Focaccia (pronounced foh-kaht-tchah) is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza. It is often described as a flat bread, or Italian flat bread that is flavoured with olive oil and sometimes topped with herbs and/or vegetables.
Focaccia in my own words, a thick pizza bread seasoned with herbs and/or vegetables. Saying that it can easily resemble a pizza depending on the toppings one chooses. In Italy one can find focaccia breads that vary greatly with different thickness, toppings, and texture.
Focaccia is meant to be simple, but recipes always make it sound much more elaborate than it really is. I have done lots of research on perfect focaccia over the years and I find there are 3 key things while making the focaccia.
The dough is quite similar to pizza dough and needs moist dough with ideally a minimum of 70% hydration. Another crucial step is to be extremely generous with the olive oil. Pretty much every step of focaccia making involves olive oil. Olive oil should be in the dough, used to grease the baking sheet, and the bread is brined before it goes in the oven. Lastly one needs to be uber patient and let it rest a long time (8-24 hours after the initial kneading) so the flavour can develop. This crucial step will allow for adequate fermentation, which in turn will guarantee superior (non-yeasty) flavour.
The proofing for 8-24 hours although helps in developing the flavours, sometimes I just fancy a home baked focaccia and do not have so much time in hand and hence try and proof as long as I can.
I do not like to overload the focaccia with toppings, might as well eat a pizza then. My recipe is of a delicious focaccia with some coarse salt and herbs. It is perfectly soft and fluffy and satisfyingly chewy. It is sprinkled with lots of herbs and crunchy flaky sea salt. If you fancy extra luxury then drizzle the focaccia with extra olive oil just before serving, which soaks perfectly into all of those little classic holes that you have poked in the bread.
