Recipe: No-Knead Skillet Focaccia (2024)

FAQs

What is the best pan to bake focaccia in? ›

Because there is a greater edge-to-middle ratio when you bake focaccia in a loaf pan instead of a sheet pan (not to mention the loaf pan has higher sides), you're ensured a lot of crispy, cheesy bites.

Flour - I used a mixture of bread flour and All-purpose flour (high grade or strong and plain if you're not in the US). Bread flour is slightly higher in protein than All-purpose, so gives the focaccia just a little more chew. I love the mix of both, but just AP flour works just fine too!

Why is my focaccia not fluffy or chewy? It could be the type of flour you used. The best flour to use to make focaccia bread is bread flour which gives you fluffy baked bread. Or, it could also be because you did not knead the dough enough for the gluten to form a structure which can result in flat or dense bread.

Deflate the dough and transfer to a prepared pan. I love this 9×13-inch USA pan. If you don't have one you can use two 8- or 9-inch pie plates or something similar. If you are using glass baking dishes be sure to grease the dishes with butter before pouring a tablespoon of olive oil into each.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to the base of your baking tray and rub evenly all over. Use baking paper to line the base of the tray, then add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on top of that - spread over evenly - this is to stop your focaccia from sticking to the tray.

Now, focaccia uses plenty of olive oil, not only in the dough, but for kneading, proofing, in the baking pan, and on the bread's surface before baking. All this fat means the texture is light, moist and springy, the crust emerges golden and crisp, plus the center stays soft for days afterwards.

Traditionally Tuscan focaccia is medium thick and medium soft but crispy on the outside. Salt and rosemary are its usual companions. However, throughout Tuscany you can also find a thin and crispy version as well thick and very soft. Tuscan panini with cheese and cold cuts often use focaccia for a base.

As Elizabeth Yetter wrote in her helpful primer "How To Punch Down Bread Dough," the more air pockets "you can remove from the dough, the finer the grain (or crumb) will be." While that's great for sandwich bread or sweet rolls, it's not as desirable for loaves, like focaccia, where you want airiness.

Tips for the perfect homemade Focaccia.

Don't over-knead your dough– In the first step, make sure the dough has come together enough that it's sticky but not smooth, this will help to make the much desired air bubbles.

Ingredients: Almost all focaccia varieties use flour, water, salt, oil, and yeast. Two rising periods: In the first period, the dough is mixed together, then set to rest and rise (also called bulk fermentation). In the latter period, the dough is deflated, then transferred to a pan for a second rise.

What happens if you don't poke focaccia? ›

If you forget to dimple your dough and bake it, the dough will collapse when the bubbles burst, resulting in sad focaccia and a sad baker. To dimple your dough, oil your fingers or the end of a wooden spoon handle and gently poke the dough.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Focaccia, an Italian baked flatbread, is a yeast-leavened bread that is soft on the inside and crispy, crusty on the outside. This focaccia is a snap to make. In this version, the gluten in the bread is developed by stretching and folding several times throughout the proofing time.

Oven temperature: If the oven is too cold, it can lead to dense bread as it doesn't heat the gases in the dough enough to make them expand and rise. Preheat the oven and don't leave the door open too long when placing focaccia inside. This ensures the oven is nice and hot.

This recipe, originally from Alexandra Cooks has been our go-to focaccia recipe. A pyrex glass casserole dish is perfect for a thicker bread that can be sliced for making sandwhiches. If not preparing overnight, let the mixed dough rise at room temperature for about 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled.

Our favorite loaf pan is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Loaf Pan, which baked picture-perfect loaves. We also liked the round-edged Nordic Ware Treat Nonstick Loaf Pan. It had handles, making it easy to pull out of the oven.

Line a square ceramic dish (a brownie pan is perfect) with baking paper. This is not essential but I have had my bread stick to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20-25minutes until golden and hollow when tapped.

Spread the dough in the baking pan

I use an aluminum cake pan and have had excellent results with it. A disposable aluminum foil pan will work great, too, I always use those when I make focaccia to give away. Make sure the dough is stretched evenly, but that's not critical to stress about.