Italian Focaccia

Flatbreads

Italian Focaccia

Total 4 hr 27 minIntermediate220°C · 200°C fan

The most forgiving high-hydration bread there is. No shaping, no scoring, no Dutch oven. Master this and you'll understand how wet doughs behave — knowledge that pays off in every other bread you make.

Schedule

Prep20 minMix / setup
Proof2 hr + 45 minBulk + final at 22°C
Bake22 min220°C · 200°C fan
Total4 hr 27 minIncl cooling

Kitchen temperature

22°C · Average

Cooler kitchens slow fermentation; warmer ones speed it up. Proof times below adjust automatically — always go by the dough's look and feel, not just the clock.

Oven: 220°C · 200°C fan

Bake until the bottom is golden and crisp. A pizza stone or steel helps.

Plan this bake

Pick when you want to eat — we'll work backwards.

Method

Preferment

Add a pre-fermented sponge for deeper flavour, better crumb and longer keeping.

Straight dough

—

Mix everything at once. Fastest route to bread.

Why use it

  • Quick — same day bake
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Predictable timing

How to build

  1. 1.Mix all ingredients in one go.
  2. 2.Bulk, shape, proof, bake.

Smart calculator

g
Total hydration80%

Ingredients

944g total · 944g/loaf

  • 00 or bread flour500g · 100.0%
  • Water400g · 80.0%
  • Olive oil30g · 6.0%
  • Salt10g · 2.0%
  • Instant yeast4.0g · 0.80%
Dough temperature: Do not exceed approximately 24–26°C dough temperature.

By Hand method

Before you start

  • Use water at 24–28°C / 75–82°F for standard yeasted dough — friction from your hands adds 1–2°C.
  • If your kitchen is above 24°C, use cooler water and shorten the knead.
  1. 1

    Combine flour, water, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains.

    5 min
  2. 2

    Knead on a lightly floured surface using slap & fold or push-pull. Use stretch & folds in the bowl every 30 min.

    10–14 minCue: Smooth, elastic, passes the windowpane test
  3. 3

    Check dough temperature with a thermometer. Adjust water temp on your next bake if it's off target.

    Target 24–26°C / 75–79°F
  4. 4

    Place in an oiled bowl, cover and bulk ferment until almost doubled in size.

    Bulk ferment · check after 2 hr
  5. 5

    Shape gently, place into tin or onto a tray, cover for the final proof.

    Final proof · check after 45 min
  6. 6

    Bake in a preheated oven until deep golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.

    Bake

Equipment & gear

Ingredient notes

Why each ingredient matters — and what you can swap.

  • 00 or bread flour

    00 gives a softer chew; bread flour gives more structure and bigger holes. Either works.

    Sub: All-purpose works at lower hydration (75%)

  • Water (80%)

    High hydration = open crumb. Wet hands not floured hands when handling.

    Sub: Drop to 75% if you're new to wet doughs

  • Olive oil

    Use the best you can afford — you'll taste it. 4% in the dough, plus generous oiling of the tin.

    Sub: Don't substitute — this is the flavour

  • Salt (2%)

    Plus flaky sea salt on top before baking.

    Sub: Maldon or fleur de sel for the topping

  • Instant yeast (0.8%)

    Low yeast + long bulk = better flavour.

    Sub: 0.5% if cold-fermenting overnight

Sensory cues per stage

Dough is ready when… look, feel, smell.

After mix

Look
Shaggy, very wet
Feel
Sticky, paste-like
Smell
Faint wheat

After folds

Look
Smoother, glossy
Feel
Stretchy, almost stringy
Smell
Faintly yeasty

End of bulk

Look
Risen 75–100%, full of bubbles, jiggly
Feel
Wobbly like jelly
Smell
Yeasty, sweet

After dimpling

Look
Crater-pocked, oil pooling in dimples
Feel
Bouncy, springs back fast
Smell
Olive oil + yeast

Troubleshooting

Symptom → cause → fix. Use it mid-bake.

