Easy Focaccia Bread for Dipping in Olive Oil & Vinegar

Easy Focaccia Bread for Dipping in Olive Oil & Vinegar
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WHAT IS FOCACCIA?

Focaccia is a type of Italian flatbread. Sometimes, it is made from pizza dough, then it’s called pizza focaccia. My from-scratch bread recipe below, is for a thick and fluffy style focaccia coated in herbs, sea salt and olive oil. It makes a perfect accompaniment to summertime barbecued dinners or wintertime soups.

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Chive, Green Onion, Rosemary Focaccia – What herbs to use?

Easy Focaccia and Olive Oil for dipping
Focaccia with
Olive Oil for dipping

Herbs are readily available at grocery stores. Plus, they grow easily in planters on porches, patios and balconies. Herbs can be grown by anyone, anywhere. Fresh herbs give this focaccia added flair. I personally like green onion the best – just slice it up and add it to the top of the focaccia before baking. You can also try fresh chive or rosemary focaccia. If making rosemary, using dry is fine. If you like herb breads, try my Italian Herb Bread, made with multiple kinds of mixed dry herbs, it’s a fantastic addition to dinner.

Pizza Focaccia

Pizza focaccia is simply a focaccia bread that is spread a little thinner in the pan and baked at a high heat rendering a not too thick, crispy bread (similar to pizza crust). If you want to achieve this type of Focaccia, simply use this same recipe just spread the prepared dough a bit thinner and put it on a larger baking sheet. Bake according to the same instructions in the below recipe, however time may need to be adjusted slightly lower since it is not as thick a bread.

Three Reasons Why Focaccia is Special

REASON #1: It is flavorful, not just because of the herbs but because of the coarse sea salt and high quality olive oil. The olive oil in the pan essentially “fries” the bread as it bakes on a preheated pizza stone or pan. Who does not like fried bread?

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REASON #2: It turns simple dinners that I prepare on the grill into something special. Like this blackened rainbow trout with fresh nectarine salsa (nectarines, shallots, red peppers, jalapeño, mint with small amount of sugar & lime juice). Served with this easy focaccia bread.

Blackened Rainbow Trout with Fresh Nectarine Salsa
Blackened Rainbow Trout
Nectarine, Mint, Red Pepper, Shallot, Jalapeno and Mint Salsa

REASON #3: This bread recipe is quick and easy. I made it using a sourdough discard. Use the discard to replace a biga or preferment that you would normally make 24 hours in advance. Rather than waiting the 24 hours for a biga, I substituted the sourdough discard. Need to make a sourdough starter? Check out this how-to-make a sourdough starter post – here. Rather use a biga starter? No worries! You can find those instructions in the “Notes” section at the end of the recipe.

Quick Vignette – Life in London

Adam Standing on St. Johns Wood High Street
My son standing near the sign for St. Johns Wood High Street

When my family and I lived in St. Johns Wood London I shopped our High Street. For Americans, think of a neighborhood Main Street, where you could find a small grocery shop, a butcher, a fishmonger (fresh fish), a green grocer (fruits & veg), etc. Everything I needed was only a short walk away. So convenient. There was one baker just off the High Street that made the most delicious Focaccia. They always had two flavors on offer, baked in large square 3 ft x 3 ft (90cm x 90cm) pans. You simply told the baker how much you wanted and they cut a piece out of the pan, wrapped it in grease paper, and you took your treat home. So efficient.

Now living in Colorado, I have no High Street, a fresh bakery, or a fishmonger, etc. within walking distance. I had to improvise and that meant learning to make my own Herb Focaccia, using fresh chives to approximate the flavors of that London treat. Here is my answer, a no knead, easy, chive focaccia recipe you can make in an afternoon for an easy dinner. Let’s get baking this focaccia bread recipe.

Sharing is Caring

Like this bread recipe? Please help me get the word out by sharing it on your social media or post a comment below. And, as my vision goes, Bake One Share One – Great Bread for All, so give one of these to a neighbor, coworker, family or a friend. Happy baking my bread bakers!

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Easy Chive Focaccia and Olive Oil for dipping

Chive, Coarse Sea Salt, EVOO Focaccia

Christina
This recipe makes two small loaves in 8" round pans or one large bread in a 9" x 12" pan. Or for pizza focaccia bake it in a half-sheet pan.
5 from 17 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 8″ Round Breads
Calories 81 kcal

Equipment

  • Digital Metric Scale
  • 4 Liter food container (or bowl)
  • Cover for container (or plastic wrap)
  • 2 8" Round (23 cm) Cake Pans
  • 1 Baking Stone, Cast Iron Skillet or a flat Baking Pan that will fit the two round cake pans

Ingredients
  

Bread

  • 140 g Sourdough Discard 50/50 hydration (1/2 Cup) (or Biga, see notes below recipe)
  • 300 grams Water 100 F / 43 C (1.25 Cups)
  • 3 g Instant Yeast (1 tsp)
  • 7 g Fine Sea Salt (1 tsp)
  • 370-400 grams Bread Flour (2½-2¾ Cups, dependent on hydration of starter)

