Easy Vegan Focaccia

New to bread making? Focaccia recipes are a great place to start! Fill your kitchen with the smell of freshly baked bread, with minimal stress and effort. 

New Year’s resolutions (sigh). We often make them, but rarely follow through on them. I think a big part of the lack of success in this department comes from calling in something too lofty, time consuming or life altering. I’ll usually opt for something rather simple like drinking less caffeine, not letting laundry sit in the washing machine overnight or attempting to be less of a megalomaniac while watching my children play sports. However, the last 2 years (thanks to a “certain virus” and all that encompasses it) I have been doing the absolute bare minimum and have accomplished laughable little. I decided it was time to go buck-wild on my 2022 resolution. 

On Christmas eve I announced to my family that we would no longer be buying ANY bread products and I would be single handedly baking each and every loaf, bun, bagel, etc. My youngest and most wildly observant child was the only one who seemed skeptical. “Haven’t you only ever made like banana bread? Do you know how to make bread even?” He asked with genuine concern. I assured him that we would not be surviving on banana bread and that I was going to learn how to make various assortments of bread. Thankfully, he seemed to have faith in me and had zero follow up questions or concerns. 

I began my bread making journey on that very evening. I had done some research and wanted to start off on the right foot to convince the fam jam that I could be trusted. Focaccia had always been a favorite for me, during my years of being somewhat able to tolerate gluten. Focaccia loaded with roasted veggies in a panini press is just like heaven! 

After doing some research on how to make focaccia and all the various methods, I put together a recipe and gave it a go. To my surprise, it was much easier than I had anticipated and the bread came out pretty decent for a first run-through. The family declared it “the best bread they had ever had,” and whether or not that is true, I am going to just go ahead and convince myself that they’re 100% genuine in their claims. 

It’s now been a few months of small revision after another, and I am pleased to say that this focaccia recipe is truly amazing. For first time bread makers, I strongly suggest you give this recipe a whirl. Not only will you gain a bit of confidence in the bread making realm, but you will also have a giant tray of crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside focaccia that is so darn good you can eat it with nothing more than the tiniest amount of salted butter. 

Let’s have a look at what makes this recipe so easy and delicious. 

Ingredients:

Flour: After trying a few various flour options, I found that bread flour yields the fluffiest and most delicious focaccia. All-purpose will be a fine enough alternative, but there was a notable difference. I always prefer to opt for an organic flour option when possible. These guys have some absolutely gorg organic bread flours. 

Yeast: Active dry yeast is used in this focaccia recipe. I love the pre-measured envelopes, as yeast is quite sensitive and once it dies, it will not activate and your recipe will be sabotaged. So, be sure your yeast is fresh.

Sugar: If you have followed my blog or social media for any length of time, you’ll likely notice I almost exclusively use maple syrup and/or coconut sugar to sweeten up recipes. Bread making has been a big exception for me, as I have certainly found the best results have come from using white or cane sugar. There is so little used in this recipe that I am not concerned. I do still use an organic option if feasible.

Oil: There is quite a bit of oil that goes into this focaccia recipe. Be sure you are using the finest extra-virgin olive oil you can afford. I am a huge fan of Terra Delyssa brand, as it’s moderately priced, easy to find (often at Costco!) and tastes subtle. 

Salt: For this recipe, you’ll need both sea/Himalayan and flaked salt. Although most don’t religiously keep flaked salt on hand, I assure you it’s the gift that keeps giving. Maybe you will purchase it for this recipe, but you’ll soon finding yourself reaching for it more than you ever thought. Here is my go-to flaked salt for focaccia and much more!

How to Make Easy Vegan Focaccia

Step 1: In a large glass bowl, whisk together one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (or 2¼ tsp), 2 tsp. sugar and 2½ cups lukewarm water (105F-115F) in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. It should looks creamy and slightly foamy is yeast and water temperature are correct.

Step 2: Add 3 cups of flour to liquid and using a rubber spatula, stir only until combined. Add remaining 2 cups flour and 2 tsp. sea/Himalayan and mix until dough looks shaggy and no streaks of flour remain.

Step 3: In another large glass bowl, pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and turn to coat the inside of the bowl (prevents dough from sticking as it rises… a lot!). Transfer dough into bowl with oil. For no more than 1 minute, very gently turn and knead the dough around in the oil to coat entirely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap/lint free cloth and place in a warm and dry place (I like to place it in the over with the oven light on) for 4 hours. The dough will rise significantly.

Step 4: Generously butter a 13×9″ baking pan. Deflate the dough by gathering up edges and folding into the middle several times, until the dough forms a rough ball. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Gently stretch out dough to better fit the pan. Cover again and let stand and rise in dry warm place for 1.5-2 hours.

Step 5: Preheat to 450°and place a rack in middle of the oven. Remove cover and drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. Dimple the focaccia all over with your fingers (your fingers should go all the way to the bottom of the pan). Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt. Bake focaccia until golden brown. This should take 25-30 minutes (I prefer 25 min for a lightly softer bread mouth feel).

Focaccia is best eaten straight away. Can be stored at room temperature in a very tight container for 2 days. Pro tip if your focaccia has gone a bit stale… make them into croutons. You will NOT regret this 😉