Focaccia is hands down one of my favourite breads. When done right, it’s fluffy and soft on the inside which crispy and decadent on the outside. It uses a lot (and I mean A LOT) of olive oil which essentially fries the dough and gives it its crispy exterior. Focaccia is also one of the easier bread recipes which makes it great for beginners!

There are a few things to note about this recipe:

1. Dough: it’s a 100% hydration dough – meaning flour and water will be the same in weight (or ratio of 1 to 1) which mean it’s going to be a wet dough! m Much wetter than your typical bread dough – you won’t be able to knead it on your bench so don’t be surprised when it looks like a huge as mess.
2. Resting: you can definitely make and eat this on the same day or, if you don’t have time, you can also let the dough ferment overnight in the fridge and bake it the next time (you’d just need to bring it back to room temp before you bake). The later will produce a much more flavourful focaccia.
3. Flour: it has to be strong bread flour. Bread flour has higher protein than regular all-purpose flour, which allows for more structure and chew compared to a tender crumb when using regular flour. But if you really can’t find bread flour then sure, but results will differ.

Ingredients

500g bread flour

500g warm water

6g instant dry yeast

10g salt

10g sugar

1tbsp olive oil

Method

1. In a bowl, pour in your warm water, followed by salt, sugar, yeast and oil in this order. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
2. Add in flour and mix until a very wet dough forms. Cover with a towel and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
3. Once rested, it’s time to do 4 sets of 4 folds, 10 minutes apart from each set. Remove the towel and wet your hand. Pick up one corner of the dough, gently pull it upwards while shaking and then fold it over the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 3 more times. Cover with towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. Do the 4 folds, rest 10 minutes, do the 4 folds, rest, 4 folds. So in total, it’s 16 folds over 30 minutes of resting.
4. Once you’ve done your final set of folds, prepare your baking dish with a parchment paper and a generous layer of olive oil.
5. Transfer the dough into the baking dish and flip it so all sides are coated in oil. Gently spread the dough into the corners but don’t force it. Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let rest in a warm area for at least 2 hours. [Or you can put it in the fridge overnight. 2-3 hours before you’re ready to bake, take it out and let it come to room temp].
6. Once you’re ready to bake, drizzle olive oil over the surface. Wet your fingers and gently make dimples into the dough. Sprinkle with salt or any other topping or your choice. Bake at 180C/350F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on how small/big your baking dish is, larger baking dish will require less time because your dough will be spread out more thin; so just keep an eye on it.
7. Transfer focaccia onto a cooling rack. Cut to serve.