Best Ever Fluffy Focaccia Recipe - With Rosemary, Olives and Coarse Sea Salt

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Focaccia is the gateway to bread making, and why? Because it’s so simple to make. It’s very forgiving, and there's no knead to worry about exact temperatures. (see what I did there?... focaccia is a no knead bread)

That being said, it’s still possible to botch it up. The best focaccia you’ll ever have is the focaccia that has a super light, pillowy inside. Flat focaccia still tastes super delicious, but it’s got nothing on fluffy focaccia.

To achieve this fluffiness, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. So feel free to jump right to the recipe card with the above button if you do so desire. However I’d recommend that if this is your first time here, you read this article entirely to understand exactly what’s going on with your bread and how to make it better.

What is Focaccia - Focaccia 101

First things first…What is focaccia?

Well settle down class. I’ve got my best elbow padded blazer on and my whiteboard at the ready. This is focaccia 101.

Focaccia is an oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called pizza bianca ("white pizza"). Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it can be round, rectangular, or square shaped.

Or at least that's what google says…

Basically, it’s a square piece of bread with the lightest, fluffiest, pillowist texture you’ve ever seen and makes the perfect base for pretty much any flavouring you want. You can even turn it into a canvas, check out this article I wrote about focaccia art. Pretty cool, right?

Class dismissed, that’s your focaccia 101 complete.

What makes focaccia fluffy

Okay so we now know what it is, but why is it, is, is the question… that doesn’t make much sense at all, does it?

What I’m trying to say is focaccia is so good because its so fluffy, but why is it so fluffy?

Well that’s down to the yeast. The reason we add yeast to bread dough is because as it ferments, it creates co2. That co2 gets trapped in the dough forcing it to grow and become airy.

Interestingly this is the same process that gives beer bubbles and alcohol. However, don't worry, bread is non alcoholic. The fermentation process is not stable enough for that. So I guess you could say its more like Tepache. Perfect for fluffiness though.

That's what you’re doing when your proof bread. You’re leaving it to ferment and become airy.

Yeast also works best at certain temperatures. So the key to the best ever focaccia isn’t necessary the type of yeast you get, but it’s how you treat the yeast, and how you treat the dough throughout the full process.

Warm water for yeast

A good example of where people neglect the yeast and can’t understand why there focaccia isn’t as fluffy as it should be, comes down to the water they add when the make the dough. Focaccia has quite a high moisture level.

This one in particular is 75% moisture.

Which means it becomes very sticky, and also means you need to add quite a lot of the stuff to make the dough.

Like I said, yeast works best in certain temperatures and much like myself, the temperature yeast can not stand, is the cold.

So when you’re mixing your ingredients at the very start and you add a load of cold water to your flour and yeast, you’re essentially killing the yeast. Step 1 and your bread won’t ever be fluffy no matter how much you proof it.

It’s a common mistake and an easy fix. Just add warm water instead of cold.

It’s also a great example of why this focaccia recipe is the best, most fluffiest focaccia ever. In reality it's no different than all the other focaccia recipes you’ve tried but the tiny difference here and there (such as adding warm water instead of cold) really does make a big difference.

The steps involved in making focaccia;

I understand I’m starting to sound like I’m complicating something that doesn’t need complicating. I assure you, as stated at the beginning. This is an easy recipe and focaccia is a simple bread.

A lot of time will go into it, but that’s mainly waiting around. At the end of the day, its a 3 step process.

1# dough

Mix the dry and wet ingredients and you have dough. No kneading required. You’ll do a little pinching technique but that’s about it. I mentioned focaccia dough is super sticky and there’s nothing more frustrating than kneading a sticky dough.

Which is good because focaccia doesn’t ‘knead’ it. Just a little bit of stretching for the gluten and folding for the air. But that’s about it. I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘kneading’

2# proof

The second step, longest step, and easiest yet most anticipated step is the proofing. We’re going to go through a proofing method to make sure that as the dough ferments, the air is getting trapped right into that dough.

