Everything you need to know about making your own focaccia

With her debut cookbook 3 Doughs, 60 Recipes, Lacey Ostermann (AKA @lacebakes) shows you how to make three delicious, versatile bread doughs (focaccia, sandwich bread and pizza dough) with 20 creative recipes to accompany each one. In this extract from the book, Lacey shares all the tips you need to make the perfect homemade focaccia and addresses some of the most common questions and issues a budding baker might run into.

There is something magical about Focaccia. Dare I say it? She is the Queen of all breads.

This Italian bread is best known for three things: bubbles, olive oil and delicious toppings. The exterior is crispy while the interior remains perfectly soft and squishy, qualities that can be credited to the sheer amount of olive oil and water that the dough contains. It may come as a surprise, but focaccia happens to be one of the easiest breads to make; if you’re a bread beginner, this is an excellent place to start.

Focaccia can be customised to suit the topping preferences of the baker. Savoury or sweet, it can be topped with seasonal vegetables or fruit, and sauces like pesto, fresh herbs, seeds, cheese, or even chocolate if you really have a sweet tooth. But first, let’s check out these focaccia dough must-knows to ensure you’re fully prepared to start working with this dough.

What kind of flour should I use to make focaccia?

White bread flour

This is the best flour to use for focaccia, because it contains high levels of protein and gluten; these are the building blocks you need to achieve good bubbles in your bread. Aim to use a bread flour with a protein content of at least 12 per cent.

Plain (all-purpose) flour

This type of flour contains less protein and gluten than bread flour. It also can’t absorb as much water and you probably won’t achieve as many bubbles in your bread. The water in the recipe should be reduced by around 30 ml (2 tablespoons) when using this type of flour. You can then add more if needed to match the consistency of the dough in my video tutorial.

Wholewheat flour

While wholewheat flour will produce a healthy and flavoursome slab of focaccia, the bread will be denser and less bubbly due to the bran content in the flour. I suggest a mix of 50 per cent wholewheat and 50 per cent white bread flour – and be prepared to add up to an extra 40-50ml (scant-generous 3 tablespoons) of water to the dough.

What kind of baking tray should I use?

For baking focaccia, I typically use an aluminium or metal tray measuring at least 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in), also known as a quarter sheet pan. If using ceramic or glass, keep in mind that you may need to leave the bread in the oven for a bit longer, and the focaccia may not achieve the same level of crispness.

The size of the baking tray you use will determine the thickness of the focaccia. The 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) baking tray will give you a thicker focaccia. If you’d prefer a thinner, crispier focaccia with more crust, use a larger tray, as the dough will spread out more.

What equipment should I use?

The most important tools for this dough are digital scales and a curved dough scraper. Be prepared to use a lot of extra virgin olive oil and non-stick baking parchment!

Oven settings and baking times

Placement of oven rack

For most ovens, setting the oven rack to the lowest position will help to ensure the bottom of the focaccia gets crispy. One exception is if you have a gas oven with all heat concentrated at the bottom. In this case, bake the focaccia on the middle rack instead.

Oven settings

If you have a pizza setting on your oven, always opt to use that for focaccia. This setting directs extra heat to the bottom of the oven, which allows the base of the bread to crisp up while preventing toppings
from burning. Be mindful that the pizza setting is often a fan setting, so you will need to reduce the temperature.

Focaccia baking times

If your focaccia still looks pale by the time the suggested bake time has lapsed, leave the bread in the oven until it has reached the colour you’re hoping for. If it takes a lot longer than stated, then increase the temperature of your oven by 10–15°C (20–30°F) the next time you make the recipe. After a few attempts
and adjustments, you should be able to find the settings that are best for baking focaccia in your oven.

If you’re having trouble getting the base crispy, I’ve found that placing the tray directly on the bottom of the oven for the final 4–5 minutes of baking can help to toast it up nicely!

Why is my focaccia dough wet and sticky?

Focaccia dough is wet and sticky. Dip your hands in water when performing the ‘stretch and folds’ to help prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. Oil your hands when transferring the dough into the tray and when dimpling it.

Every bread flour absorbs different levels of water: if your dough looks wetter, it could just mean your flour absorbs a little less water than mine does. Try reducing the water in the dough by 30 ml (2 tablespoons) next time, and feel free to add a touch more flour to the current batch until the consistency matches that of the dough in the video tutorial.

Can I freeze focaccia?

Focaccia is always best enjoyed on the day it was baked because the crust will be at its crispiest and the interior at its softest. It can be brought back to its day-one glory by following the steps below:

Wrap any remaining bread tightly in aluminium foil and place it in a large zip-top storage bag. Store it at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator if it has cheese or meat in it, or you can freeze it. If you plan to freeze it, be sure to slice the focaccia into portions before wrapping and freezing so you can simply reheat as many portions as needed.

How should I reheat focaccia?

If reheating from room temperature

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove the focaccia (still wrapped in foil) from the plastic storage bag and place it in the oven for 10–12 minutes. Peel back the foil and bake for an additional 2–3 minutes to ensure the crust crisps up.

If reheating from frozen

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Remove the focaccia (still wrapped in foil) from the plastic storage bag and place it in the oven for about 15 minutes, then peel back the foil and bake for an additional 2–3 minutes so the crust crisps up.

Focaccia recipes

Ready to get baking? Check out Lacey’s recipe for same-day focaccia, plus some sweet and savoury variations, below: