I love breads of all kinds. I haven’t met a carb I didn’t like, but I have a soft spot for focaccia bread especially when it’s homemade. There’s something about the soft spongy texture and delicious mixture of toppings that’s intoxicating. Just the smell of it baking is amazing. They should sell it as a cologne. So yes, this is a bread. And yes, some find bread making intimidating, but this recipe is pretty foolproof. There’s one key ingredient that will take it to the next level and give you the chew needed and that’s vital wheat gluten. This “secret” ingredient is an essential part of good bread baking. If you use a high gluten bread flour, it’s not needed but most people have all purpose on hand. It’s also the main ingredient in homemade seitan or “wheat meat” so we always have some in the pantry (or fridge as it keeps better there). If you can’t find it in your local store I’ve included an Amazon link at the bottom of the post to order. I buy it there because I’ve found most I buy in store have turned and gone rancid by sitting on the shelves for so long.
Another reason some don’t have success with bread baking is that they either use expired yeast or don’t let it bloom properly. You have to use warm water and a sugar of some kind for the yeast to feed on and activate before adding it to the rest of ingredients. This is key to a successful bake.
Dough for bread also needs a lot of kneading. I use my food processor with the dough blade or my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the dough hook but you could certainly knead this all by hand, but why would you want to?
Dough for this focaccia also needs two proofing cycles for the proper texture before baking. It’s not a hard process, it just requires waiting a bit.
You can choose an array of toppings for the focaccia and I chose to do an ombré effect with tomatoes and olives. I also added fresh basil and most importantly, salt. It needs a good bit of salt before baking. It also needs oil. Oil helps tenderize it and provides more of the chew factor. Hey, that’s a good name for a cooking show!
Amazing Easy Focaccia Bread
12
servings1
hour30
minutes20
minutesAn easy vegan focaccia bread perfect anytime!
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water, warmed (see notes)
1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 tablespoon vegan cane sugar
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
- Toppings
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
Flaked salt
Herbs, olives or vegetables
Directions
- Place the warm water in a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add sugar and yeast, mix until combined and let sit for five minutes to bloom or activate. You should see a head like latte foam form at the top. If you don’t, your yeast may be expired or your water may not have been warm enough.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue kneading the dough for at least 3-5 minutes to form the gluten and make sure it’s properly kneaded. If doing by hand it may take longer to knead on a floured surface. The dough should form a ball and not stick to the sides of the mixing bowl. If too wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it pulls away and forms a ball of dough. If too dry, add a tablespoon of water to get a dough as soft as a baby’s bottom.
- Once kneaded, place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn once to cover completely with oil, then cover with plastic wrap and set it in the warmest spot in your kitchen to rise. This could take an hour until it doubles in size. After the first rise, punch the dough down with your hands to deflate it. Using a 9×13 parchment lined baking sheet, add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the bottom, place the dough in and using your fingers, spread it out evenly to reach the sides of the pan. Dimple the dough by poking your fingers vigorously into it creating pockets. Cover lightly again and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Remove the plastic wrap, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil and any toppings you desire and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.
- Serve warm and wrap or freeze any leftovers.
Notes
- The water for proofing needs to be warm but not too hot. It cannot be boiling water. I usually microwave mine for 45 seconds so it’s hot to the touch but doesn’t burn me.
- You can use any olive oil you’d like and any toppings but I prefer flaked salt for the top as it’s crunchy.
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