Herb Oil Focaccia

Herb oil focaccia is light and airy on the inside with a thin and crispy crust. It's generously flavored with an herb infused olive oil and goes with just about everything. 

 

Focaccia is an Italian yeasted flatbread typically made with flour, water, salt, yeast, (and sometimes a bit of sugar to feed the yeast), and lots of olive oil. 

The dough is usually pretty sticky (high hydration), but still fairly easy to work with because of the olive oil you use to shape it. 

With this focaccia, the olive oil is heavily infused with lots of fresh herbs, including basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and thyme (immediately "are you going to Scarborough Fair... " is running through my head like an ear worm). 

Living in Southern California, we are able to maintain a little herb garden year round. I definitely use the parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme all of the time. Our oregano plant needs replacing, but the sage is thriving. 

For this herbed olive oil, I used our basil, parsley, thyme, and rosemary, and bought some oregano. 

You can use any combination of herbs you like, including cilantro, dill, tarragon, or savory. You can also use dried herb, but at about a third of the amount by volume. 

To make the herb infused olive oil, heat the oil to about 100 to 110 degrees F and then steep the chopped herbs in the oil, along with some granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, black pepper, and dried minced onions. 

I used a cup of extra virgin olive and a half cup of packed chopped fresh herbs to make the oil. Any leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It makes an amazing dipping oil for the bread too. Just add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle with crushed red peppers. 

How to Make Herb Oil Focaccia:

First, mix the flour, salt, water, and yeast until combined. Next, add some olive oil and then stir vigorously with your hand, a dough whisk, or a stand mixer for about five minutes. 

Once the dough is mixed, let it rest for about five minutes. 

Oil a large bowl or dough rising bucket (I used a 12-quart Cambro) and scrape the dough into it. Stretch and fold the dough and then cover the bowl/bucket. Let it sit for 30 minutes and perform one more "stretch and fold." 

Let the dough rise for an hour. 

What is a Stretch and Fold?:

With an oiled hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it, and fold it over itself. Do this from all "sides" of the dough. This helps develop gluten without kneading. 

In the meantime, line a half sheet baking pan with parchment and drizzle it with olive oil. 

When the dough is ready, fold it into thirds and transfer it to the oiled pan. I actually divided my dough in half and used two quarter sheet pans, which equals the same size. 

Drizzle the top of the dough with the herb infused oil and begin stretching and dimpling the dough until it just about fills the pan. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight. The dough will rise in the refrigerator. 

The next morning, remove the pan(s) from the refrigerator, dimple the dough again with your fingers, and then let the dough rest for three more hours. 

Bake the bread for about 20 to 25 minutes in a very hot oven.

You can add more herb oil as you are dimpling the dough before baking. 

Recipe Variations:

You can definitely use whatever herbs you like. You can also sprinkle the dough with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese right before baking. 

You could also press cubes of mozzarella cheese, olives, or cherry tomatoes into the dough as you are dimpling it. 

Focaccia can be baked in a variety of shapes, including rounds (pizza bianca) or individual flatbreads. 

One tip for success in making this focaccia is to get used to the idea of working with super wet dough. Be sure to oil or wet your hands with water before working with the dough. Try not to add any additional flour. 

The dough is very forgiving. 

Make-Ahead Tip:

While this bread is best served warm from the oven, you can keep it in an airtight container for up to four days. Just reheat it in the oven to recrisp the crust. 

You can also freeze the slices. 

Serving Suggestions:

Focaccia is amazing served with soups, stews, pasta, lasagna, and ravioli. 

You can also cut it into small squares and serve it with antipasto with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce. 

You can also cut slices in half to use for sandwiches or garlic bread. 

More Focaccia Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

BLT Focaccia

Roasted Pepper and Chile Focaccia

Potato Rosemary Focaccia

Spinach and Olive Focaccia

Cheesy Kale, Tomato, and Chile Focaccia

Fresh Berry Focaccia

Welcome to Herb Week where we let the herbs be the star of the recipe and not just a garnish. Mint, dill, sage, and cilantro are just a few of the herbs we are celebrating this week.

Friday’s Herb Week Recipes

• Green Beans Poriyal from Palatable Pastime
• Gruyere and Thyme Shortbread from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Herb Oil Focaccia from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Herb Salad with Optional Edible Flowers from Art of Natural Living
• Methi Lachha Paratha from Magical Ingredients
• Mint Julep from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

This recipe was adapted from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I own all of his bread books and love them all. His intructions and recipes are so specific, reliable, and the results are amazing. I baked my way through the entire book and it taught me how to bake bread. 

Herb Oil Focaccia

Yield: 16 slices

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 12 H & 55 M

Herb oil focaccia is light and airy on the inside with a thin and crispy crust. It's generously flavored with an herb infused olive oil and goes with just about everything.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 637 grams (22.5 ounces / 5 cups) bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 cups room temperature water
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

To Pan and Shape the Bread

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup herb olive oil (see Note below), or more if you like.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water, and mix by hand, dough whisk, or paddle attachment. Add the oil and mix for about five minutes by kneading by hand or a dough hook. If you are mixing by hand, be sure to oil them or dip them in water.
2. Once the dough is cohesive and smooth, let it rest for five minutes, covered.
3. Oil a large bowl or dough rising bucket and scrape the dough into it. Stretch and fold the dough for several turns until the dough begins to develop strength. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
4. Stretch and fold the dough one more time, cover, and let rise for one hour.
5. Line a half sheet pan (18 inches by 13 inches) with parchment paper and drizzle it with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
6. Turn the dough out onto the pan and fold it into a rectangle. Spoon the herb oil over the dough and begin dimpling the dough with your fingertips so that the dough begins to fill the pan. If you can't fill the pan 100 percent, don't worry. The dough will continue to grow in the refrigerator. Add more herb oil if necessary.
7. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill overnight, or up to three days.
8. When you are ready to bake, remove the pan from the refrigerator and re-dimple the bread with your fingertips, dipping them in more herb oil. Re-cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for three hours.
9. Heat your oven to 500 degrees F. with a rack in the middle.
10. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the dough for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden.
11. Transfer the bread to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Notes

To make the herb infused olive oil, heat one cup of olive oil to about 100 to 110 degrees F and then steep 1/2 packed cup of chopped herbs of your choice in the oil, along with 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of dried minced onions. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

284.51

Fat (grams)

16.14 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.24 g

Carbs (grams)

29.5 g

Fiber (grams)

1.36 g

Net carbs

28.13 g

Sugar (grams)

0.12 g

Protein (grams)

5.38 g

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2023/06/herb-oil-focaccia.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

focaccia, herbs, olive oil

Bread

Italian

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