Italian focaccia classic. Thin and crispy focaccia: recipes from Italian chefs and Jamie Oliver

What is focaccia? This is Italian bread that contains wine. Focaccia, the recipe for which is described in detail below, is tender and very tasty, perfect for a light snack.

Ingredients

What ingredients are needed for cooking? For one sheet (baking sheet) of focaccia, the recipe calls for:

  • 360 grams of first grade flour (wheat flour is best, but rye flour can also be used);
  • 90 grams of semolina (the original uses semolina flour, but practice shows that semolina is no worse);
  • 90 grams of olive oil (the brand doesn’t matter, the only thing worth paying attention to is its quality);
  • 90 grams of white wine (you can also use red wine, but the dough will taste a little different. The wines should be dry);
  • 12 grams of yeast (baking yeast, which is sold immediately in small bags, works very well);
  • 125 grams of warm water (a small cup. It is best to mix the yeast immediately in a glass so as not to overfill the yeast mixture);
  • a teaspoon of sugar;
  • salt (1.5 - 2 teaspoons for dough, plus salt for sprinkling).

Focaccia - recipe step by step

And let's get straight to cooking. The time spent will vary from 1 hour and forty minutes to 2 hours, but the result is worth it; you will not be indifferent to the focaccia bread. The recipe is not as complicated as you might expect. So let's get started.

Step one. Add sugar and water to the container with yeast, leave for 5-10 minutes (the yeast should “rise”). At the same time, you can start kneading the dough; there is no need to wait for the yeast mixture to be prepared.

Step two. Mix all the flour, wine, salt and oil. Knead the dough, then add the yeast. Keep in mind that the focaccia will rise a lot, so mix in a deep saucepan.

Step three. Knead the “final” dough. Knead until smooth (10 minutes is enough). Then cover the dough with a towel and place it in a warm place for an hour.

Step four. Place the dough on a baking sheet, roll it out and sprinkle with salt (1 - 2 teaspoons, the dough should not be too salty).

Step five. Bake at 220 degrees for 30-40 minutes - this is the optimal temperature to get a classic focaccia. The recipe ends here. Serve hot.

The recipe can be varied by adding cheese or tomatoes. To do this, the ingredients need to be added at the dough kneading stage so that everything bakes evenly.

We are accustomed to the fact that one of the traditional Italian types of bread - focaccia - simply cannot be thin. As a rule, the flatbread is fluffy and soft, and in addition to everything else, it contains a lot of all sorts of additives on its surface, such as fresh herbs, onions, olives and coarse salt. Quite recently, a recipe for thin and crispy focaccia, which does not contain yeast and resembles a giant one, has become popular.

Recipe for thin focaccia without yeast

Ingredients:

  • flour - 145 g;
  • semolina - 35 g;
  • - 15 ml;
  • a pinch of coarse salt;
  • water - 95 ml.

Preparation

Mix semolina with flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry slide and fill it with warm water and olive oil. Mix all ingredients together until you get an elastic dough. Form the dough into a ball and leave for half an hour. Despite the fact that this type of dough does not contain yeast, it needs proofing not to increase in size, but to relax the gluten strands and become easier to roll out.

When the dough has rested, divide it into quarters and stretch each into a thin layer with your hands. Place each of these layers on a well-oiled baking sheet, after which you can sprinkle the surface of the cake with the desired toppings. Thin Italian focaccia is baked at 230 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Thin focaccia with garlic

Ingredients:

  • flour - 295 g;
  • water - 95 ml;
  • dried Italian herbs - 1 teaspoon;
  • olive oil - 35 ml;
  • garlic - 2 cloves.

Preparation

Prepare a simple mixture of flour, butter and water. Leave the finished dough to rest for 15 minutes, then divide into portions and roll out. Grease the surface with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and herbs. Leave the cakes to bake at 230 degrees for 5-6 minutes, and then rub with a cut of garlic while they are still hot.

Ingredients:

Preparation

Make a simple base dough by mixing together flour, salt, water and oil. Leave the finished dough for 15 minutes to make the rolling process easier, then divide the dough in half and roll out both halves. Place a layer of grated cheese between them and repeat rolling to seal the tortillas together. Grease the surface with a small amount of oil and bake the bread at 210 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

Italian focaccia

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Focaccia is a type of Italian yeast bread in the form of a flatbread. Each region bakes it according to its own recipes: with or without filling, fluffy or thin, round, oval, rectangular. Vegetables, cheese, ham, olives, herbs and spices are added to the dough, and the filling can be inside or on top, like on a pizza. The simplest option is Italian focaccia, a classic recipe made with olive oil with the addition of Provençal herbs and sea salt. This is where I propose to start getting acquainted with this pastry.

