I love making focaccia. It’s simple, so fluffy and so delicious. There are many different toppings you can put on a focaccia bread. Rosemary is the most classic. I always do some variation with rosemary. This fluffy focaccia bread is so light and airy. It’s the perfect base for sandwiches, bread sticks, cheese bread and even pizza.
The thickness and softness of this fluffy focaccia makes the perfect bread of choice for a sandwich. It really holds up to the fillings and tastes yummy. I like to bake this in a sheet pan, since I prefer cutting them into squares, but you can bake this in a round pan if you’d like.
I find making focaccia a lot of fun. You get to really use your hands and get creative with the toppings. I keep seeing this trend on Instagram of focaccia art, where the bread is topped with edible flowers or herbs, making it look like a bouquet. Very cool! I might have to try that. This time I used dry rosemary, a sprinkle of kosher salt and caramelized onions.
The dough is very easy. If you can get your hands on some semolina flour, everything else is basic pantry items. I replace some flour with semolina. It gives this fluffy focaccia a beautiful chewy texture, and a pretty pale yellow color. But the taste is AMAZING! You’ve got to try it. I use semolina flour often and it’s a great ingredient to have on hand. It really makes a difference in the texture and in my opinion makes it taste much better.
Fluffy Focaccia Dough
- Bloom your yeast first. Combine water, oil, sugar and yeast in a stand mixture with a dough hook attachment and mix to combine.
- While your yeast is starting to bubble, in another bowl, whisk flour, salt and semolina together, until well combined.
- With your stand mixture on low, slowly add the flour the the yeast mixture. Once you see the dough starting to form, turn up the speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough starts to pull away way from the bowl.
- Let your dough rise for at least an hour in a lightly oiled bowl.
- Once you dough rises, punch it down and spread it onto your oiled sheet pan. Cover and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.
- After the second rise, add your oil and press it into the dough all over, with your fingers. Add your desired topping. Bake until lightly golden brown.
Fluffy Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- 9×13 Sheet Pan
- Stand Mixture with Dough Hook
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup semolina flour
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ cup + 2tbsp olive oil reserve 2 tbsp for topping
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add water, oil yeast and sugar. Mix to combine and let it sit while you prepare your flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, semolina and salt until well combined. Slowly pour into the yeast mixer while mixing on low speed.
- Once you see the dough staring to form, turn the speed on to medium and mix until you see the dough starting to pull away from the sides. Continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes.
- Form a round ball, and place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let it rise for an hour.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and spread it onto your lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 425°
- Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil and using your fingers, press down the dough all over, creating holes. Add your desired topping and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have or can’t find any semolina flour, you can use all purpose flour instead. Equalling 3 cups total.
- Some popular toppings are rosemary, salt, tomatoes, cheese, etc.
- If you don’t have a stand mixture, you can definitely use your hands. It’s a little more labor intensive, but you will get the same results.
- This focaccia is so delicious on its own and even more delicious as sandwich bread. I usually make a caprese style sandwiches. SO GOOD!
