Easy Vegan Friendly Focaccia Recipe

Ingredients :

For this soft & chewy focaccia bread, you’ll need:

•  360 mL water, heated to 45°
• 1 packet yeast
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 460 g bread flour (or all purpose flour)
• 3 tsp sea salt
• 100 mL olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• Pinch of Sea Salt or Salt Flower
• Toppings of your choice: tomatoes, olives, figs, rosemary, basil, mushrooms, etc.

Instructions : 

1. Bloom the yeast: in a small bowl, combine the heated water, yeast, and and maple syrup, mixing for 10 seconds with a wooden spoon (or just adding the yeast to the water with the maple syrup). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

2. Make the dough: to a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sea salt. Add in the bloomed yeast, and use a wooden spoon to mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. The dough will be shaggy. Then add in 1/4 cup (50 grams) of the olive oil, and mix again, using your hands if needed, until you form a a dough ball and the olive oil is worked into the dough (I recommend dipping your hands in a bit of olive oil as well to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands!).

3.  First proof: Cover the bowl tightly with a clean dish towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm area. It should double in size.

4. Activating the gluten: Grease your hands again and gently deflate the dough by lightly pulling the dough away from the bowl and down into the bottom of the bowl. Now lift one corner of the dough and stretch it upwards, being careful NOT to break the dough. Fold the stretched corner over the dough ball. Now turn the bowl to the left and repeat. Repeat this until you’ve done this for four corners of the dough ball. 

5. Second proof and beyond: Cover the bowl again and allow the dough to rest for 20-30 minutes, or until it’s doubled in size again. Then repeat Step 3 three more times (you’ll have shaped the dough 4 times at that point), proving the dough for 20-30 minutes between each interval.

6. Shape the dough: After the final proof, it’s time to shape the dough in the baking sheet. Use a 23×33cm baking sheet. Grease the baking sheet with olive oil, then gently deflate the dough. Place the dough into the middle of the baking sheet, and begin to gently stretch the dough to the corners of the baking sheet. It’s okay if it doesn’t quite reach. Just be careful not to break the dough. If your dough is slightly tough, you can cover it for 15 minutes in the pan, and allow it to rest. Then try stretching again. 

7. Final proof: Once the dough is shaped to the corners of the baking sheet, cover the baking sheet and proof the dough one last time for 45-60 minutes, or until puffy and appearing to be doubled in size. Towards the end, you’ll preheat the oven to 230°.

8. Add the toppings: remove the cloth from the top of the baking sheet. Lightly grease the tops of your fingers and gently poke your finger tips into the dough to create dimples. Place your desired toppings on top of the focaccia. Gently whisk together the garlic rosemary olive oil and pour the olive oil over the toppings, making sure to evenly distribute the olive oil over the bread. Top with a pinch of your choice of salt.

9. Bake: Place the focaccia into the oven to bake for 22-28 minutes, or until the top of the focaccia is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow the focaccia to cool for 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tip : You can store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Recipe and picture credit https://thebananadiaries.com/