I once worked at a restaurant that had a hard time keeping up with bread service. This wasn't the case because the guests ate a ton of bread or that the servers were overstocking the bread baskets, but because the staff couldn't keep out of the bread drawer.
This restaurant made its own focaccia and it had quite the fan club. But this club isn't specific to that restaurant (though what they made truly was deserving). Focaccia is true royalty among bread, without a lengthy process to achieve amazing flavor and texture.
How to Make Bread, Whether You're a Beginner or an Expert
What Is Focaccia?
Focaccia is a type of Italian bread made with yeast and a strong, high-gluten flour (like bread flour) and baked in flat sheet pans. Unlike pizza dough, it's left to rise after being rolled out before going in the oven.
The use of olive oil (coating it thoroughly) is key with this bread, and after it's risen, fingertips are pressed into the dough from top to bottom, giving the bread its signature dimples and allowing that silky oil to pool in the indentations. From there it might be topped with coarse salt and herbs, vegetables, or even cheese before being baked in an extremely hot oven or hearth.
How to Decorate Focaccia Bread Like a Work of Edible Art
Focaccia and it's near unmatched deliciousness has ancient roots. With history nodding to the Etruscans, Focaccia's easy composition of flour, water, and salt (at the time an unleavened bread) was cooked over whatever heat source available. The dough was flattened on stone slabs and often cooked under hot ashes. In fact, the Latin name is panis focacius, or hearth bread.
In Italy, focaccia might be referred to as classica or pizza Genovese, and is considered an iconic food of Liguria, particularly associated with Genoa, Liguria's capital.
Few things are more sublime than biting into a fresh piece of focaccia. No doubt beyond the smell of it baking, the lure of this bread is the rich, soft and fluffy middle with a thin, tender crust on the top and bottom.
How Is Focaccia Different From Other Bread?
Focaccia is ½" to 1" thick with a light crust on the top and bottom. It's often described as "flatbread" or "Italian flat bread," but unlike the flat bread we're used to, it isn't flat at all, but thick and fluffy. The "flat" term in question simply refers to the pan in which it's baked compared to other breads.
10 Top-Rated Focaccia Recipes to Make at Home
Focaccia does not require kneading, making it an easy bread to pull together. It's easily recognized by the large hills and valleys in the top, caused by the pressing of fingertips into the risen dough before it's baked.
Though it can be topped with coarse salt alone, more often than not it's also topped with other things.Commonly used toppers and mix-ins include rosemary, sage, olives, anchovies, roasted red peppers, and garlic. What's chosen frequently varies by region in Italy.
How to Use and Store Focaccia
Focaccia can be served in any manner of slices but is most commonly cut into squares or rectangles. Its thickness also allows for said squares or rectangles to be sliced in half horizontally and used as sandwich bread.
This bread is meant to be eaten fresh the very day it's made, but if you're forced into leftovers, seal it well in a zip-top bag. Due to the high olive oil content, it won't go stale as quickly, but the difference in taste is noticeable even just one day later. Never fear, large pieces freeze well when wrapped in foil .
5 Ways to Add New Life to Stale Bread
You can keep your focaccia sealed in a bag or foil for about 2 days before it loses its signature fluff. Within that time, heat a bit in the oven when you're ready to eat it.
Once it does go stale, small pieces make excellent croutons or, when tossed in a food processor, homemade breadcrumbs. Sweet focaccia gone stale would make a wonderful bread pudding. Above all, the best way to use focaccia is to eat it! Pull it fresh out of the oven and go to town. No need for butter, oil, or anything at all. It's all in the bread.
Related:
- How to Make Perfect Panzanella
- Why Do Some Bread Recipes Call For a Second Rise?
- Flatbreads From Around the World
