How to Make an Easy Focaccia - Italian Flat Bread
There’s something about the smell of fresh focaccia—a Northern Italian flatbread—baking in the oven that instantly transports me back to summer barbecues in our backyard. This focaccia recipe is wonderfully simple—just a handful of basic pantry ingredients: flour, salt, yeast, a touch of sweetness, water, and good olive oil.
Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula or Danish Dough Whisk
- 1 Baking pan (half-sized sheet pan)
- 1 Pastry brush
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups All-purpose or “00” flour
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 2¼ tsp Active dry yeast Equivalent to one packet
- 2 tsp Sugar or honey
- 1 cup Warm water About 110°F (43°C)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
For Brushing Before Baking
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- Coarse or flaked sea salt For sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, sugar or honey, and yeast. Let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Add the yeast mixture and olive oil to the flour and salt. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough by hand for about 8–10 minutes, or 4–5 minutes in a stand mixer, until smooth and elastic (or cover and let rest overnight in your refrigerator).
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled—about 1 to 1½ hours. (If taken out of the refrigerator, this rise time will take longer—approximately 2 to 2½ hours.)
- Drizzle a half-size baking pan (sheet pan) generously with olive oil or cover the pan with parchment paper. Press the dough into the pan.
- Cover the dough with a damp tea towel and let rise again for 30–45 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Remove the tea towel and use your fingertips to make small dimples all over the surface of the dough.
- Mix the remaining olive oil and water together and, using a pastry brush, paint the top of the dough generously with the mixture. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt or flaked salt.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let the focaccia rest for a few minutes until it has cooled off just a bit to the touch but is still warm, then slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Find this basic focaccia recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-the-easiest-focaccia/
My Mom's Focaccia Recipe and The Backwoods Home Magazine
My sweet mom, Gloria, had her own delicious version of focaccia that used a handful of fresh ingredients from her kitchen garden, and I demonstrated how to make this version in my focaccia recipe video. (I also have a picture of my mom's focaccia with this basic recipe.) You can get the printed version of my mom's focaccia recipe with smashed tomatoes, fresh basil, and Parmigiano Reggiano in the upcoming 201st issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. If you've never read Backwoods Home, it's an exceptional magazine filled with practical homesteading skills, self-sufficiency tips, and traditional cooking wisdom—a true gem for anyone who loves the modern pioneer lifestyle.
If you're not already a subscriber, the kind folks at Backwoods Home Magazine are offering my sweet friends an exclusive 50% discount on a subscription! That means you can get their next issue (along with my article and recipe!) and a full year of valuable content at half the price. To get this awesome deal, visit https://www.backwoodshome.com/shop/marys-nest-special/
The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Series
If you’re building a traditional foods kitchen or stocking a real foods pantry, be sure to get the books in Mary’s Modern Pioneer cookbook series, published by Penguin Random House: https://marysnest.com/modern-pioneer-cookbook-series/
For free and comprehensive lesson plans to teach traditional food recipes and kitchen techniques to students K-12, download The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum at https://marysnest.com/cookbook-curriculum/
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