An Easy Focaccia Recipe From Tuscany

One of the reasons Italy has such a diverse and interesting food culture is that each commune, village and person has their own way of doing things. This is no less true of bread baking. You can seldom find two people that agree on the one way to make something.

This is an easy focaccia recipe that we made everyday when I was in Italy. It is typical of the Tuscan region, although, they didn't call it focaccia they called it Schiacciata. After a couple days I asked the chef how focaccia is different. He said, it's not, they're the same.

Easy Focaccia Recipe

• Yield: one loaf
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: about 25 minutes
• Inactive Time: 2 to 4 hours

Equipment

• Stand Mixer with paddle and dough hook
• Digital Scale

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 Cups  /  35.25 ounces  /  1000 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 Cups / 21 ounces / 600 ml water
• 1/2 cup / 3.2 ounces / 90 grams / 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp / 15 grams /  kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp  / 10 grams instant yeast
• Red pepper, for dusting
• Dried oregano, for dusting

Method

1. Place the bowl of your stand mixer on your digital scale and tare the scale. Add the flour, salt, and yeast, taking care to tare the scale as needed.
2. Whisk the ingredients to distribute and thoroughly combine.
   
3. Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand 10 minutes, to hydrate the flour. Add the olive oil.
   
4. Place the bowl on the mixer and mix with the paddle attachment until a sticky dough forms. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead on medium-low for 6 minutes.
   
5. Turn out dough onto a floured board and work into a smooth ball. Coat the mixing bowl with a little olive oil.
6. Form the dough into a boule and place back in the bowl. Allow to rise until doubled in volume.
   
7. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).
   
8. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Punch down dough and stretch it into a square, about the size of your sheet pan.
9. Transfer the dough to the parchment lined sheet pan. Press the dough to allow it to cover the pan, as needed. Allow to proof until almost doubled in volume.
10. Gently coat the dough with extra virgin olive oil and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt, red pepper, and oregano if desired. 
11. Place on center rack in oven and toss about a quarter cup of water onto the floor of the oven to generate steam. Immediately close the door and reduce the heat to 375° F (190° C). 
12. Bake until focaccia is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest on a cutting board for about a minute.
13. Lift one side of the bread and tap on the bottom center. You should hear a hollow sound when you tap it. Remove the bread from the pan and place it back in the oven, directly on the rack. Bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
    
14. Remove and cool on an inverted sheet pan for about a minute. Then transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool completely.

Tags: focaccia recipe, easy focaccia