Since moving to Australia I had not had a piece of focaccia! That is 5 years… a long time for someone who literally grew up on it! I remember my mom buying some from the baker’s everyday and giving it to me to take to school to eat during recess (or as we say “ricreazione”). It would usually be a plain focaccia, with no toppings, even though sometimes I would choose one with tomatoes or olives. In more recent years I have become a great fan of the onion focaccia… so yummy (more on these varieties in later posts). I had once made it at home but it did not come out like anything I was used to… it wasn’t an Italian recipe and it came out too thick and dry… more like bread… which is what I often come across around here. It still tastes good, but it is not focaccia. Focaccia is typical of the city of Genoa, which is not too far from Milan. Yet even in Milan it is hard to find a focaccia that is as good as the Genoese version! Anyhow, I started craving for it after reading a post about focaccia from my friend Marsha of The Harried Cook and started researching the web for the recipe of the “real thing”. That’s how l came about Viva La Focaccia. It is a fantastic site with recipes and video tutorials of authentic focacce! I couldn’t have been happier and tried this recipe immediately. Making focaccia at home is very easy and you only need a few ingredients, but it requires time as the dough has to rise a few times. Also, you’ll need a good quality extra virgin olive oil and you’ll need quite a bit of it… focaccia NEEDS to be oily… slightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It doesn’t have to be too thick either… approximately 2 or 2.5 cm (1 inch) is the perfect thickness. I made mine more around the 2 cm mark. So, here it goes… the recipe for authentic focaccia and don’t forget to check out the other focaccia recipes on MsM: Olive Focaccia, Cherry Tomato Focaccia, and my favourite Onion Focaccia!
Recipe adapted from Viva La Focaccia
Ingredients: (makes 2 cookie sheets of 22cm x 32cm or 20×30 for a slightly thicker focaccia)
200 gms – 7 oz. lukewarm water
20 gms – 0.7 oz. – 1 1/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the dough (plus more for the cookie sheets and focaccia surface)
7 gms – 0.25 oz. – 1 1/2 tsp salt
3 gms malt or ½ tsp honey
320 gms -11.25 oz. plain flour
6 gms – 0.2 oz. – 1 1/4 tsp dry yeast dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
Put the water, oil, salt, honey (or malt) in a mixer with a dough hook.
Then add half the flour. Knead until all the ingredients come together.
Then dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the mixture. Add the remaining flour little by little and knead for 15 minutes.
When ready, transfer the dough on a benchtop sprinkled with flour, and cover it with a tea towel (the dough has to be soft and sticky… so don’t panic! It is normal!). Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Then fold it on itself and slightly flatten it. Do this twice. Cover and let it rest for 15 more minutes.
Put some (quite a bit… 3 to 4 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil on the cookie sheets.
Divide the dough in 2 and place it on the 2 cookie sheets. Turn the dough over so it gets coated in oil on all sides, this will prevent a crust from forming on the dough surface and it will make it easier to flatten later.
Let it rise for 1 hour. I put it in the oven that is turned off with only the light on.
After it has risen for an hour, take the focacce out and flatten them with your hands (it will be very easy, just push the dough down and don’t stretch it).
Add 3 pinches of salt on the surface of each focaccia. Put them back in the oven to rise for 30 minutes more.
Then take them out and pour 2 or 3 tbsp of lukewarm water and 2 or 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on the top.
Spread the mixture by massaging it with your hands and make the characteristic holes by pressing down hard with your fingertips.
Put them back in oven and let them rise for 1 hour more.
Bake in a preheated fan forced oven at 200 – 220°C for about 12 to 15 minutes. When ready, put it on a wire rack to cool down and brush immediately with some extra virgin olive oil.
Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Focaccia
Ingredients
- 200 gms – 7 oz. lukewarm water
- 20 gms – 0.7 oz. – 1 1/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the dough plus more for the cookie sheets and focaccia surface
- 7 gms – 0.25 oz. – 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 gms malt or ½ tsp honey
- 320 gms -11.25 oz. plain flour
- 6 gms – 0.2 oz. – 1 1/4 tsp dry yeast dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
Instructions
-
Put the water, oil, salt, honey (or malt) in a mixer with a dough hook.
-
Then add half the flour. Knead until all the ingredients come together.
-
Then dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the mixture.
-
Add the remaining flour little by little and knead for 15 minutes.
-
When ready, transfer the dough on a benchtop sprinkled with flour, and cover it with a tea towel (the dough has to be soft and sticky… so don’t panic! It is normal!). Let it rest for 15 minutes.
-
Then fold it on itself and slightly flatten it. Do this twice. Cover and let it rest for 15 more minutes.
-
Put some (quite a bit… 3 to 4 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil on the cookie sheets.
-
Divide the dough in 2 and place it on the 2 cookie sheets.
-
Turn the dough over so it gets coated in oil on all sides, this will prevent a crust from forming on the dough surface and it will make it easier to flatten later.
-
Let it rise for 1 hour. I put it in the oven that is turned off with only the light on.
-
After it has risen for an hour, take the focaccia out and flatten them with your hands (it will be very easy, just push the dough down and don’t stretch it).
-
Add 3 pinches of salt on the surface of each focaccia. Put them back in the oven to rise for 30 minutes more.
-
Then take them out and pour 2 or 3 tbsp of lukewarm water and 2 or 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on the top.
-
Spread the mixture by massaging it with your hands and make the characteristic holes by pressing down hard with your fingertips.
-
Then put the focaccia back in oven and let it rise for 1 hour more.
-
Bake in a preheated fan forced oven at 200 – 220°C for about 12 to 15 minutes. When ready, put it on a wire rack to cool down and brush immediately with some extra virgin olive oil.
-
Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Manu, this looks great! I’ve always been a big fan of freshly baked focaccia, but it’s so hard to find. The store-bought bread doesn’t even come close to something home-made. I think I’m going to try this out since you make it look so much easier than I thought! Love the step-by-step pictures!
Well, I found my perfect recipe for focaccia some months ago, and I’ll never let go… but this looks veeeeery good! Ok, I’m definitely hungry! 🙂
Holy smokes, that’s hot! You weren’t kidding about that olive oil 🙂 Great recipe, totally buzzed
Thanks for sharing this recipe. My son loves Focaccia, and if it topped with tomato and/or onion…better for him.
Wow that focaccia looks awesome! Much better than the one you usually get in Milan, I won’t even get in what you get in Minneapolis…. Will have to try it!!
Weeee!! I LOVE this recipe and I’ve always wanted to learn how to make focaccia! I’m going to surprise my boyfriend tonight and make some 🙂
Nice work Manu! That looks fantastic. I’m still intimidated by any kind of bread-making, but I may give this one a try. For sure we don’t have anything like it in Vancouver… 2 cm? Here it’s often a 2-inch thick, dry brick, saturated with Mediterranean herbs!
Focaccia is always a great dish and the way you explained with these lovely pictures is worth a praise! Manu, this is one of your best posts and I loved reading it. Thanks for sharing!!
la tua focaccia ha un meraviglioso aspetto Manuela!Buona giornata…
Grazie Chiara!!! <3
This looks great!! I have tried to make focaccia twice with horrible results. Look forward to giving yours a try! 🙂
I honestly haven’t had focaccia, Manu. Your photos tell me it’s good…and you made it seem so easy and simple to make, so I guess I’ll be trying it one of these days…
Gorgeous Manu! I’ve been looking for a good focaccia recipe for sometime now so I’ll for sure be giving this a try!
I love focaccia with tomatoes and onions and I have a recipe that I love but I don’t know if it tastes like the real thing..I will try yours soon and let you know..
