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.
Ingredients
- 5 cups bread flour
- 2 1/2 cups water 105F-115F temperature
- 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
- 2 tsp white or cane sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp
- pinch flaked salt
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Generously butter a 13x9" 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.
- 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).
Notes
- 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 ;)
- Focaccia can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to a month. Dethaw and warm in the over at 300 degrees until desired temperature. Reminder that this bread is very much best when served immediately.