EASY Focaccia

you're going to be amazed that YOU can make the best focaccia you've ever had

I realized I’ve been pushing focaccia hard these past few weeks on Instagram and here. But I’ve been so obsessed. I had made focaccia in the past but it was always kind of lackluster and dry. It wasn’t until I discovered the technique of letting is rise overnight and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. It’s an absolute game changer for not only the texture but the “do-ability” of it. You make the dough which is done in a bowl with a rubber spatula - NO KNEADING. You pop it in the fridge and let it sit for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. You scrape it into a baking pan and let it sit on the counter for 3-4 hours. Then you bake it for 30 minutes. That’s all and the results are SHOCKING.

Tips for success:

• Use unexpired yeast- yeast does go bad and then it won’t work it’s magic. I’ll repeat myself below in the recipe but you can use INSTANT YEAST or DRY ACTIVE YEAST. I prefer instant yeast and I really like this brand. You can buy it on amazon and keep it in a jar in the freezer for many months. The results are excellent every time.

• Use a metal non-stick pan. You don’t have to if you only have glass or aluminum. But you’ll run the risk of it sticking, so take precautions like greasing the pan with butter and even lining the bottom with parchment if you know your pan has a tendency to stick. I don’t recommend something like a disposable baking pan because it doesn’t conduct heat the way a thicker metal pan does.

• Go heavy on the olive oil. I’ll give you approximate amounts but err on the side of more- you can’t really over do it here on the oil. It makes the crust crispy and who doesn’t love an oily focaccia.

• Add more water if you need. Everyone’s house has a different humidity level. And even brands of flour can vary in how much water they absorb. So start with the smallest recommended amount of water and add more if you still have loose flour on the bottom of the bowl that wont incorporate.

I’ve included instructions for both a 9”x9” slab AND a 9”x 13” slab. The former serves about 4-6 people and the latter 8-10.

The recipe for this glorious focaccia, that is bound to be a repeat event in your house, is at the bottom of this email and is visible to paid subscribers. A paid subscription costs $5/month or $40/ year and it funds this content. I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it - THANK YOU for the support.

Timing: You need at least 1 night in the fridge plus 3-4 hours of resting time right before you bake it. I like leaving it in the fridge for 2-3 days. The longer it sits the better the flavor.

Yeast : You can use both INSTANT YEAST and ACTIVE DRY YEAST in this recipe. In most recipes they can be substituted 1:1. The difference is that active dry yeast needs to be “activated” before you add it to the recipe. So, you’d need to sprinkle your active dry yeast over the lukewarm water + a tiny pinch of sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes to get foamy. If it does not foam after 5 minutes, your yeast may be old. the tiny pinch of sugar helps the yeast activate.