Bert Swope
Focaccia’s appeal lies in its quick and effortless preparation at home: there’s no kneading required and minimal hands-on time is required – all from mixing, shaping, topping, and baking in one baking dish!
Once the dough has proved, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle flaky sea salt as desired. At this stage, you may also add rosemary or other seasonings, if desired.
1. Pumpkin Focaccia
If you’re searching for an easy gluten-free pumpkin recipe, this focaccia bread may just be what you need! With just two ingredients and only needing three hours for rising time, the dough comes together quickly with just a spoon! With its subtle pumpkin sweetness offset by woodsy sage and rich Gruyere cheese flavorings – perfect for vegetarian autumn-themed dinners as well as hearty Italian soup dishes such as pasta fagioli!
I love making this tasty focaccia during the fall season because it is tasty, and its looks make an impressionful statement as well. Not only can it add beautiful color and warmth to any holiday table setting but its pumpkin and sage combination is so comforting; plus its visual beauty makes an impactful statement of its own!
Focaccia success lies in using high-grade olive oil liberally; this helps the dough rise while adding richness and flavor. I prefer an extra virgin olive oil but any high-grade olive oil will do just fine.
Prepare a 9×13-inch (25x35cm) baking pan by greasing it generously with olive oil and dusting the bottom with semolina flour. Set this aside. Repeating your folds, transfer the focaccia dough directly to your prepared baking pan ensuring it covers every surface area before covering and proofing in a warm spot until nearly doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil over its top and sprinkle coarse sea salt flakes (I prefer coarse sea salt) as an embellishment. Now is the time to dimple your focaccia!
Assemble the dough with your fingers, making small holes all over, then sprinkle pumpkin seeds and dried sage. Feel free to add black or green olives for variety if you like! Bake until it turns golden all over, 45-60 minutes should do it, before taking out of the oven to cool on a wire rack.
2. Apple Focaccia
Apple and cheddar focaccia bread is an exceptional autumn-themed focaccia dish! The combination of sweet apples, sharp cheddar cheese and fresh rosemary creates an irresistibly delicious fall treat! Serve this bread alongside hearty stews or soup, or enjoy as an easy breakfast or lunch on its own. Start the recipe off right by creating an Italian pre-ferment called biga. Simply put, this starter consists of flour, water and yeast left overnight in the refrigerator before being used to add flavor and help the dough rise; however this step is completely optional and will still produce fantastic results!
This recipe is very straightforward and customizable to your preferences; for instance, replacing cheddar with another kind of cheese or adding some nutmeg makes for more savory bread! What’s great about it is that any ingredients on hand can be used!
Once the dough is ready to bake, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle a good-quality flaky salt (such as Maldon). Use your fingers to dimple the focaccia into its signature peaks and valleys shape, giving it airy texture when baked. Finally, top off your finished focaccia by scattering some coarsely chopped rosemary on its top surface.
Place the focaccia into the oven and let them bake until the dough turns golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer onto cooling racks before serving warm or at room temperature; to store, wrap tightly in plastic for several days of storage. Enjoy!
3. Rosemary Focaccia
Focaccia is an easy and delicious starter recipe for anyone just beginning their yeast baking experience, with only three ingredients needed to form the dough, requiring no special equipment to complete this tasty focaccia recipe.
Focaccia bread has an irresistibly crisp exterior and soft interior, making it the ideal bread to use in sandwiches, soups, and salads, or to enjoy on its own with olive oil drizzles drizzling over. Enjoy it for lunches or enjoy as an accompaniment for skillet lasagna, spatchcock chicken or minestrone dishes. Additionally, toast it up topped with some olive oil drizzles!
To create this easy focaccia recipe, all that’s required are some basic ingredients – water, sugar and active dry yeast. Sugar feeds the yeast so it can produce bubbles for a light texture; warm water dissolves it for rapid rising; salt and flour help form the dough – this particular recipe calls for rosemary, but feel free to substitute other herbs or spices that you enjoy as desired!
Once your dough has been mixed, transfer it to a large pan greased with oil, and then use your fingers to create classic focaccia holes using your fingertips. Care must be taken not to over dimple as that can lead to overproofing: when yeast run out of sugar necessary for them to create bubbles it causes dough to rise too much, causing overproofing if not corrected by adding more sugar, which reactivates yeast cells thus avoiding overproofing altogether.
Step three of making focaccia is adding the finishing touches with fresh or dried rosemary and thyme; other types of seasoning such as chives or sage may also work; just remember to sprinkle coarse salt for good measure!
At least 30 minutes before baking the bread, dimple it again. This part is an enjoyable part of the process! Simply wet your fingertips and press gently into the dough – but be mindful not to press too hard as that could ruin its airy texture. Finally, drizzle more olive oil before topping your focaccia off with any toppings of choice!
4. Garlic Focaccia
Are you searching for the ideal fall baking recipe to impress guests at your dinner party or serve alongside roasted vegetables? Look no further: this garlic focaccia recipe makes an impressive statement without breaking a sweat! No-knead focaccia makes life simpler for novice bakers who struggle with yeast; all it requires is mixing wet and dry ingredients together before leaving it sit while your oven heats up.
In my focaccia recipe, I use both all-purpose and bread flour. Bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour and helps the dough form an airy crumb. In addition, this recipe uses coarser flakier salt which adds crunchiness.
Though this focaccia recipe is easy to make, you can customize it by adding your favorite flavors or toppings. Caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese make for an appealing combination, but other toppings could include chopped or sliced tomatoes, olives or vegetables, and fresh herbs like rosemary basil thyme. Even finely minced garlic could add extra flavor and aroma!
Start this focaccia recipe by combining warm water, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl and mixing with a Danish whisk, sturdy wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything has come together into a thick dough. Gradually add flour and salt, mixing until a shaggy dough forms; alternatively you may stir with your hands until everything comes together as smoothly as possible while adding additional flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
Once the dough has been mixed, let it rest for about an hour or until it appears puffed up and bubbly. About thirty minutes before baking your focaccia, drizzle a tablespoon of oil onto it, using your oily fingers to dimple all over and press hard down into your baking tray until reaching the bottom (don’t forget to drizzle remaining oil – there should still be plenty).
Bake the focaccia for 30 minutes until it has turned golden-brown in color and cooked all the way through in the middle. Let it cool before cutting and serving.
