Focaccia is a simple type of homemade bread. It takes some time (at least 3 hours) to prepare it, but for the most part you have to wait for it to rise, so you will be free to do something else. There is nothing as good as freshly baked bread, and focaccia is the simplest one you can prepare from scratch. This is the basic recipe that you can easily enrich. You can double the doses, if you have an army of gluttons to feed, and you can also flavor it with different herbs, with cheeses, with garlic, and dried tomatoes. The base is always the same, no matter what toppings you make.
Ingrediants
- 1 packet of dry yeast or 25 g of brewer's yeast.
- 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- 1 teaspoon of salt.
- 240 ml of hot water (55-60 ° C).
- 450-500 g of wholemeal or “0” flour divided into two parts (read the Tips section).
- 2-3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon of chopped dry rosemary.
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese.
Steps
Step 1. Clean the work base in the kitchen on which you will knead the focaccia
This can be a wooden countertop, a cutting board or the kitchen table, but the important thing is that it is perfectly clean. If you use the table, scrub it with a cloth and dish soap and then rinse it thoroughly.
It's time to wash your hands too
Step 2. Pour hot water into the ceramic bowl
Yeast is not difficult to manage, but hot water will help you. A good general rule to follow regarding the temperature of the water is to use the same one you would use for a good hot bath. The hot water will help you heat the bowl which, if it is ceramic, will keep the heat for a long time.
Step 3. Finely chop the rosemary and any herbs you have decided to use
Step 4. Remove the water from the bowl and dry it with a clean cloth
Step 5. Combine 240g of flour with the rest of the dry ingredients, including baking powder and rosemary, in the bowl, but set aside an equal amount of flour
Step 6. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and then the hot water
Step 7. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon
You need to get a homogeneous mixture, like a batter. You can also use an electric mixer if you have a bread hook.
Step 8. Gradually add the rest of the flour as you mix
Step 9. Start kneading with your hands when the mixture becomes too thick and sticky to work with the spoon
Step 10. Pour the dough onto a clean and floured surface when it takes on a more consistent appearance
Step 11. Knead with your hands for at least 10 minutes incorporating the remaining flour
- If you are not sure of the time it takes to knead, follow your instinct. When you think the dough is ready, stop. Rest assured, it is difficult to work the pasta by hand for too long.
- Dust the dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to your fingers.
- When ready, the dough will be smooth and elastic. Make sure it returns to its original shape when you press it with your finger. Alternatively try the "ear test". Take a portion of pasta the size of an earlobe and feel the consistency. If the dough is ready, it will look like a human lobe to the touch.
Step 12. Form a ball with the dough
Step 13. Pour some olive oil into the bowl
Step 14. Roll the dough into the bowl to cover it entirely with oil
Turn the dough to make sure you don't leave out any areas.
Step 15. Cover the dough with cling film (recommended) or with a damp cloth (traditional) to keep the humidity level constant during rising
Step 16. Let the dough rise in a warm (but not hot) place for at least 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in volume
-
The dough will be ready when you can insert your finger without it returning to its original shape.
Poke with fingers 
Indentations remain
Step 17. Put the dough on a floured surface
Step 18. Punch the dough
That's just what you need to do: give it a few well-aimed blows to flatten it.
Step 19. Divide the dough into two equal pieces
Step 20. Turn, press and roll each piece of dough onto a flat surface until it is the size of a baking sheet
A more or less rectangular shape will do. It does not need to cover the entire pan, but it is important that the thickness is uniform (about 1-1.5 cm).
Step 21. Grease the pan with a little oil and put the dough on it
Step 22. Cover the pan with cling film (it would be useful to lightly grease the plastic before placing it on the still raw focaccia) and let it rise for another 20-30 minutes
The dough will swell.
Step 23. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
Step 24. Remove the cling film
With your fingers, make holes all over the surface of the dough.
Step 25. Spread the olive oil evenly over the dough
You can use a kitchen brush.
Step 26. Sprinkle with Parmesan or any other ingredient of your taste
Step 27. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the focaccia is golden
Step 28. Cut it into 8-10 cm pieces
Use a pizza wheel.
Step 29. Serve it still hot or cold, the important thing is that it is fresh
A bowl or basket wrapped in a clean cloth is an excellent presentation.
Advice
- The purpose of working the pasta is to develop gluten. For leavened breads, such as focaccia, it is a fundamental step. For other preparations, such as banana bread, you need to avoid gluten forming.
- To make a good focaccia you can use flour "0", wholemeal or "00". Do not use the specific one for sweets, nor the self-leavening one.
- You have to adjust the amount of flour according to its absorbency. You need to make a dough that is elastic, but that doesn't stick to your hands and work surface. You can add a little flour at a time until it is no longer absorbed.
- You can only use a bread maker to knead and let the dough rest. Check the manual of your appliance to know how to do it and how to adapt the proportions of the ingredients.
- In this recipe you can replace half of the normal flour with the whole durum wheat one, if you want to change the character of your focaccia; you will have to work the dough more, and it is important that wholemeal flour is specific for baking. If you are a beginner, it is not the easiest ingredient to use.
- The transparent film prevents the dough from drying out during rising.
- Isidore of Seville, in his Etymologiae, argues that the term "focaccia" derives from the Latin focàcia, feminine of focàcius, with the meaning of "cooked at the hearth".
Warnings
- Be careful when using the oven and knives.
- Do not put the cling film or towels that you used to cover the dough during rising in the oven.
