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Tomato-Olive Focaccia
This recipe recreates the light, open-crumbed focaccia we ate in Bari, Italy. To achieve that texture, the dough must be wet—so wet, in fact, it verges on a thick, yet pourable batter. Resist the temptation to add more flour than is called for. Shaping such a sticky, high-hydration dough by hand is impossible. Instead, the dough is gently poured and scraped into the oiled baking pan; gravity settles it into an even layer. If you have trouble finding Castelvetrano olives, substitute any large, meaty green olive. To slice the baked focaccia for serving, use a serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut through the crust and crumb without compressing it. If desired, serve with extra-virgin olive oil for dipping. For convenience, the dough can be prepared and transferred to the baking pan a day in advance. After it has settled in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, prepare the toppings. Uncover, top the dough with the olives and tomatoes and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes, then finish and bake as directed.
12
Servings
Tip
Don't disturb the dough during its rise. And when transferring the dough to the baking pan, handle it gently. The goal is to retain as much gas in the dough as possible so the focaccia bakes up with an airy texture. Don't use a baking dish made of glass or ceramic; neither will produce a crisp, browned exterior, and glass is not safe to use in a 500°F oven.
7¼ hours
40 minutes active, plus cooling
Ingredients
-
500
grams (3⅔ cups) bread flour
-
5
teaspoons instant yeast
Directions
-
01In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, yeast and sugar on medium until combined, about 30 seconds. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the water, then increase to medium and mix until the ingredients form a very wet, smooth dough, about 5 minutes. Turn off the mixer, cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat the bottom and sides of a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil; set aside.
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September 26, 2023
Best focaccia I have made
In spite of the long rising time, it is well worth it. It was everything I wanted in a focaccia (I've made a few that I did not lke) -- crispy on the bottom and softish on the top. I made it exactly like the recipe. Will be making this again and again. Next time I will try without the olives and just the tomatoes and maybe some cheese on top. Highly recommend.
August 27, 2023
Best focaccia ever
This was truly a wet dough....easy to make per directions. I put it in my fridge over night and after a short rest the next day it puffed up nicely and baked off beautifully. I've shared the recipe with friends already..
August 9, 2023
amazing focaccia bread
Simple to make Lot less work than other recipes. I found it a little too oily for my taste so will decrease the 4 Tbsp for the top.
June 12, 2023
Delicious!
This was so good! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn't change anything. Very easy to make despite taking the better part of a day. It was so worth it. Everyone raved over this and is requesting that I make it again soon. So much flavor from the olives and tomatoes, and the texture was perfect.
April 16, 2023
Ultimate focaccia!
This was amazing. It was hard to talk myself into making it - normally make a two hour loaf that is pretty good. This is worth it! Would be great without toppings as well.
you mention a substitute for the olives in the recipe. i am unable to find the note. thank you
I just returned from Bari after spending two months there and learning to cook a lot of the local dishes. I have the "family recipe" for this focaccia which is MUCH easier and faster. This is not the authentic Bari focaccia. They use semolina and flour (about 50% each). A single round of proofing right in the baking dish. Takes just over one hour and then bake. Made it three times since I returned and tastes and looks exactly like what I had with the families and in the restaurants there. I don't understand the need for complicating a simple beautiful thing!
Despite the generous amount of olive oil added to the pan prior to baking my bread stuck- we had to scrape it off. Tasted great but I’m not entirely sure what I did wrong.
I had the same problem and I realized that I didn't spray the pan with cooking spray. You would think with all the additional EVOO dripping off the dough it wouldn't stick, but the sides need to sprayed. I made this again last night, remembered to spray and did not have an issue with sticking. As a side point, this is really simple and delicious to make...and great for sandwiches (minus the toppings).
I made this for New Years Eve dinner with Cioppino, and we all fell in love with this focaccia. I keep making it because it is so good, and if you have a stand mixer, surprisingly easy.!. For comparison, I made Milk Street’s Herbed Focaccia, and this is hands down, our preference. Just fabulous and addictive!
Is 5 teaspoons of instant yeast really what you meant? My dough was nearly boiling out of the bowl after 2 hours, then lost all lift.
Just made this and it was fabulous. I added fresh oregano as I didn't have Mexican and added sliced dried chorizo and grated sharp provolone cheese. Everything else remained the same, down to the pizza steel in the oven. This is like no other focaccia I've ever tasted. It was moist and flavor-filled, especially the salt topping. Love it. And it was super easy with a stand mixer.