Which basically means we’re going to leave it alone, then fold it a little, then leave it, then fold, then again, and again, and a few more times till we’re completely satisfied that our dough is as airy as it possibly can be.

Inpatients is the death of focaccia.

Yes you can make it quicker. Are some of these waiting times I’m going to get you to follow in the recipe completely necessary? Nope. But if you’re patient and follow along, will the pay off be beautiful? Absolutely it will.

This step is the key to making pillowy focaccia.

3# bake

The last step is the baking which is by far the funniest. All you have to do is top it with some flavouring, in this recipe I’ll be using my focaccia favourite: Flaky sea salt, olives and rosemary. Then stick it in the oven till it's crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.

The right pan for making Focaccia

It also helps to have the correct equipment for making focaccia.

First and foremost, you want a big bowl. Even though when we start the dough will be small and you’ll be looking at it thinking “why the hell did I do this in a massive bowl” once we’ve done with our proofing the dough will be 5x the size.

The last thing you want is to not give the dough the room to grow. So pick up some big bowls, these ones on amazon UK are perfect. For all you americans and amazon US users, these are the bowls you want.

Equally as important is the pan. You want a rectangle, deep dish pan. For this exact recipe, you want a 9"x 13" sized pan which the focaccia would fill perfectly. And for crying out loud please make sure its non-stick. Below are the best options;

The Cheap and Cheerful Option

It doesn’t look like much but it gets the job done.

£17.91 amazon.co.uk

$16.58 amazon.com

The ‘Does the Job and Looks Great Whilst Doing It Dish’

Same size as the one above, we’ll use it in the same way but it looks better and we can also use it for lasagnes or pasta bakes and it’s going to last a lot longer.

£42.99 amazon.co.uk

$33.99 amazon.com

Dough Dimpling

The photo you see above is the process of dough dimpling.

Focaccia is great drenched in olive oil, dimpling your focaccia makes the perfect pockets that the olive oil can sit in.

It also gives it this bubbly texture on top which is just, well, it’s just great.

I wanted to talk about this step separately to stress an important factor of dough dumpling…

I spoke previously on how people unintentionally ruin their focaccia before they start by adding cold water. Well, dough dumpling is where people unintentionally ruin their dough at the last stage.

If you’ve followed the recipe exactly, you should have big airy dough. If you willy-nilly stick your fingers in that dough you know what’s going to happen? You’re going to pierce the dough. Basically, you’re going to pop it and let all that air out.

That’s a big no no. We want that air staying put inside our dough.

This doesn’t mean you have to dimple with caution. Just wet your fingers first, then you’ll be able to stick them right in that dough, right to the bottom without the air piercing the top.

Keep, your fingers, wet.

After we dimple the dough, shocker, we will be proofing it again. The best giveaway that your dough hasn’t lost its air is if around the dimples you have these bubbles forming.

They’re subtle, but it means the fermentation is strong. If you have these air bubbles, you’re in for a tasty focaccia believe me you.

Toppings for your Focaccia

One of the best parts about focaccia is the toppings. Focaccia makes the perfect base for any topping. I watched a video recipe just the other day with Jamie Oliver sticking sweet potato on top of a focaccia. It really is a versatile bread.

In the focaccia bread art article I wrote, I mention a lot of toppings and what you can do with them. So do check that out for more about the possibilities of focaccia toppings.

Here are some of my absolute favourite focaccia bread toppings and focaccia bread topping combinations;

• Olives, Flaky sea salt, and rosemary (which I will do with this recipe)

• Tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese

• Mixed herbs

• Cheese. Just, all the cheese.

• Mediterranean vegetables

• Onions

• Pesto

Storing Focaccia

Focaccia bread will last about 2-3 days at room temperature. Which is great because it never lasts longer than a day in my household.

In the refrigerator, focaccia bread will last about 4-5 days.