Thank you for sharing
I know I am not a good baker and I am usually too chicken (and lazy ;)) to bake bread myself, but this recipe of yours looks quite simple to make I think I really should give it a try because I love focaccia! Thanks for sharing this, Manu :)!
Ti è venuta strabene Manu! Io adoro la focaccia, anche con l’aggiunta di rosmarino e qualche grano di sale sopra, come usa al paese di origine di mio padre, dove si chiama schiacciata al ramerino… e con la cipolla?! Ma ne vogliamo parlare? Ne mangerei dei metri!!
Looks so delish. It`s making me hungry. Great job on this one.
This is just perfect! Focaccia has been on my “to bake” list for a while but haven’t given it a go yet…this is bookmarked and I’m going to try it soon. Your step-by-step is awesome!
Ohh 5 years..that is a long long time..:)) This recipe is just the way I like focaccia.. I could even find myself eating just that if I have it around the kitchen :))) Looks amazing Manu!
Wow, Manu! This focaccia looks perfect… Thanks for the awesome tip of brushing with oil and water… I only knew about that after you left that comment on my post… I’m sure the next time I make focaccia, I can avoid those cracks on the top! Your focaccia looks just fabulous! I must try this authentic recipe… and thank you for the shout out! Appreciate it 🙂
This is fantastic, I have tried making focaccia but could tell it wasn’t an authentic recipe as when you google it there is such a huge variety. It was delicious though. I am definitely going to try yours, looks so yummy.
I make focaccia all the time but I doubt it ever looks as good as yours does. Delicious!
I should try this.. I like focaccia so much.. It tastes just great with wine or beer 🙂
Wow, your step by step pictures are fabulous. I know this focaccia must be good because it has that olive oil “glow” on top after baking. Yum!
Manu I love this post- the step by step pictures are great. My friends husband was making some yesterday and now your post has inspired me to give it a try! I wish I had some for breakfast right now! LOL
Yummy! I love Focaccia and I haven’t had any since I moved to SF.:-) With your recipe and all the step by step instructions you totally inspired me to bake them this weekend. Thanks for sharing.:-)
I just love the way you share the step by step photo. I too miss certain food from back home and waiting to eat them once I go back. This looks delicious Manu .. and not that though to make either .. lot of technique though!
Hmm! Homemade Focaccia! I love how you showed us step-by-step. I know your hands are too dirty to hold a camera and I know how hard it was to do it. Thanks for sharing those precious pictures! I thought it’s interesting that the mark on top of the focaccia came from fingers! Greeeeeeeat post!
your recipe is too good…will surely try this..
Tasty Appetite
I tend to avoid focaccia because when I buy it it is very thick and doughy. Your bread looks amazing Manu, light and delicious and so easy. I will be making this very soon. The photos are great too. I love the little puddles of olive oil.
That totally looks like authentic foccaccia!!!!!! Not too thick, not too bready, with those little oily pools. This from someone who lives in Milan and still cannot seem to find an authentic enough focaccia, even just a few 100kms away from Genoa. AMAZING JOB!
5 years sans focaccia?!?!?!? So crazy! Well, you prepared a very beautiful batch of it! Love those cute little dimples! 😀
Wow that is a long time to go without Focaccia. I love it and bake it often. I’ve never added the olive oil at the bottom of the baking sheet as you have, will do so next time. Thanks for sharing this great recipe 🙂
Manu, you have gotten me with this recipe! I love focaccia and you can probably gather it isnt very easy to come by here in Israel where pita rules the bread section. I will definitely be trying this, looks wonderful.
Manu ho fatto la ricetta! La focaccia e’ venuta più che bene! Thank you for always inspiring me!
Sono felicissima che vi sia piaciuta!!! Mi hai fatto venire voglia di rifarla!!! <3 Buona giornata!
Bravissima!Una delle più belle focacce che ho visto!!
Thank for the link.
http://vivalafocaccia.com/le-ricette-di-vivalafocaccia-nel-web/