You can make minor changes to the focaccia recipe. Sea salt can be replaced with coarse table salt; instead of Provençal herbs, take basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary in arbitrary proportions.

Ingredients

To prepare Italian classic focaccia you will need:

  • warm water – 100 ml;
  • granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l;
  • fresh yeast – 12 g;
  • wheat flour – 80 g.
  • wheat flour – 220 g;
  • water – 150 ml;
  • sea ​​or table salt – 2 tsp;
  • Provencal herbs - 1 tbsp. l;
  • olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.

How to make Italian focaccia. Recipe

Combine sugar and fresh yeast in a deep bowl. I don’t put salt in the dough; it will be added later.

I crush the yeast with a spoon and grind it with sugar into a thick brownish paste.

I pour in a little less than half a glass of warm water and stir the yeast mixture in it.

I sift the flour. If you don't have a scale, measure out 4 tbsp. spoons - it will be approximately 80 grams. Or add little by little until the dough reaches the consistency of sour cream.

Stir until smooth without lumps. There is no need to make a dense dough; it will take a long time to rise. I put the bowl in a warm place, covering the top with a towel or film.

If the yeast is strong and of high quality, after 20-25 minutes the dough will rise almost level with the edges and a sharp smell of fermentation will be felt.

To prevent impurities and debris from getting into the dough, I dissolve the salt in the remaining water by heating it.

I transfer the dough into a larger bowl and add salted water. I add Provençal herbs and let it sit for five minutes.

I sprinkle a little flour, sift the rest into a mound. I make a depression in the center.

I add olive oil. The peculiarity of any Italian bread recipe is the use of high-quality olive oil. It is believed that the texture of the crumb and the taste of baked goods largely depend on the type of oil in which focaccia is prepared. I have cold pressed olive oil.

Mix the ingredients with a spoon until a soft, loose lump forms.

Place it on a board, sprinkling the surface with flour. The focaccia dough will be very soft, even a little sticky, but kneads easily.

Try not to add more flour than indicated in the recipe. I grease my palms with oil two or three times - this improves the texture of the dough and makes it easier to knead.

I transfer the kneaded dough back, greasing the bottom and walls of the dish. I cover and put it in a warm place. I learned to use the oven for proofing. First I warm it up to +40 degrees and turn it off. I put the bowl with the dough in a warm oven and leave it to proof. If it has cooled down, I warm it up a little to the desired temperature. It’s very convenient and economical, the dough doesn’t over-acidify and rises wonderfully. After 40-45 minutes it will increase in volume several times and will be ready for cutting.

Before cutting, I knead the dough to release excess air. I divide it into two parts.

I don’t use a rolling pin; the focaccia dough can be easily stretched by hand to the desired thickness and shape. I put it on a sheet, knead it with my palms into a flat cake 1.5-2 cm thick. I cover it and leave it for 15-20 minutes. I turn on the oven and heat it up to 220-230 degrees.

Advice.The oven should be well heated, the temperature should not be lower than 220 degrees. Low heat will leave the focaccia pale and dry out.

Before the focaccia goes into the oven, I grease the surface with oil. Abundantly, but not so much that it pours onto the baking sheet.

I use my fingers to make indentations over the entire surface. I push deep, almost to the bottom. I sprinkle the top with aromatic herbs and put it in the oven.

At high temperature, focaccia is baked for 10-12 minutes. Do not leave the tortilla unattended, especially in the last two or three minutes - the top may burn if the heat is too high!

It is customary to serve focaccia warm or even hot, but it is very tasty in any form. When it cools down, the flavor of the spicy additives is better felt, but the crust is no longer crunchy.

Another feature: classic Italian focaccia cannot be cut with a knife. The flatbread is broken by hand and served on the table. Happy baking! Your Plyushkin.

Focaccia Lucana gets its name from the region of Italy, Lucania (now Basilicata), where it is baked. This bread differs from the traditional flat cake with filling in its original shape and beautiful pattern on the cut of the crumb. Like any Italian focaccia, this pastry is based on yeast dough, the main components of which are water, flour and vegetable oil. Focaccia, the recipe for which is presented today, turns out fluffy, airy, with a crispy thin crust. This bread from Lucania is filled with sweet ground paprika. It colors the focaccia crumb, drawing characteristic spiral patterns on it, and gives the baked goods a subtle aroma.

how to bake italian focaccia bread

The dough for focaccia lucana can be made in a bread machine. To do this, you first need to mix water, salt, sugar and vegetable oil. And then add flour, yeast and set the “Dough” mode. However, yeast dough loves the warmth of human hands. Therefore, it is worth trying to knead it by hand.