Could the second proof be in the pan and not the bowl. I had a very hard time getting the dough out of the bowl and it never filled the corners. Backed unevenly.
one question the recipe here on the website says 4 Tbs olive oil my magazine says 8 Tbs olive oil i used 8 ??
Can I let the dough rest in the fridge over night after it rises for the 5 hrs at room temperature?
Hi Maura,
It's important that the dough remains at room temperature so we don't recommend letting it rest in the fridge.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
But...the header notes for the recipe say that for convenience it can rest overnight in the fridge, in the pan, after the first rise? Is that wrong?
Hi Jennifer -
The recipe prior to Janelle's post did not include make-ahead instructions. We revisited the recipe during TV filming (and after the recipe was published) at which time we tested some make ahead options and those were then added to the recipe headnote. We hope that clears up the confusion.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Jennifer -
The recipe prior to Janelle's post did not include make-ahead instructions. We revisited the recipe during TV filming (and after the recipe was published) at which time we tested some make ahead options and those were then added to the recipe headnote. We hope that clears up the confusion.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
But...the header notes for the recipe say that for convenience it can rest overnight in the fridge, in the pan, after the first rise? Is that wrong?
Hi Jennifer -
The recipe prior to Janelle's post did not include make-ahead instructions. We revisited the recipe during TV filming (and after the recipe was published) at which time we tested some make ahead options and those were then added to the recipe headnote. We hope that clears up the confusion.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Jennifer -
The recipe prior to Janelle's post did not include make-ahead instructions. We revisited the recipe during TV filming (and after the recipe was published) at which time we tested some make ahead options and those were then added to the recipe headnote. We hope that clears up the confusion.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I made this last night after a curbside grocery error resulted in my receiving 20 Campari tomatoes. I'm in Texas and the high yesterday was 79 degrees, so my dough doubled, fell, rose again and was ready to pour into the pan after 3 hours on the kitchen counter. It was so delicious! Crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside. I still have some tomatoes left and will likely make this again in a couple of days.
Made this for the first time and it was absolutely the best ever focaccia including what I had in Italy. I love it so much that I've been trying to think of additional ways to have it - lunch, brunch, breakfast, etc. The problem is with the time period it takes to make it. With 5-6 hours of prep and rising and then an additional hour of putting in the pan, toppings, cooking and resting - this is an all day event taking about 7-8 hours total and really only works for dinner time or evening. Can you prepare the dough in the evening and let the dough sit and rise overnight for more the the 6 hours?
In the notes section, there were these instructions.... "the dough can be prepared and transferred to the baking pan a day in advance. After it has settled in the pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, prepare the toppings. Uncover, top the dough with the olives and tomatoes and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes, then finish and bake as directed."
Could I have let it rise too long? I had a pan of gorgeous bubbly dough, but didn't quite get the open texture I was expecting. It doubled, fell and nearly doubled again during the rise. Don't get me wrong it was DELICIOUS, but the texture was like a quality pan pizza where I was expecting large holes. Comments or advice appreciated.
Hi Dana -
It sounds like you followed the visual clues for rising, so I wouldn't think you let it rise too long. It's possible that you knocked too much air out of the dough when transferring it to the pan or pressing the dough into the corners. It might be helpful to watch the TV episode which can be found here - https://www.177milkstreet.com/tv/-italian-recipes - as a way to double check that everything looks the same as it does when we make it here. I was especially surprised by how gently Erika was when removing the dough from the rising bowl. Hope that helps!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
When you say, “large bowl” exactly how large? Mine is climbing out of a 4 quart bowl! Waaay more than doubled! I do have a larger plastic container I’ve used for slow rising breads. Could I use that instead?
As with many recipes that start with the words "in a stand mixer," I wanted to ask how to modify the technique if you don't have a stand mixer? I suppose you whisk the dry ingredients, then perhaps mix in the water with a wooden spoon, but do you continue to mix it that way that for five minutes? Then, how do you knead this dough by hand? If it is as wet and sticky as indicated, how do you do that without making a complete mess?
There are only two of us, would we be able to halve this recipe to come out okay. Or how would this freeze if we made the whole recipe?
Hi Ramona -
We haven't tested halving the recipe and we would only recommend doing so if you are measuring by weight, not volume (volume measurements get tricky when halved and can impact the way the recipe works). Make sure to bake in a deep enough pan - at least 2 1/4" deep.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Put the focaccia together yesterday. Excellent recipe with no real problems. The rise is significant. During the first rise the dough stuck to the loose plastic wrap covering the bowl. I gently pried it loose so the dough could fall and rise again. Worked out well. Used Kalamata olives because that is what I had on hand. Next time I will use an even larger bowl and spray the plastic wrap. Baked the bread in a 12 inch black carbon frying pan. Best focaccia I have ever made.
