A few days ago King Arthur Flour posted a link to this no fuss focaccia on their Facebook page. I’ve made a ton of yeast bread since I started cooking and baking, but never focaccia. Or maybe I should clarify and say I’ve never successfully made focaccia. I tried once, but it was a complete disaster – the dough was quite fluid and somehow I was supposed to fold it on a work surface; instead, it crept uncontrollably across my counter and onto the floor. That experience lingers in the back of my mind, and has kept me from attempting focaccia again…until now.
KAF’s Facebook post included a gorgeous photo of their focaccia and a short one sentence description of the recipe that made me believe it might just be possible to whip this bread up. In fact, I was so excited about the possibility that I was in my kitchen attempting it the next day! I discovered they weren’t kidding – this bread was beyond simple to make. Water, extra virgin olive oil, salt, yeast and flour were combined in my stand mixer, beaten for 1 minute to make a dough, transferred to the baking pan where the dough rose over the course of an hour and finally, baked for 40 minutes. In other words, from the time I started until the time I took my first bite of the focaccia, less than 2 hours had passed. Admittedly, I worried the entire time that this was too good to be true and there was no way the bread could live up to my expectations but with so few ingredients and such a small investment of my time, I just had to find out for myself.
As you may have guessed by now, this bread was phenomenal! I absolutely loved it, ranking it right up there amongst my favorite homemade breads. The crust was golden and crisp while the interior was tender and just slightly chewy. I was surprised by how wonderfully flavorful the focaccia was given the speed of the recipe. My bread was topped simply with an Italian seasoning mix, but the flavor possibilities are only limited by your imagination. The folks at KAF suggested a cheese-stuffed version, which may just be next on my list. Even if you’ve never made yeast bread, this one is so foolproof it’s definitely worth a try!
No Fuss Focaccia
from King Arthur Flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning mix
Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray then drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the bottom of the pan.
Place the water, olive oil, salt, flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. The dough will be smooth, elastic and sticky.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan. With oil or water on the tip of your fingers (don’t use more flour, you want the dough to remain sticky), press the dough into the bottom of the pan, nudging to get it all the way into the corners. Cover the pan and let the dough rise for about 60 minutes, or until it is puffy.
While the dough rises, preheat oven to 375 F.
Once risen, uncover the pan and use your fingers to make dimples all over the dough (you may need a bit of oil on your fingers if the dough is too sticky). Drizzle the dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with the Italian seasoning.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Remove the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then turn the focaccia out of the pan (otherwise the bottom crust will get soggy). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Your focaccia looks so wonderful Tracey I’ll have to try it …maybe even today !!!Thanks
I love the BBA focaccia but there’s nothing “no fuss” about it. This looks like a great alternative! There are so many days when I’ve wished for a nice, quick bread that can make it on the table without serious advanced planning . . . and you found it! Thanks for sharing this recipe, Tracey. I know I’ll make it soon.
Looks great!
I love how easy this recipe is! Love it!
Looks delicious! I’ll definitely be making this soon too!
This was very tasty, I’m looking forward to having another piece with my lunch today!
Too easy to look so good. I didn’t know your last focaccia was so troublesome. I loved the BBA, but this one looks perfect for a ‘quick’ version
This looks like a MUST make. Thanks so much for sharing because I am super scared of yeast and need to start getting over my fears. It looks perfect in every way.
This makes me so VERY VERY excited! I’ve made many breads before but never focaccia! (At least, like you, never successfully!) This looks awesome!
I agree with Jessica – the BBA foccacia is great, but there is definitely some fussing involved. Yours looks every bit as good. And way easier than croissants! 🙂 (which I am still extremely interested in baking with you — just letting it all sink in first!!) This looks wonderful!
You got me with the No Fuss part! I have been wanting to try a Focaccia, but I never have enough time! Thanks for sharing
I think this will be the next thing I bake, since I have a wonderful olive oil, basil dipping sauce to accompany it. Thanks so much, beautiful pictures too!
I almost forgot how to make this one. It has been a long time! I wish I can have the time this weekend to make some.
Wow you are not kidding, this does look phenomenal! I don’t bake breads nearly as often as I would like, which makes me really sad when I see beauties like yours.
I’m so glad you posted this recipe because it doesn’t look too complicated and the results look great. Thanks!
I’m glad you gave this one try – I, too, was intrigued by that KAF email. Now I want to whip some up for dinner tonight because yours looks so delicious.
King Arthur has such great, reliable recipes. This looks delicious and it’s so quick to make!
This looks like a perfect focaccia, and I focaccia!
That looks incredible! I’ll definitely have to give it a try. I’d love to have you submit a yeast bread for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge roundup… This one would be great, if you’re interested 🙂
This bread is truly stupid proof.
First, I didn’t have as much yeast as asked for and it was really old but I put it together anyway.
Then I waited an hour.
And then another.
And then another.
And it still didn’t do anything.
I decided if I wasted the flour and oil anyway, I might as well bake it anyway and see if it turns out.
Somehow it turned out!? It’s a little denser than yours, but it’s still rife with little bubbles.
I’ve never successfully made a yeast bread before. :O Now I’m thinking of trying it again, this time with yeast that’s not half dead.
I’m going to make this with a wheat version today!!