Ingredients:

  • dry yeast – 1 tsp;
  • water – 160 ml;
  • salt – 1 tsp;
  • granulated sugar – 2 tsp;
  • flour – 400 g;
  • refined vegetable oil – 6 tbsp. l.;
  • sweet paprika – 2 tbsp. l.;
  • sea ​​salt – 1 pinch.

Cooking process:

All products for the test must be warm. The optimal temperature is 25–28 degrees. It is in this case, and even in the absence of drafts, that the yeast is most active and the dough rises well. First you need to prepare the dough. Yeast should be mixed with granulated sugar, half the amount of water and ½ cup of flour.


The dough must be mixed until smooth. It should look like liquid jelly without lumps.


The dough should be placed in a warm place for 30 minutes. When a lush foam cap appears on its surface, you can proceed to the next stage of preparing focaccia lucana.


Pour the remaining warm water into the dough, add salt and gradually add flour. The dough should come together into a ball, move away from the walls of the container, but remain quite sticky. Then you should add 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil. It is best to use refined olive oil, but sunflower oil will also work. You need to knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.


After this, it should be covered with cling film and left warm for 1 hour. During this time, under the influence of yeast, it will acquire a porous structure and double in size.


The dough must be kneaded and rolled out on a surface greased with vegetable oil into a layer 5 mm thick. It should be given a rectangular shape. The dough must be greased with 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.


Then the cake must be folded in three along the long side of the rectangle.


Then fold it in thirds again and cover again with cling film.


The focaccia dough should rest for 30 minutes. After this, without mixing the layers, it must be rolled out into a rectangle 3-4 mm thick. Then the dough should be greased with vegetable oil (2 tbsp) and sprinkled with ground paprika.


With gentle massaging movements, paprika must be rubbed into the dough, evenly distributing it over the entire surface.

After this, the cake needs to be rolled along the long side in the form of a roll.


Then the roll should be rolled into a loose spiral.


The resulting snail must be transferred to a baking sheet covered with parchment and greased with the remaining vegetable oil (1 tbsp.). After this, the focaccia needs to be sprinkled with sweet paprika and sea salt. Before baking, the dough should rest and rise again. Therefore, it needs to be covered with film and left for 30 minutes.


Italian bread must be baked in an oven preheated to 250 degrees for 5 minutes, and then for another 15 minutes at 220 degrees.


Place the browned Lucan focaccia on a wooden board and let it cool.


Gayane told how to prepare focaccia, recipe and photo of the author.

Bread is the head of everything. This simple truth is known not only in our country, because each state has its own classic and traditional dough dishes, which are usually served at the table.

So, in Italy, an analogue of our bread is exquisite focaccia - an original dish reminiscent of pizza with a small amount of filling.

But unlike her, the focaccia recipe focuses on the dough, and not on additional ingredients. Therefore, this dish is significantly different from similar products, impressing with its exquisite taste and refined aroma.

Focaccia is a traditional Italian bread made from yeast dough. In fact, it is a thin, crispy flatbread, on top of which there is a fragrant filling of various ingredients.

However, the main emphasis in this dish is not at all on the additions, but on the enchanting taste and aroma of the dough.

The first mention of such a dish as focaccia dates back to the era of antiquity. Then a thin cake was baked on a home hearth, consisting of hot stones.

The recipe for the dough of this dish was extremely simple. It included: flour, olive oil, water, salt.

At the same time, flour was considered a particularly valuable component, since in that era its cost was higher than that of butter.

Also, the recipe for focaccia bread was popular among sailors in ancient times. It could be baked directly on the deck of a ship, for which specific hot stones were used.

The dish had excellent taste and delicate aroma. And the cost of preparing it was reasonable, while the nutritional value was high.

The recipe was developed during the times of Ancient Rome. Back then, Italian focaccia was called flat bread, and locals diversified the dish by adding whatever they had at home to the bread.

This is how the classic dish came into being, loved by gourmets from all over the world.

Today, focaccia is an original thin bread, round or rectangular in shape, with indentations along the entire surface.

It is in these dimples, made by the caring hands of the chef, that droplets of oil with spices and filling accumulate, giving the flatbread an incredible taste and rich aroma.

Classic recipe

Today there are many methods for preparing this dish. But among them, the classic Italian focaccia stands out, the secrets of its preparation have been carried down through the centuries.

So, to prepare this recipe, you should stock up on the following ingredients:

  • flour – 200 g;
  • goat cheese – 250 g;
  • olive oil – 100 ml;
  • salt – 0.5 teaspoon;
  • spices with garlic and herbs at your discretion.

Let's start preparing the dough. First, mix the flour with half the volume of olive oil. Place the dough on a board, which should be lightly sprinkled with flour.

Add water to it, gradually pouring in the liquid and kneading the dish at the same time. Next, wrap the future bread in cling film and leave to simmer for 1 hour.

