Ingredient

Focaccia

Focaccia is the bread to make if you have never made bread. It is a very wet dough that needs no kneading and no shaping, is baked in a tin, and is forgiving of almost everything except being under-proved.

Why it is so forgiving

Most bread difficulty is in developing gluten by kneading and then shaping a loaf that holds its own structure. Focaccia sidesteps both. The dough is so wet that gluten develops on its own over a long slow rise, and it is baked in a tin, so it needs no structural strength at all.

The high hydration — often 80% or more of the flour weight in water — is also what gives the open, airy interior. A wet dough is impossible to knead by hand and does not need to be: a few sets of stretch-and-fold in the bowl over the first hour do everything required.

The generous olive oil in and under the dough is not just flavour. Oil in the tin effectively shallow-fries the base, which is what gives focaccia its characteristic crisp, golden underside.

The method

1. Mix strong flour, water, salt and a little yeast into a shaggy, very wet dough. No kneading.
2. Over the next hour, give it three or four sets of stretch-and-fold — wet your hand, pull one side up and fold it over, turn the bowl, repeat.
3. Let it rise until at least doubled and visibly bubbly. In a cool kitchen this takes hours; overnight in the fridge is easier and tastes better.
4. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a baking tin and tip the dough in. Do not knock it back — you want those bubbles.
5. Let it relax for twenty minutes, then stretch it gently to the corners. If it springs back, wait and try again.
6. Prove again in the tin until puffy and jiggly, then oil your fingers and dimple it firmly, pressing right down to the base.
7. Scatter with flaky salt, rosemary and whatever else, and bake hot — 220°C — until deep gold on top and crisp underneath.

The details

Hydration

75–85% is the useful range. Wetter is more open and harder to handle.

Oil in the tin

Be generous — three or four tablespoons. This is what fries the base.

Dimpling

Press right to the bottom. The dimples hold oil and salt and stop the bread doming.

Brine on top

A spoonful of water and oil poured over before baking gives the classic soft, salty, slightly steamed top.

Toppings

Rosemary and salt is classic. Also cherry tomatoes, olives, thinly sliced potato, red onion, sage. Anything wet should be pressed into a dimple.

Tin

Metal, not glass or ceramic. It conducts heat to the base far better.

What goes wrong

• Dense and flat — under-proved. This is nearly always the cause. Wait for the dough to look genuinely puffy and full of air.
• Pale, soft base — not enough oil in the tin, or a tin that does not conduct well, or the oven too cool.
• Doming rather than staying flat — not dimpled deeply enough.
• Greasy rather than crisp — too much oil, or the oven not hot enough for the oil to fry rather than soak.
• Tough — over-worked, or too little water. Focaccia dough should be almost pourable.

Common questions