If you’re bulk making focaccia or making it in advance, you can freeze it. In which case it will last indefinitely.

Focaccia Reheating Tips

Focaccia is fine at room temperature. But there is something about warm bread which is just so damn good.

If you’re heating up some focaccia, simply put it in the oven at a low temp for 5 or so minutes until it’s just warmed through.

Focaccia Serving Suggestions

Here’s a few ideas on how to enjoy your focaccia bread and what to serve it with.

• Dipping: Dipping your focaccia bread in olive oil or Balsamic vinegar is simple and a delightful way to enjoy it.

• Soup: Dipping focaccia into soup is much better than a regular type of bread. Basically anything that can dip, focaccia works great for.

• Hummus: Once again, this is down to focaccia's amazing dipping quality. Or rather, scooping quality in the case of hummus.

• Vegetables/salads: A healthier option would be to serve your focaccia bread on the side of a salad.

• Pasta: Maybe it’s the Italian origins of focaccia bread, I don't know, but what I do know is it’s such a tasty treat to serve alongside a bowl of pasta.

The Focaccia bread sandwich

2 other serving suggests I have, and my favourite, which deserved a section of there own on this article is the focaccia bread sandwich, and the focaccia pizza. Let’s start with the sandwich.

I’ve always been a Warburtons pre sliced bread man myself. But when I last whipped up this focaccia for the photos and video. I figured I’d try the focaccia sandwich. And let me tell you… it’s good.

Here’s what you do. Cut your focaccia in the size of sandwich you want. The cut through the middle and stuff it with whatever sandwich bits you want.

As my focaccia was sea salt, rosemary and olives. I went with more of a Mediterranean theme. So I filled it with tomato pesto (for some sauce) fried halloumi (for some filler) and rocket (for the health). Simple, yet, well balanced.

My god was it delicious. So much so I will be doing a dedicated article for focaccia sandwiches sometime in the future.

The focaccia Pizza

The focaccia bread pizza is down to the topping. For this, just top it with a classic pizza topping. Whatever that might be. Just treat the dough (before it goes in the oven) as if it was pizza dough - some tomato puree, cheese, mozzarella and whatever pizza toppings you like.

It tastes so good.

When it comes to pizza, I’m a thin base kinda guy. The thinner the better and I very much dislike Chicago styled deep dish pizzas. Yuk.

So I didn’t have high hopes for what would essentially be the thickest pizza base I’ve ever had.

But because of that lightness, it works so well. You can even bake your focaccia circular so it’s even more pizza like. Personally I prefer cutting it into squares.

It’s both focaccia bread, and pizza, at the same time. There is nothing not to love.

Focaccia Bread Art

Whenever I mention focaccia someone always brings up bread art. If you don’t know what this is, it’s this…

Using your focaccia as a canvas for tasty masterpieces. It’s something that’s fun to do, great for those instagramable pics, and is an amazing idea to do with kids if you want to introduce them to cooking.

The last thing you want if you have a child is for them to be relying on you for food till the day they leave your household. Getting them to enjoy cooking is a great way to subliminally make them grow up to want to cook. Not to mention its a great skill to have.

This focaccia bread art is fantastic for getting them to enjoy cooking. And with such an easy bake you could get them to follow along the entire process with you. Who knows, they might grow up to become a baker in which case you get free bread. Result.

For more on focaccia bread art and all the inspirational photos I compiled, check out this article.

No Yeast Focaccia

If you’re wondering about no yeast focaccia and if it's possible, well the answer is yes.

Yeast is very important for that pillowy focaccia bread. But if you don’t mind flat bread (which still tastes good) then check out my no yeast focaccia bread recipe.

