An easy Italian bread recipe for focaccia you can make in a stand mixer. Perfect for bruschetta or dipping in olive oil.
I am not very keen on kneading dough by hand so the less effort required the better. Although I have had success with my bread maker. I do grow tired of loaves always being the same shape. Focaccia is a soft bread made with lots of olive oil and goes perfectly with Meditterranean menus.
Sliced up it can be toasted and garnished with bruschetta toppings or dipped in soups or olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Here I have served it toasted with my recent white bean hummus with homemade pesto, radish slices, fresh oregano leaves and chilli flakes. And a final sousing of more olive oil!
You could easily cut the bread pieces smaller and serve this as crostini at a party.
I’ve read recently that sales of Chorleywood style sliced loaves are dropping massively. Possibly this due to a trend for low carb diets but also an increased enthusiasm for homemade bread and better quality loaves where these are bought – but spare us the “artisan” tag please.
This week marks Real Bread Week and whilst I’ve been eating less bread over the past year, where I do I make sure it’s a good quality one such as frozen slices of marked down Poilâne (which lasts ages if you only eat a slice or two at a time) or homemade bread like this or my soda bread recipe.
There are plenty of ways to dress up a focaccia with olives, sun dried tomatoes or roasted peppers. Today I’ve kept it relatively simple with a scattering of sea salt and dukkah. Since we make it so often I dare say it won’t be long before I show you another version!
Have you ever made your own focaccia?
How to make focaccia in a stand mixer
Ingredients
- 500 g Strong white flour
- 300-330 ml warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 7 g dried yeast sachet
- seasalt
- 1 tbsp dukkah optional
Instructions
- In the stand mixer bowl, using the dough hook, mix the flour and yeast with the water to make soft dough.
- Add the oil and mix again until the dough is soft and oil mixed in. Raise the mixer hook and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for an hour until it has roughly doubled in size.
- Decant the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and "knock back" pressing fingers into the fattest part of the dough. Leave to rest for another hour. (Alternatively you can leave to prove for 2 hours and then give it a good pummeling before leaving in a warm place for 15 minutes - I find this equally effective and suits my attention span better).
- Scatter the top with seasalt and dukkah and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 200c / gas mark 6 for 20 minutes.
I am sending my homemade focaccia to these events:
- Bready Steady Go hosted by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy
- Bake of the Week hosted between Helen at Casa Costello and myself
*Affiliate links used in this post.
Claire @foodiequine says
I haven’t actually made Focaccia since I got my Kitchen Aid. Your recipe sounds almost effortless so I’m going to give it a go. Will be perfect for a picky weekend lunch with lots of nibbly mezze.
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
Ooh, I haven’t made focaccia for ages and yours looks so good! Thanks for the reminder 🙂
I always make bread in the stand mixer – effortless kneading and great results.
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
I’ve just got to to try this out, it will be perfect with a barbecue! Love focaccia in the summer especially. Thanks for joining with Bready Steady Go too 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
I love homemade focaccia, it’s one of those breads that has a name the suggests that it’s difficult to make but I love how easy and forgiving it is. I quite enjoy kneading bread – it can be relaxing after and busy and stressful day, but focaccia dough is too wet and takes all the fun out of it!
I love the idea of sprinkling yours with dukkah – it sounds delicious. I usually stick to a bit of rosemary and garlic.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Lovely foccacia Sarah, I love how you’ve presented it as a bruchetta rather than simply as a dipping bread. #BakeoftheWeek
Angela x
Helen at Casa Costello says
What an inventive way of serving foccacia – I’ve never quite got round to getting a bread maker so welcome the thought of making this in a stand mixer. Its been far too long since I made homemade bread. #BakeoftheWeek