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Focaccia is an Italian yeast bread similar to pizza, but with a focus on the bread rather than toppings. It can be made at home or bought from bakeries worldwide, with toppings including herbs, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. The dough is dimpled before baking, and the bread should be light and flavorful. A basic recipe includes yeast, water, olive oil, salt, and flour, and it can be baked in a regular oven or a wood-burning oven for an authentic taste.
Focaccia is a popular Italian yeast bread that is sometimes compared to pizza, because both are flatbreads. The focaccia’s focus, however, is on the bread, rather than the toppings, although the toppings on focaccia are nearly as diverse as those on pizza. Many bakeries around the world sell the flatbread, which is best when it’s hot out of the oven. It is also possible to prepare the focaccia at home, although a wood-burning oven is highly recommended.
The focaccia base is a basic yeast dough that is usually rolled out in large pans so that it is baked into a rectangular shape, which is cut to serve. Some bakers make the flatbread into rounds, usually sold as whole loaves. The top of the flatbread is ridged and brushed with oil to keep the bread moist and flavorful, and other seasonings such as salt, herbs, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives can be sprinkled on top. The simplest focaccia is simply a bread herbed and oiled with salt, but the variations are endless.
Dimpling the dough is usually done by gently poking it with your fingers just before topping the bread. The dimples collect oil and other goodies as the bread bakes, releasing the toppings in a burst of flavor when bitten into. A well-made focaccia should feel light and flavorful, rather than greasy and heavy, and can be eaten on its own as a treat, used as a side dish with soups and salads, or used to make a grilled sandwich like a classic Italian sandwich. Focaccia is also excellent when lightly grilled as a snack.
To make flatbread, bakers can start with a chef or sourdough starter for a more tangy flavor, or they can use regular yeast. For a basic focaccia, combine two packets of yeast with one cup of warm water and allow the yeast to foam as you mix three-quarters of a cup of water with one-third cup of olive oil and one-and-a-half teaspoons of salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix in about five cups of unbleached white flour to make a stiff dough, which should be kneaded until elastic and allowed to rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size.
After rising, punch the dough, knead it briefly and let it rest for 10 minutes before rolling it out onto a large rectangular pan. Cover the focaccia, let it rise until doubled in size, then deglaze it before slathering it with olive oil and desired toppings. Bake in a 400-degree Fahrenheit (204-degree Celsius) oven for about 15 minutes, until puffy and golden, or bake the flatbread in a brick-lined wood-burning oven for a more authentic, flavorful loaf. Serve as desired.
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