Whole Wheat Focaccia Bread
A twist on traditional focaccia, this recipe uses whole wheat bread for a more rustic flavor, but salty and oily in the best possible way, with unparalleled crunchiness. Topped with sea salt and fresh rosemary, it's a beautiful base for an appetizer, sandwiches or a light lunch with soup and salad.
Servings 10 servings each
Ingredients
For the focaccia:
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- ¾ cup warm water
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup superfine whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- Sea salt to sprinkle before baking
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the focaccia:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir 1 teaspoon active dry yeast and ¾ cup warm water with a pinch Pinch of sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Add ½ tablespoon olive oil and 1 cup superfine whole wheat flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until blended, then attach to the mixer with the dough hook.
- Gradually add ¾ teaspoons salt and 1 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time, while mixing at medium-low speed.
- Knead for about 5 minutes and check to see if it needs more flour. It should be elastic and just a bit sticky.
- If it's pooling too much in the bottom of the pan or too wet, add more bread flour, by tablespoons, until you have a velvety dough that doesn't stick but is not stiff. I prefer to err on the wet side since focaccia doesn't have to be formed into any shape, and a too-stiff dough will mean a tougher bread.
- Coat a clean bowl with olive oil, transfer dough, turn to coat in the oil, cover and let rise until doubled at room temperature, about 1 to 1 ¼ hours.
- Oil two 9x13x2 inch baking pans. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200°C).
- Transfer dough to a barely floured board.
- Gather it and place it inside the pan. With oiled hands, press toward the borders until you fill the whole pan. If the dough resists, wait a few minutes and then stretch again with your fingers.
- Liberally sprinkle the dough with about ¼ cup olive oil, scatter 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary on top and sprinkle Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Let it rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until almost doubled, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Dimple the dough with your fingers, making indentations, and bake for about 20 minutes until golden and the top is dry and crusty. When tapped on the bottom, it should sound hollow.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, remove from the pan and transfer to a wooden surface.
- Cut into squares and serve. You can drizzle it lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper to taste.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Details: baking with yeast is all in the details, so don't overlook them. By details, I mean use active yeast, use lukewarm water for the yeast mixture, proof in a warm place and use an oiled bowl, let it double in size.
Yeast:
Make sure it's active. To do that put a pinch of active dry or fresh yeast, whichever you're using, in a small cup and add a few teaspoons of water. It should start to foam in a few minutes, or start showing a few bubbles or bulge a little. In short, it should not be the same way as when you started. For instant yeast, you have to add a few teaspoons of flour also and sometimes wait a little longer until you start to see some activity.
Active dry yeast. This is the type I use because it's easy to store for a long time in the refrigerator and works very well every time. Freezing: I wrap it tightly, first in plastic and then in foil, and freeze it for a few months. Then, I defrost it in a low oven and cut it into squares or strips.
Make sure it's active. To do that put a pinch of active dry or fresh yeast, whichever you're using, in a small cup and add a few teaspoons of water. It should start to foam in a few minutes, or start showing a few bubbles or bulge a little. In short, it should not be the same way as when you started. For instant yeast, you have to add a few teaspoons of flour also and sometimes wait a little longer until you start to see some activity.
Active dry yeast. This is the type I use because it's easy to store for a long time in the refrigerator and works very well every time. Freezing: I wrap it tightly, first in plastic and then in foil, and freeze it for a few months. Then, I defrost it in a low oven and cut it into squares or strips.