SymptomCauseFix
No leoparding / spottingOven not hot enough or stone not preheated long enoughPreheat stone or steel 45+ min on max. Finish with broiler-on for 60–90 sec.
Dough snaps back, won't stretchUnderproofed or balls too coldBring balls to room temp 1–2 hr before shaping. Stretch slowly — let gravity do the work.
Soggy bottom, crisp topWet toppings or cold stoneDrain mozzarella, blot tomatoes. Make sure the stone is fully reheated between bakes.
Tough, cracker-like baseToo much rolling, not enough hydrationStretch by hand on semolina. Bump hydration by 3–5% if your flour can take it.
Dense, gummy crumbUnderbaked or sliced too soonBake until internal temp hits 95–98°C / 203–208°F. Cool fully (1 hr+) before slicing.
Pale crust, no colourOven not hot enough or no steam in the first 10 minPreheat 30+ min. Add steam (ice in a hot tray, or covered Dutch oven) for the first 10 min.
Burnt bottom, raw centreTray sitting on a hot stone or rack too lowMove bake to the middle rack. Use a doubled tray or bake on parchment, not directly on metal.
Dough tears when shapingUnderdeveloped gluten or too coldAdd a stretch & fold every 30 min during bulk. Let dough come to 22–24°C before shaping.
Sticky, unworkable doughHydration too high for your flour, or not enough mixingWet hands instead of flouring. Do 2–3 sets of stretch & folds — flour develops with time, not extra flour.
Bread, not focaccia (dense, no holes)Bulk was too short or dough too coldBulk needs 4+ hr at 22°C minimum. Use warm water (28°C) if your kitchen is cool.
Greasy, not crispyOven not hot enough or baked on a low rackBake on the middle rack at 220°C minimum, ideally on a preheated stone.
Quick tips
  • • Use plenty of olive oil in the pan.
  • • Dimple deeply just before baking.
Visual cues
  • • Bubbly, very slack dough.
  • • Golden, crisp bottom.
Common mistakes
  • • Skipping the long bulk ferment — flavour suffers.

Make-ahead

  • Cold-bulk in the fridge for up to 24 hr after the folds — bring to room temp 2 hr before dimpling.
  • Bake the night before; reheat at 200°C for 5 min just before serving to crisp the crust.

Storage

  • Best within 24 hr of baking. Wrap in beeswax or foil at room temp.
  • Freeze in portions; reheat from frozen at 180°C for 8 min.

Variations

Spin-offs once you've nailed the base recipe.

  • Classic Genovese

    Just oil + flaky salt. The original. Don't underestimate it.

  • Rosemary & garlic

    Press fresh rosemary sprigs and thinly-sliced garlic into the dimples.

  • Tomato & olive

    Cherry tomatoes (cut-side up) + halved olives pressed into the dimples.

  • Grape & rosemary

    Halved red grapes + rosemary + flaky salt. Sweet/savoury, brilliant with cheese.

  • Potato & sage

    Paper-thin potato slices brushed with oil, fresh sage leaves, lots of pepper.

Substitutions

Smart swaps that actually work — with the gotchas spelled out.

Flour swaps

  • → Bread flour (12–13% protein)

    up to 100%
    Hydration: 0%Structure: stronger

    Better oven spring; slightly less extensible. Fine for most loaves.

Yeast converter

For fresh yeast, use 3× the instant amount. For active dry, use 1.25× and bloom in warm water (38°C / 100°F) for 5 min before mixing. Open the calculator for exact gram conversions.

Baker's notes

  • Be generous with the oil in the tin — focaccia should almost shallow-fry on the bottom. Stinginess gives a pale, soggy base.
  • Dimple right down to the bottom of the tin — the dough will flow back. Hesitation gives shallow dimples that disappear.
  • Weigh your water too — it's far more accurate than measuring cups, especially at high hydration.
  • Dough temperature is the most under-rated variable. Aim for 24–26°C at the end of mix; cool kitchen = warm water, warm kitchen = cold water.
  • End fermentation by sight and feel, not the clock. The times in this recipe assume 22°C ambient — a 4°C swing changes everything.

What's happening in the dough

  • Olive oil coats the gluten strands, trapping air and giving focaccia its open, tender crumb.
  • Dimpling just before baking creates pockets that collect oil — the crispy-soft contrast is the whole point.
  • A long, cool bulk (4+ hr) develops the bubbles you'll see in the finished crumb. Skip this and it bakes flat and bready.

Serving

  • Cut into squares or strips with a serrated knife. Eat warm, ideally within an hour.
  • Split horizontally for the world's best sandwich bread.
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