Topping

  • 4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (3 T)
  • 10 g Coarse Sea Salt (1 tsp)
  • 10 g Chopped Chives about 1" in length (1/4 Cup)

Instructions
 

Scaling Ingredients

  • Measure all ingredients using a metric digital scale.
    Ingredients measured and ready to make bread

Mixing

  • Add sourdough discard to a 4 L container or bowl.
  • Add water to the sourdough discard and stir well to create a slurry.
    Sourdough slurry
  • Sprinkle yeast on top of the water and mix.
    Yeast and Water Mix
  • Add flour and stir until hydrated. The mix will be very wet, this is okay, it firms up over several folds. Do not add the salt, yet.
    Add Flour to the Sourdough & Water Mix

Bulk Fermentation

  • Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle dough with salt and mix it in thoroughly.
    Hint: I keep a bowl of water next to my container of dough. As needed, I wet my hand in the bowl, shake off excess water, and then I can cut through the dough to mix and fold it over itself without sticking. Do this several times until the salt is thoroughly mixed in.

Folding (sometimes called punching)

  • Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. This bread requires three folds, once every 30 minutes.
    no knead dough folded over salt and yeast

Dividing

  • Dump the dough onto a floured work surface.
  • Divide dough in half gently so as not to knock out too much air.

Preshaping or Rounding

  • Gently pull four sides of each dough piece to the center and pinch together.
  • Flip dough over to pinched seams are on the bottom.
    Pinch sides together and flip the dough over
  • Form a very loose ball (do not tighten the dough ball).

Bench Proofing or Resting (first rise)

  • Rest 10 minutes.
  • While dough is bench resting, set a sheet pan, baking stone or cast iron skillet into the oven (must be appropriately sized for the two 8" round pans to later sit flat and bake on).
  • Preheat oven with sheet pan, baking stone, or cast iron skillet at 500 F degrees for 30 minutes.

Make Up & Panning

  • Next, scale your topping ingredients (olive oil, coarse sea salt and chives).
  • Pour half the olive oil into each of the baking pans and spread it evenly including the edges.
    Pour Olive Oil in the Pan
  • Sprinkle the coarse sea salt on top of the olive oil.
    Sprinkle the Coarse Sea Salt on top of the Olive Oil
  • Pick up your dough ball and place it seam side down into your prepared pan.
    Place Dough Ball Seam Side Down into Prepared Pan
  • Turn it around clockwise until the bottom of the dough ball is well coated in olive oil and salt.
  • Flip it over so seam side is now facing up.
    Flip Bread Over so Seam Side is Facing Up
  • Using your fingers, press and stretch the dough to spread it to the edges of the pan.
    Spread dough to the edges of the pan with your fingers

Proofing (second rise)

  • Cover and set dough aside to rest for 15 minutes to proof.
  • Uncover. Sprinkle the top of the dough liberally with the chopped chives (or other fresh or dry herbs).
  • Using your fingers, punch down any large bubbles that may have formed and randomly poke some of the chives into the dough.
    Focaccia Dough is Sprinkled with Chives and Poked with Fingers

Baking

  • Reduce oven to 450 F degrees.
  • Put the two 8" round pans with prepared focaccia on top of the hot sheet pan in the oven.
    Hint: This allows the oil in the bottom of the pan to heat quickly essentially "frying" the bread so bottom is crispy when bread is removed.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, turn pans 180°, continue to bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until top of bread is golden and bottom is nicely browned.
  • Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Cooling

  • Remove bread from pan and place on a cooling rack.
  • Cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
  • Slice this bread in strips and serve with a plate drizzled with high quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mixed dry herbs, and pepper.

Storing

  • Store this bread at room temperature in a plastic bag. It will lose it's crispness but focaccia toasts nicely for use the second day.

Notes

Panning Options:  I have baked this bread in two types of pans: one 8″ (23 cm) round pan and one 9″ x 12″ (25cm x 30 cm) flat pan.  
Round Pan:  If using a round pan, you will get a thicker and softer bread and may need to bake it for 30-35 minutes until it is golden brown.
Flat Pan:  If using a flat pan your bread will be thinner and crispier.  You might only need to bake this for 25-30 minutes and find that is enough time to achieve a nice golden brown color.  
Round pan (thicker and softer) or Flat Pan (thinner and crispier), you decide!
Biga Prepared 24 hours in Advance (To be used in lieu of the Sourdough Discard)

Ingredients: 

  • 80 ml Water (1/3 Cup)
  • 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast (1/4 tsp)
  • 60 g Bread Flour (1/2 Cup)   

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Dissolve yeast in water.
  • Add flour and mix until well hydrated.
  • Cover and set aside for 8-24 hours.
  • You will know Biga is ready for use when it is loose and bubbly.
Keyword artisan bread, bread, bread recipe, focaccia, recipe

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