Crispy pizza, aromatic pasta and lasagna or a heavenly tiramisu – Italian cuisine has many delights to offer and always provides a real treat for the palate. Once again we would like to take a culinary trip to Italy and introduce you to another popular classic – the best focaccia recipe! Beautifully fluffy, deliciously crunchy, full of flavor and super versatile – the Italian flatbread is irresistibly delicious and tastes great both as a starter and as a single meal. The delicious bread is now also very popular in this country and is also very easy and quick to prepare. Whether it’s classic with tomatoes, with or without yeast, filled or even sweet focaccia with strawberries for dessert – make sure there’s a little variety on the table and try our focaccia recipes today!
Focaccia recipe original Italian style
The word focaccia comes from the Latin phrase “panis focacius,” which literally means “flatbread baked under the ashes of a fire.” The soft flatbread dates back to ancient Rome and was invented in the province of Liguria. Depending on the region, there are now hundreds of variants with their own regional ingredients. Whether with onions, anchovies, olives or tomatoes – the list really is endless. First, of course, we show you the classic focaccia recipe, which tastes delicious, especially in combination with a creamy eggplant dip. The flat bread consists of a yeast dough, as we know it from other baked goods. But so that the bread is crispy on the outside and deliciously fluffy on the inside, considerably more olive oil is used. The classic recipe for Focaccia Genovese is so easy.
Ingredients:
- 480 grams of strong bread flour
- 360 ml lukewarm water
- 1/2 cube of fresh yeast or alternatively 1 tsp of dry yeast
- 70 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
preparation
- Mix the bread flour and sea salt in a bowl and crumble the yeast over it.
- Add the water and half the olive oil and knead with the dough hook of the hand mixer for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 30-40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 2-3 cm thick flatbread.
- Place the dough on the baking sheet and let it rise covered for another 20 minutes.
- Now carefully press small indentations in the focaccia with your fingers and then drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Cover with a little more sea salt and rosemary leaves and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and enjoy – and the classic Italian focaccia recipe is so easy!
- If you don’t have fresh yeast on hand, you can use dry yeast to make the focaccia recipe.
Flash recipe for focaccia without yeast
Ready in 30 minutes and just as crispy and delicious – this yeast-free focaccia recipe is perfect when you need something quick.
Ingredients:
- 280 grams of strong bread flour
- 45 ml olive oil
- 120ml of water
- 120 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme or chives
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and grease a baking sheet generously with olive oil.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and sea salt in a large bowl.
- Add water, milk and half of the olive oil and mix well.
- Knead the dough well with your hands on a floured work surface. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Place the dough on the baking sheet and make small indentations in it with your fingers.
- Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and top with some fresh herbs if you like.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and your recipe for focaccia without yeast is ready.
Italian flatbread with tomatoes and olives
But now it’s going to be delicious! Full of flavor and very tasty, this tomato and olive focaccia is perfect for a light starter. Of course, you can experiment with the recipe and add other ingredients to your heart’s content. How about spreading the bread with a homemade zucchini pesto? Or prepare a focaccia with tomatoes and feta cheese? The sky is the limit!
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of wheat flour type 550
- 25 grams of fresh yeast or alternatively 1 packet of dry yeast
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 40 ml olive oil and another 40 ml for the tomato topping
- 250 grams of cherry tomatoes
- 50 grams of olives, pitted and finely chopped
- A pinch of sugar
- 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of Italian herbs
Preparation:
- Mix the yeast and sugar with the water in a bowl and stir until you get a homogeneous mixture.
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl and make a large well in the middle.
- Add the yeast mixture, mix well and leave covered for 10-15 minutes.
- Add 40ml olive oil and herbs to the bowl and stir.
- Knead the dough well with the dough hook of the hand mixer for 8-10 minutes and let rise, covered, in a warm place for another 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out the dough on it. Leave to rise again for 0 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Use your fingers to make small indentations in the dough and then cover with tomatoes, olives and olive oil.
- Leave to rise for another 10 minutes and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Enjoy the focaccia with tomatoes and olives with a glass of white wine.
Stuffed flatbread with cheese and olives
What’s the best way to make any focaccia recipe even better? If we fill it with cheese, of course!
Ingredients:
- 450 grams of strong bread flour
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon of dry yeast
- 50 ml olive oil and a little more for drizzling
- 250 grams of frozen spinach, thawed
- 250 grams of fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 40 grams of olives, pitted and finely chopped
- Fresh thyme, finely chopped
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Preparation:
- Mix the flour and dry yeast in a large bowl and form a dough in the middle.
- Add olive oil and water and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Place the mixture on a floured surface and knead vigorously with your hands for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, squeeze out the spinach and mix with the mozzarella, olives and thyme.
- Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Knead the dough and divide into two parts.
- Spread the spinach mixture over the dough and place the other piece on top.
- Press the edges together well and brush with olive oil.
- Bake the filled focaccia for 30 minutes, let cool slightly and enjoy!
Focaccia recipe with strawberries and basil
Do you also like the combination of sweet and salty? Then we have the perfect focaccia recipe for you! Caramelized onions, aromatic strawberries and basil – a true dream!
Ingredients:
- 600 grams of wheat flour
- 420 ml of hot water
- 1 tablespoon of dry yeast
- 20 grams of honey
- 180 ml olive oil
- 20 grams of butter
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 200 grams of strawberries, cut into small pieces
- 50 grams of fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation:
- Mix the water, honey and dry yeast in a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Mix wheat flour, salt and half of the olive oil in a bowl and form a cavity in the middle.
- Knead with the dough hook of the hand mixer for 6-7 minutes, adding a little more flour if necessary.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Grease a baking sheet with the remaining olive oil and place the dough on it.
- Turn once to coat both sides of the dough with oil and make small indentations with your fingers.
- Cover and let rise for another 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat and saute the onions for 10 minutes.
- Add balsamic vinegar and caramelize for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and cover the focaccia with onions and strawberries.
- Sprinkle some olive oil and sea salt over and bake for 20 minutes.
- Garnish the strawberry focaccia with basil and enjoy!
