Focaccia Bread

There’s something incredibly satisfying about baking focaccia at home. It’s one of those breads that feels generous and rustic, but is actually wonderfully simple once you get into the rhythm of it. I love the fact that you can fit it around the day — a bit of mixing here, a bit of proving there — and then suddenly you’ve got a golden loaf coming out of the oven with that unmistakable smell of fresh bread filling the house. A good splash of extra virgin olive oil over the top, a scattering of rosemary and sea salt, and it becomes the sort of bread everyone gravitates towards straight away. It’s an Italian classic for a reason: crisp on the outside, soft and airy in the middle, and perfect for tearing, dipping, sharing, or serving alongside just about anything.

Timings:

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus overnight fermenting

Proving time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 20–25 minutes

Makes: 1 large loaf

Ingredients:

• 500g strong flour

• 9g yeast

• 10g salt

• 330ml water

• 3–4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary

• Good sprinkle of sea salt flakes

  
  

Method:

1. Place 100g of the flour, half the yeast, and half the water into a pan and mix together to form a batter.

2. Cover and leave overnight to ferment and double in size.

3. Add the remaining flour, yeast, salt, and water, along with a splash of the olive oil.

4. Mix with your hand to form a wet dough, then transfer it to a clean work surface.

5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Use only 1 tablespoon of flour if needed to stop it sticking.

6. Return the dough to the pan with another splash of olive oil in the bottom and cover.

7. Leave to prove for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

8. Once the dough is light and puffy, gently turn it out onto the work surface.

9. Stretch the dough out and fold it over itself 4 or 5 times to help create air pockets, then shape it into a round.

10. Place the dough back into the pan.

11. Top with the remaining olive oil, fresh rosemary, and sea salt flakes.

12. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

13. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden.

14. For a better crust, add 100ml of water to the bottom of the oven as you put the bread in to create steam.

15. Remove from the oven and, if you like, finish with an extra splash of your best extra virgin olive oil before serving.

    
    

Chef’s Tip:

Don’t be tempted to rush the proving or handle the dough too roughly once it’s full of air. Focaccia gets its lovely light texture from keeping as much of that air in the dough as possible. And that little bit of steam in the oven really does make a difference to the crust.