No-Fail Focaccia Bread!

You know what I love? I love warm, pillowy, homemade bread!  I love it even more when it has a crispy crust and is spongy and sturdy enough to take on being dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Even better if making it only takes me about 5 minutes of hands-on work and about 90 minutes of waiting! This No-Fail Focaccia is the thing that dreams are made of! It is perfect alongside a pasta dish, as a vessel for a gourmet sandwich, or just to munch on its own.

This recipe is a really easy recipe that is incredibly forgiving and has lots of room for modification. I know that many people are intimidated by baking bread. If that’s you, then this is the recipe for you – you seriously can’t screw this up!  It’s so easy and so flexible. That’s why I call it No-Fail Focaccia!

All you do is throw all your dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer,

Mix the dough for 1 minute on high and then press the STICKY dough (it will be sticky, that’s OK!) into the pan.  It probably won’t fill the pan because it will spring back. That’s ok. 

Let the dough rise for an hour (or a bit more, like I did… whoops! That’s why it kind of looks ratty where the dough was stuck to the saran wrap, but it doesn’t matter)

See those little bubbles? Those are the air pockets that are going to make your bread spongy and airy! Beautiful!

Poke the dough all over with your finger or the end of a wooden spoon. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with desired toppings (I used sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Italian seasoning).

Bake for 30 minutes or until it’s golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes and serve it up!  Easy peasy!

I have lots of ideas rattling around in my head for modifications. FYI, I have made this before in two 8x8s and in two 9″ cake pans, so yes – you can divide it in two to make two different flavours. I am thinking of trying a Greek-style with kalamata olives pressed in the top and sprinkled with oregano and maybe some lemon zest. I have done it pizza-style with pizza sauce and cheese on top (that was a HUGE win in our house). The sky really is the limit here.  

With this base recipe, you’ll be very impressed with the texture of the bread. Because of the olive oil in the bottom of the pan, the crust is “buttery” and crispy. The bread itself is the perfect firmness while being spongy and chewy. It makes for a killer sandwich too! 

No-Fail Focaccia!

This easy bread requires just 5 minutes of hands-on work, 60 minutes to rise, and 30 minutes in the oven!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

rising 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings 16 square slices

Calories 143 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• Extra olive oil for the pan and drizzling on the top.
• Seasonings of choice for sprinkling see note

Instructions

 

• Grease a 13x9 pan and pour some olive oil (about 2 tbsp) into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• Add the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and warm water the the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Mix on high for 1 minute.
• Press the dough into the pan. The dough will be very sticky, that's OK. If it doesn't press all the way to the edges, that's OK too.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375'F
• After 1 hour the dough should have risen to double (or more) of its original size. Remove the covering and poke the dough all over with your finger or the end of a wooden spoon.
• Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the bread sounds hollow when it's tapped.

Notes

Use your imagination to decide on toppings.
-A classic is Italian seasoning blend, sea salt, and pepper.

                                                                             Just look at that beautiful crust! YUM!

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below!  Thanks 🙂