Simple Focaccia

I’ve watched so many YouTube tutorials on focaccia and thought, “How hard can it be?” Well… turns out, pretty hard. I’ve tried and failed more times than I’d like to admit.

As my husband once said: “You can cook, but you can’t bake.” And honestly? He’s not entirely wrong—I struggle to follow recipes to the letter.

But every now and then, I give baking another shot. And this time? I finally nailed it. I’m proud to say… I’VE SUCCEEDED at focaccia!

Here’s how I do it!

Ingredients

500g bread flour

2 tsp salt

425ml warm water (85% of flour)

2 tsp instant yeast

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp extra‑virgin olive oil

Extra olive oil (lined & to drizzle)

Toppings (e.g., rosemary, olives, cherry tomatoes)

Method

1. Mix Dry & Wet Ingredients

• In one bowl, combine: bread flour, and salt.

• In a separate bowl, whisk together: warm water, instant yeast, honey and olive oil.

2. Combine & Rest

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until a sticky dough forms.

• Cover with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

3. 1st Fold

• Wet your hands with water.

• Perform 6–8 folds, pulling the dough from each side toward the center.

• Flip the dough over, cover, and rest for 15 minutes.

4. 2nd Fold

• Repeat the folding: 6–8 folds on all sides, then flip the dough.

• Cover and rest for 1 hour.

5. Shape & Transfer

• Oil a 25×33 cm (10×13”) baking tray, line with parchment (or aluminium foil), and drizzle with olive oil.

• Transfer the dough to the tray.

• Fold it in thirds (top to center, bottom to center), then flip it seam-side down.

6. Final Proof

• Let the dough proof, for 1.5 hours.

• Preheat oven 230ºC at the 1 hour mark (30mins before baking).

7. Top & Dimple

• Gently stretch the dough to the edges of the tray.

• Drizzle more olive oil on top, add rosemary or your desired toppings, and dimple the dough with your fingertips.

8. Bake

• Bake on the lowest rack at for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

9. Cool

• Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to maintain a crisp bottom.

So there you have it—crispy edges, soft fluffy crumb, and that golden top you dream of. I may not be a baker by nature, but this focaccia gave me hope.

Give it a try—and if you succeed, welcome to the club!