Garlic Butter Focaccia
A tall, airy, olive-oil-crisped focaccia with a chewy crumb, finished with rosemary and a fragrant garlic butter. It's a same-day, mostly hands-off dough that uses simple folds instead of kneading.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Wait
- 2 hr 45 min
- Total
- 3 hr 40 min
- Makes
- 1 focaccia in a 9×13-inch pan (12 squares)
Steps
Before you start
- Plan on about 3 hours 40 minutes start to finish. Most of that is hands-off rising time.
- The dough is wet and sticky (about 80% hydration). That is correct. Wet your hands instead of adding flour.
- Weigh the flour if you can. 500 g of bread flour is about 4 cups only if you spoon it into the cup and level it.
- Use fresh rosemary if possible. Chop it finely so the pieces don't scorch.
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the bread flour, instant yeast and fine sea salt.
- Pour in the warm water and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil.
- Stir with a spatula, then squeeze with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until no dry flour remains and the dough is a shaggy, very sticky mass.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: No dry flour is visible and the dough looks shaggy and sticky
Tip: Keep your hands wet with water so the dough doesn't cling to them.
First set of folds
- With wet hands, grab the edge of the dough at one side, stretch it up gently until it resists, and fold it over onto the center.
- Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 3 more times (4 folds total).
- Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough is smoother and tightens a bit as you fold it
Tip: Stretch gently. If the dough tears, stop and let it rest.
Second set of folds
- Repeat the same 4 stretch-and-folds.
- Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot (about 75°F / 24°C) for 45 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough is domed, jiggly, and about doubled, with bubbles visible at the edges
Tip: In a cool kitchen this can take up to 1 hour. Judge by the dough's size and bubbles, not just the clock.
Oil pan and transfer
- Pour 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil into a 9×13-inch pan and tilt to coat the bottom and sides.
- Use a spatula to slide the dough into the pan in one piece, turning it once to coat both sides with oil.
- Gently pull it toward the corners without tearing.
- If it springs back, stop and wait 10 minutes.
- Cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
- Begin preheating the oven about 20 minutes before this rest ends.
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Ready when: Dough fills the pan to the corners and looks puffy and bubbly
Tip: Don't deflate the dough when you move it. Handle it gently to keep the air bubbles.
Make garlic butterOven 450°F / 230°C
- While the dough rests, set the oven rack in the middle and preheat to 450°F (230°C).
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the minced garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it smells fragrant and the garlic is pale and bubbling gently.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped rosemary.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Garlic is fragrant and pale, not brown
Tip: Browned garlic turns bitter, so take the pan off the heat the moment it smells fragrant.
Dimple and top
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil over the dough.
- Oil your fingertips, then press them straight down to the bottom of the pan all over the dough to make deep dimples.
- Spoon about half of the garlic butter (with the rosemary) over the surface, letting it pool in the dimples.
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Ready when: Dimples are deep and hold pools of oil and garlic butter
Tip: Keep the other half of the garlic butter warm and covered at the stove for after baking.
Bake the focacciaOven 450°F / 230°C
- Bake in the 450°F (230°C) oven for 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the top is deep golden brown and the edges look crisp.
- If the top browns too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Deep golden top, crisp edges, and a hollow sound when tapped. The center reads about 205°F (96°C).
Tip: Lift a corner with a spatula to check that the bottom is also golden.
Brush, salt and cool
- Remove from the oven and rewarm the remaining garlic butter if it has set.
- Brush it all over the hot focaccia and sprinkle on the flaky sea salt.
- Let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a wire rack.
- Cool for at least 10 more minutes before cutting into 12 squares.
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Ready when: Bread is warm but no longer steaming, and slices cleanly
Tip: Cutting too early makes the crumb gummy. Let it rest.
Good to know
Tips
- Use a metal or glass pan with plenty of oil. The oil fries the bottom and gives the crisp, golden crust.
- Press the dimples all the way to the pan. Shallow dimples disappear in the oven.
- Add the garlic butter in two stages. Half goes on before baking and half goes on after, so you get both baked flavor and fresh garlic aroma without burning.
- Fold with wet hands. Adding extra flour makes the focaccia dense.
Make ahead
"After the second set of folds, cover the dough and refrigerate it for 8 to 24 hours for deeper flavor. Then oil the pan, transfer the cold dough, let it come to room temperature and puff up (1.5 to 2 hours) before dimpling and baking."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: keep loosely covered for up to 1 day. Fridge: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: wrap squares tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, warm at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is crisp again."
Substitutions
- bread flour → all-purpose flour. The crumb will be a little softer and less chewy. Reduce the water to 370 ml (1½ cups plus 1 tbsp).
- instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use the same amount, but dissolve it in the warm water for 5 minutes first.
- fresh rosemary leaves → dried rosemary or fresh thyme. Use 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed, or the same amount of fresh thyme leaves.
- unsalted butter → salted butter. Use salted butter and cut the flaky salt in half.