After this period of time, knead the dough again and divide it into 2 equal parts. Roll them into a ball and set aside to rest for another 5-6 minutes.

Now roll the resulting balls into flat cakes - and your Italian focaccia will soon be ready!

Now it's time to turn on the oven, heating it up more. The classic recipe involves preparing a dish with cheese.

Therefore, this product should be cut into cubes and placed on 1 of the flatbreads. Place the second bread on top, covering half with cheese, and carefully pinch the edges.

Now is the time to form the dimples for the delicious gravy. Just press your fingers in several places on the bread to create indentations.

After which you can salt the dish and grease with the rest of the olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and garlic. The focaccia is baked for 10 minutes.

It is worth constantly checking the dish, because after the crust appears golden brown, the bread is ready. Now is the time to serve the dish to the table. Remember that Italian bread should be sliced ​​hot and eaten immediately.

Popular recipes

Culinary delights from Jamie Oliver and Yulia Vysotskaya are most in demand among housewives and famous restaurateurs.

These 2 talented chefs offer unique takes on a dish like Italian focaccia.

Let's start with Jamie's recipe. This eminent chef invented as many as 2 original fillings for this dish. However, his recipe for flatbread is slightly different.

The dough is prepared in several stages:

  1. Pour 325 m of water into a bowl and add 7 g of dry yeast into it. Mix well.
  2. Now it’s time to gradually add flour (500 g). Add a little, mix and add a little at a time until you can mix it.
  3. Now is the time to pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the future bread and throw in 1 pinch of salt and no more.
  4. Knead the dough, alternately stretching and squeezing, for 12 minutes. This is the only way you will get quality bread.
  5. Jamie now recommends covering the dough with a bowl and letting it rest for an hour on the counter.
  6. After 60 minutes, the volume of the dough will double or even triple. Now is the time to divide it into 2 parts.
  7. Before baking future bread, you should sprinkle the pan with semolina or the rest of the flour.
  8. Place the dough in the mold and press it with your fingers, forming many dimples.

Now it's time to prepare the filling! Jamie has developed 2 formulations from exquisite ingredients that combine harmoniously.

With them, Italian focaccia is simply divine:

  1. First recipe. Place a basil leaf into the indentations in the dough, press it in well and place a cherry tomato on top, or rather ¼ of it. Be sure to sprinkle sea salt on top. Jamie recommends salting not the dough itself, but the filling.
  2. Second recipe. To prepare it, boil the potatoes in their jackets and mash them with a fork so that you get pieces rather than puree. It is also worth cutting the cheese into small cubes and preparing the thyme. First, sprinkle the dough with thyme, then with potatoes and cheese. Now is the time to add salt to the filling.

Now you should let the dish rest again, covering the bread with a damp cloth. Leave the molds like this for 40–45 minutes.

Now it’s time to heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake Jamie Oliver’s dishes for 25 minutes. When the focaccia is covered with an appetizing blush, the bread is ready and waiting to be tasted.

The famous Russian star Yulia Vysotskaya went much further in her culinary delights. After all, she especially likes Italian bread, so each of her recipes is as rich and soulful as possible.

She offers the following filling options for focaccia:

  1. Pumpkin recipe with red onion.
    We prepare the dough like Jamie, but use pumpkin and Yalta onions as the filling. This is a more dessert dish, so instead of salt, cane sugar is used to top the focaccia. It is less sweet than beetroot and more healthy. The taste is simply unimaginable.
  2. A modern recipe with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
    This is an exclusive dish from Yulia Vysotskaya. You can dry the tomatoes yourself, or you can buy already shingled ones in the store. Press them into the yeast dough for focaccia, then sprinkle the flatbread with cheese and grated garlic. Now is the time to add fresh herbs and sea salt.
  3. Dessert recipe with Parmesan cheese, figs, pear and bacon.
    This is a very piquant and unexpected combination of flavors. The main thing is not to overdo it with bacon and cheese. The fruits should be slightly simmered; they can be caramelized. Then place them on the flatbread, pressing lightly. Sprinkle some finely chopped bacon and grated Parmesan on top. Now is the time to let the dish rest and put it in the oven.

There are also a lot of so-called folk recipes. Many people recommend preparing focaccia with zucchini, garlic and cheese, when the dish produces an incredibly delicate and rich taste.

Many also enjoy savory bread with canned olives, Italian herbs and cherry tomatoes. Others cannot live without focaccia with mozzarella, spices and tomato slices.

Focaccia is an incredibly tasty and sophisticated dish that can be served as an independent dish or dessert.

The main thing is that no matter what cooking recipe you choose, you will definitely like the dish. After all, this bread combines the simplicity and richness of Italian cuisine!