Quick “Focaccia” Bread
It feels slightly against the law to call this bread real “focaccia” due to the beautiful, fluffy, dense thick nature of a real focaccia. But, this quick focaccia doesn’t require a starter or days worth of rising. I think this bread tastes and feels so similar to breadsticks that I can’t help but make it on Italian night or homemade pizza night.
The best part (other than ya know, easy) is that you can pick your favorite ingredients for the topping. I love a simple shallot and herb focaccia!
Quick "Focaccia" Bread
Yield: 6-8
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 40 M
A quick bread that comes together, rises, and bakes in less than two hours.
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (NOT TOO HOT!)
- 1 teaspoon salt ( +1 tsp. if you don't have flakey sea salt)
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Toppings
- Thinly sliced shallots
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Fresh herbs: rosemary, dill, thyme, oregano
- Grated cheeses: parmesan, asiago, Romano
Instructions
- Spray 9" x 13" baking dish.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the pan (adds crunch later!).
- Weigh your flour or use a measuring scoop.
- Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil with the rest of the ingredients, and beat on high speed in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer for 60-75 seconds. The dough will be raggedy and sticky.
- Pour into the baking dish, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 60 minutes. It should be puffy and visibly grown in size.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Gently poke the dough all over with your fingers. If the dough is very sticky, you may need to have a small bowl of water handy to dip your fingers into before poking.
- Drizzle it lightly with last two tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and add toppings.
- Bake the bread until it's golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Don't use too warm of water when making the dough or you will kill the yeast and the bread won't rise properly.
