Perfect Foolproof Super Soft Focaccia Bread

Fluffy and soft, this is a Perfect Focaccia Recipe. It is spongy and light in texture while having a textured, golden coating and a light salty flavor from an oil mixture that gets brushed on top before baking. This perfect focaccia can easily be served as a snack, used as a sandwich bread, or served alongside a soup, stew, or pasta as part of a main meal.

To make this focaccia recipe, you dissolve the yeast in warm water until it is foamy. Then, you mix the flour and water and yeast mixture together until a dough forms before allowing it to rest. After that, the dough goes through a mixture of folding and resting before it is pressed into a baking pan, brushed with an oil mixture, and baked until it has risen and is golden. The finished bread has a wonderful light crumb, spongy texture, and air pockets, making it a joy to eat!

What is Perfect Focaccia?

Focaccia is a type of Italian bread that is flat and super spongy. It generally includes flour, olive oil, water, salt, and yeast, but some versions might also include garnishes like rosemary, garlic, cheese, or tomatoes. Focaccia may have origins in Ancient Rome, but today, it is considered a part of Ligurian cuisine. This perfect focaccia recipe is a classic version of focaccia, comprising type 0 flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil.

Pro Tips

• Ensure that the yeast you use is fresh before making this focaccia. You will know it is fresh and still alive if it foams in the water.
• The ideal temperature for the water is 37.7 C to 43.3 C (100 F to 110 F).
• Don’t skip the folding steps! Folding the dough serves a similar purpose to kneading by working gluten to make an elastic dough. It ensures that the dough will result in a tender bread.
• Feel free to garnish your focaccia bread with fresh rosemary, garlic, dried herbs, red chili flakes, shredded cheese, tomatoes, olives, or onions.
• If you can’t find type 0 flour where you live, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour or bread flour instead.
• Use high-quality olive oil for the best flavor!

What is The Secret to This Perfect Focaccia?

The secret to this perfect focaccia lies in its hydration and resting process. Dissolving yeast properly, allowing the dough to rest and undergo multiple folds, and giving it ample time to rise in a warm, turned-off oven creates a well-developed structure. Adding a brine before baking ensures the focaccia stays moist, develops a crispy golden crust, and is full of flavor.

What to Serve with Perfect Focaccia?

This focaccia can generally be served on its own but you could also serve it as sandwiches with prosciutto and/or cheese. It is also great with anything that it can soak up like soup, stew, or a mixture of olive oil and balsamic for dipping.

Why Does My Focaccia Not Have Bubbles?

Your focaccia may not form bubbles for a few reasons. For one thing, it could be that your yeast is dead. Alternatively, it could be that the dough was overhandled, and therefore, the air was worked out of it.

Can I Add Garnishes to the Focaccia?

Yes, for added flavor, you can definitely add garnishes to your focaccia. Many people like to create beautiful scenes on their focaccia bread with vegetables like peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and zucchini, and herbs like rosemary, dried oregano, or Italian seasoning.

Why Didn’t the Focaccia Rise in the Oven?

If you find that your focaccia doesn’t rise, it could be that your yeast wasn’t alive when you began or that it wasn’t activated properly. To tell that your yeast is still alive and fresh before you begin, you can stir some into warm water to see if it dissolves and foams. If it doesn’t do anything, you will know it is dead and no longer viable. Meanwhile, to ensure that the yeast is properly activated for your dough, you should ensure that the water is around 37.7 C to 43.3 C (100 F to 110 F) and not so hot that it will kill the yeast.

Can I Freeze This Focaccia Bread?

Sure! Once baked and cooled, cut it into portions, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. To reheat, thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven for a few minutes to restore its crispness and softness.

Some More Focaccia Bread Recipes You Ought to Try!

Potato Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Stuffed Focaccia

Cherry Tomato Olives Focaccia

Onion Focaccia

Ricotta Spinach Focaccia Bread

How to Store Perfect Focaccia

This perfect focaccia recipe is best eaten the day it is made, but if you have some leftover, you can wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Alternatively, you could place it in the freezer where it should keep for up to 3 months.

How to Make Perfect Focaccia

Dissolve the yeast in the water.

In a bowl, stir the flour with the water and yeast mixture until combined. Cover it and allow it to rise for 20 minutes.

Fold the dough two to three times and then shape it into a ball and place it in a bowl; cover it and allow it to rest for another 20 minutes.

Fold the dough a few more times. Then, place it in an oiled bowl, cover it, and place it in a turned-off oven with the light turned on for 2 hours.

Press the dough on a baking sheet into a flat layer. Cover it and put it in the oven until it has risen.

Mix the brine together in a bowl.

Pour the brine on top and press into the dough with your fingers until the dough is spread across the entire baking sheet. Bake the focaccia in a 200 C (392 F) oven for 40 minutes.

Serve it immediately or use it for sandwiches.