Video Recipe

Best Ever Fluffy Focaccia Recipe - With Rosemary, Olives and Coarse Sea Salthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS79xYzbW00This is how to make super fluffy, airy focaccia with rosemary, olives, and sea salt.https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bS79xYzbW00/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBvxVdBsg5RD-pQFdfacuinnVueVg2023-02-24

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Fluffy Focaccia with Rosemary, Olive and Sea Salt

Yield: 6

Author: Cameron Fielding

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 18 HourTotal time: 18 H & 25 M

The best ever Focaccia recipe - like a pillow in your mouth. Crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Filled with air bubbles and topped with crunchy coarse sea salt, fresh rosemary and olives.

Ingredients

• 600g (4 1/2 Cups) All-Purpose Flour
• 450g (2 Cups) Warm Water
• 6g (3/4 tsp.) Coarse Sea Salt plus a pinch more to top
• 20g (2 tbsp.) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 3 sprigs Rosemary
• Olives to taste

Instructions

1. Add the flour and yeast to a large bowl and mix to distribute the yeast
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve the salt into the warm water
3. Then pour the warm salty water in with the flour and yeast mixture and drizzle in the olive oil
4. Mix into a sticky dough then when no clumps remain, transfer to a separate large bowl and fold to introduce air to the dough (see video above if you need visual understanding of this step)
5. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave to proof for 30 minutes, then repeat - fold, cover, proof
6. The dough should be almost double in size, smooth to the touch and have some ‘bounce’ to it. Meaning if you poke it with your finger the indentation will bounce back. If it doesn't, repeat the folding and proofing process a few more times.
7. Now cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge to rest for 18-30 hours. This is the key to an airy, pillowy, fluffy focaccia. If you want to make focaccia quicker, or you’re curious about the importance of this step, scroll up to the ‘what makes focaccia fluffy’ section above
8. Grease a focaccia pan with oil and drop in your dough, stretching it out to fill the corners.
9. Now its time to proof again. Cover the pan with a damp towel and leave your focaccia to rise again in a warm place. I find the perfect place to be an oven that’s not turned on or a warm kitchen cupboard. Leave it for about 1 hour
10. Next it’s time to dimple your dough. Stick your fingers in to create dimples all over the dough like the above photos. Make sure to wet or oil your fingers so they don't catch the dough whilst dimpling
11. If you still feel like your dough could rise some more, feel free to cover again with a damp towel and proof for another hour. The longer you proof the dough the more airy the focaccia will be. So you could just keep proofing for longer and longer between every step.
12. Then its toppings time. Cover your focaccia with whichever toppings you like (inspiration above). Personally, my favourite is rosemary, sea salt and olives. So I pull off a good handful of rosemary leaves from the sprigs and spread them all over, then a healthy drizzle of olive oil, then a teaspoon of garlic powder, then a big pinch of sea salt.
13. Bake your focaccia in an oven at 425ºF (220°C/200°C fan) for 15-20 minutes
14. After that you finally have focaccia, but not just any focaccia, the most delicious focaccia ever! The last step is to drizzle with more olive oil and salt if needed, allow it to rest for 20 minutes, then cut into it and enjoy. Maybe even with a focaccia dip.

Notes

When it comes to the toppings, you can go with whatever your heart desires. Focaccia is a very forgiving bread which works great with a number of toppings. The more creative, the more fun.

Scroll up to see storage and serving tips and everything else you need to know about the fantastic bread which is focaccia.

Recommended Products:

A Large Bowls

9"x13" Baking Pan

9"x13" Baking Dish

Nutrition Facts

Calories

399.01

Fat

4.84 g

Sat. Fat

0.68 g

Carbs

76.54 g

Fiber

2.88 g

Net carbs

73.66 g

Sugar

0.29 g

Protein

10.44 g

Sodium

445.5 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg

The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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How To Make Focaccia Bread Art

No Yeast Focaccia Bread Recipe

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Credit where credit is due

A lot of the inspiration for this recipe came from Kitchen and craft. You can find them on youtube and the focaccia recipe that inspired me here.

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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch more recipes like it. I share only vegetarian and pescatarian food recipes, cocktails, and drink guides with a sprinkling of wellness and mindful drinking. If that sounds like you, then stick around!

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