than instant yeast.