I'm confused about the times given for proofing... step two says let rise 5 1/2 to 6 hours, then step three says "after about 4 1/2 hours, preheat your oven." Is this an additional four and a half hours? and if so why not just say to let it rise for ten hours total? Am I missing a step here?
Hi Franny -
The dough rises for 5 1/2 - 6 hours, however you need to start heating your baking steel/oven an hour before baking - in other words, at the 4 1/2 hour mark of the rising time. So in Step 3, at the 4 1/2 hour mark, heat your steel and oven and prepare your baking pan. Then, after another hour or hour and a half (total of 5 1/2 or 6) you can proceed with Step 4.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
The video has you adding 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to the dough but the recipe has table 1 teaspoon of table salt. If I wanted to use kosher salt, would it be 2 teaspoons and would that be Diamond Crystal or Morton’s?
Hi Beth -
We recently changed to Morton's kosher salt for savory recipes and table salt for baking recipes, so the 1 teaspoon of table salt reflects that change (the video was shot before we made this change). If you're using Morton's kosher you should stick with 1 teaspoon but if you're using Diamond Crystal kosher you should use 2 teaspoons. You can read about why we made this change here - https://www.177milkstreet.com/2021/02/worth-our-salt.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Ella -
We haven't tested this, but we think you could freeze the baked focaccia. Make sure to wrap it well before freezing. When you're ready to serve, allow it to defrost at room temperature and then refresh in a low oven (325 degrees) for 5 minutes or so.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I used whole wheat bread flour (all I had) and the mixture definitely wasn’t wet or liquidy like on the show. Just wondering how much liquid (water and/or oil) should be adjusted with whole wheat. Mine rolled into an intact ball and is currently rising in the bowl. Fingers crossed!
Hi Jasmine -
Since whole wheat flour still has the bran intact it requires more water to achieve the same texture as white flour. They are really two different animals and behave quite differently. Because of this the focaccia recipe would need to be fully redeveloped in order to use whole wheat flour.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Eric -
We haven't tested this dough with sauce and cheese so we aren't sure if it will hold up to both of those and stay crispy. For your second question, I think Janelle answered a question above and consulted with one of our recipe developers would said to go for it! Since the goal is to retain the air and to handle it as little as possible it should be fine. Just make sure you oil the pan generously.
Good luck!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Thank you for your response, Lynn. Good point about the tomatoes and cheese, just might deflate it - but eventually, I'll probably give it a try. I will try putting the dough directly into the pan, a 9 x 13, the next time I make it and will report back my results. FYI and for other readers....I made this focaccia recipe yesterday but didn't have a 9 x 13 pan at that time. Instead, I used my Detroit Style pizza pan - 10 x 14. I didn't have to touch the dough to stretch it but did give it about 20 minutes or so to settle and spread on its own while I was prepping the tomatoes and the olives. For the most part, the dough filled the pan, not perfectly level, but ample - and it cooked up great! I would like the dough to have a little more flavor though. Do you think a little more sugar would help / hurt? or Diastatic malt?
This is my favorite recipe from Milk Street. I have made it for work potlucks, family parties and plain old dinner. I have tried it with a small amount of cheese and thinly sliced dry salami...oh la la. I have also baked it in two 8 inch cake pans and cast iron skillets. The cake pans were good, they were great for personalized focaccia at a party. I prepped the dough and filled the cake pans and left them on the counter for the final rise before everyone arrived. My guests got add their choice of toppings, then I threw them in the oven...everyone went crazy! It was awesome.
I made this yesterday. It is definitely a kick-butt version of focaccia. I would like to try this with duxelles instead of the olives and tomatoes. I assume it will work. Has anyone tried using mushrooms/onions. I would think any liquid would have to be drained before putting it on the dough b/4 baking. I will make this again, possibly for Thanksgiving. It sure beats dinner rolls!
This was fantastic! I baked it in a 9 x 13 baking pan that was only 1 inch deep. I made a makeshift tray out of aluminum foil to put under the pan as I was concerned that the oil might spill over during cooking. Baked on a pizza stone that because of logistics I could only preheat for 30 minutes. It came out perfectly.
If there is the possibility of deflating the dough when it's transferred from the bowl to the sheet pan, why not just put the dough in the sheet pan for the entire rise?
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Can I double this recipe and cook in a half sheet pan?