Focaccia
Liguria gift to the bread world: a dimpled golden flatbread glistening with olive oil and scattered with sea salt crystals. Fingers pressed into the risen dough create wells that pool with fragrant Ligurian olive oil.
Ingredients
- 3.5 cupsbread flour
- 1.5 tspinstant yeast
- 1.5 tspkosher salt
- 1.5 cupswarm water(about 110°F)
- 0.5 cupextra-virgin olive oil(divided)
- 2 sprigsfresh rosemary(leaves picked)
- flaky sea salt(for topping)
📝 Make Ahead
Dough requires overnight rise. Baked focaccia keeps 2 days wrapped at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month. Reheat in 350°F oven.
Instructions
- Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl
- Add warm water and 2 tablespoons olive oil, mix until shaggy dough forms
- Cover and let rise at room temperature 8-12 hours or overnight
- Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into 9x13 baking pan, spreading to coat
- Transfer dough to pan, turning to coat in oil
- Stretch dough gently toward edges - it will spring back
- Cover and let rise 2 hours until doubled and puffy
- Preheat oven to 450°F
- Dimple dough all over with fingertips
- Drizzle remaining olive oil over top, scatter rosemary
- Sprinkle generously with flaky salt
- Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown
💡 Pro Tips
The overnight rise develops complex flavor and creates an airy, irregular crumb. Don't skimp on olive oil - it creates the crispy bottom and tender interior. Dimple aggressively - the holes hold olive oil. Flaky salt is essential for texture contrast.
📜 History
Focaccia derives from Latin "focus" meaning hearth where bread was baked. Ancient Romans made panis focacius on hearthstones. In Genoese dialect it is called fugassa, a tradition dating to medieval times. The distinctive finger-dimpled surface called ombrisalli holds pools of olive oil. When Genoa was a maritime republic, focaccia became an essential sailor provision.