Bread and Baking Snack Board ItalianVegetarian

Focaccia

Name: Focaccia
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1.75 cups warm water; 1 package active dry yeast; 1 tablespoon honey (original recipe says to use sugar, but we use honey); 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading; 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling; 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 30 min

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Contains:Gluten

High FODMAPTriggers: Honey or agave, Wheat flour

Fructans · Excess fructose

Estimated from the ingredient list only. Portion sizes aren't considered, so check the Monash University FODMAP app or your dietitian before relying on this.

Our family is just getting started baking bread, and we figured we'd start with something easy like Focaccia. We've gone through several recipes and have landed on this one by…

Directions

1
Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm, not hot or cool, place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes.
2
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.
3
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface, then knead it by hand 1 or 2 times. Again, give it another sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.
4
Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
5
Coat a jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (Chef's Note: This may seem excessive, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious!).
6
Put the dough onto the jelly roll pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. (Chef's Note: Yes, this is strange. But when the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia. If you do not make the actual holes in the dough, the finished product will be very smooth.)
7
Put the dough in the warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
8
Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt and lightly drizzle a little oil on top. Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.
9
Further credit to our good friend and bread mentor Katherine Kehrli for advice on flour, yeast, rising, etc. https://www.meetup.com/Northwest-Bread-Bakers/

Diets

Fits as written

Vegetarian
Pescatarian
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Nut-free
Halal-friendly
Mediterranean
Low-sodium

Works with easy swaps

Vegan (1)

honey → maple syrup

Gluten-free (1)

all-purpose flour → gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

Low FODMAP (2)

honey → maple syrup
all-purpose flour → gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

Some other ingredients are only low FODMAP in small portions.

How we decide

Vegetarian:: No meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or gelatin (including stock made from them).
Vegan:: Vegetarian, plus no dairy, eggs or honey.
Pescatarian:: No meat, poultry or gelatin; fish and shellfish are fine.
Gluten-free:: No wheat flour, pasta, bread, soy sauce, barley, rye, couscous, beer or oats (unless certified gluten-free).
Dairy-free:: No milk, butter, cream, yogurt, cheese or other dairy.
Egg-free:: No eggs, egg noodles or mayonnaise.
Nut-free:: No peanuts or tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios and so on).
Low FODMAP:: Rated from the ingredient list; see the Low FODMAP badge on each recipe.
Halal-friendly:: No pork products, alcohol or gelatin. This can't confirm halal sourcing.
Paleo:: No grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar or seed oils.
Mediterranean:: No red or processed meat and no butter, lard, margarine or cream as cooking fats.
Low-carb:: About 20 g net carbs (carbs minus fiber) or less per serving, from the nutrition estimate.
Keto:: About 10 g net carbs or less per serving, with at least 55% of calories from fat.
Atkins:: About 10 g net carbs or less and 5 g sugar or less per serving.
High-protein:: 25 g protein or more per serving.
Low-sodium:: About 600 mg sodium or less per serving.

Based on the ingredient list and nutrition estimate only. Hidden ingredients in packaged foods, and cooking methods, aren't visible to us. Check labels, and for medical diets or allergies ask your doctor or dietitian.