Big Bubbly Focaccia Bread

Big Bubbly Focaccia is a modern American flatbread with a high-hydration dough that bakes up tall, airy, and crisp-edged. The dough mixes quickly into a very sticky mass, then slowly ferments until it is full of air bubbles. After a generous olive oil drizzle in the pan, the dough gets stretched, proofed, and deeply dimpled with oiled fingertips so olive oil collects in the valleys. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt finishes the top before it bakes in a hot oven until the crust turns deep golden and the crumb is full of large, irregular holes. The result is a soft, fluffy interior with a crunchy, olive oil–rich crust that works as a side, sandwich base, or snack.

Big Bubbly Focaccia Bread Recipe

Big Bubbly Focaccia is a high-hydration modern American flatbread baked in a well-oiled pan, deeply dimpled with olive oil, and topped with flaky sea salt for a tall, airy crumb and crisp crust.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Rising Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12 pieces

Course: Flatbread

Cuisine: American

Calories: 220

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the High-Hydration Dough

• 4 cups bread flour or strong all-purpose flour about 500 g
• 2 cups room temperature water about 475 ml
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the Pan and Topping

• 3 tbsp olive oil for the pan and top, plus more if needed
• 1 to 2 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Plastic wrap or lid
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• 9×13 inch metal baking pan
• Oven mitts

Method

 

Mix the dough

1. Add the flour, instant yeast, and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
2. Pour in 2 cups water and 2 tbsp olive oil with measuring cups and spoons, then mix with the wooden spoon until all the flour is hydrated and a very sticky, shaggy dough forms with no dry patches.
3. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to relax.

Develop structure with simple folds

1. After the rest, lightly wet your hand and perform a set of stretch-and-folds by grabbing one side of the dough, stretching it upward, and folding it over the center, then rotating the bowl and repeating 3 more times.
2. Cover the bowl again and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then repeat one more set of stretch-and-folds the same way.
3. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until noticeably puffed, then move it to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours so flavor and bubbles develop.

Prepare the pan and shape

1. Drizzle about 2 tbsp olive oil into a 9×13 inch metal pan and tilt the pan so the oil coats the bottom and corners.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge, uncover the bowl, and gently scrape the dough into the oiled pan, using oiled hands or a spatula.
3. Turn the dough once or twice in the oil so it is coated, then gently stretch it toward the edges of the pan; if it springs back, let it rest for 10 minutes and stretch again until it mostly fills the pan.

Proof and dimple

1. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough proof at room temperature for about 1 hour, until it looks very puffy, jiggly, and full of air bubbles.
2. Uncover the pan, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the top, then use oiled fingertips to press deep dimples all over the surface, pressing straight down to the pan without tearing the dough so small pools of oil collect in the dimples.
3. Sprinkle flaky sea salt evenly over the top with your fingers.

Bake

1. Place the pan on the middle rack of a preheated 425°F oven using oven mitts.
2. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until the focaccia is deep golden on top and the edges look crisp and browned.
3. Remove the pan from the oven with oven mitts and, if you like, drizzle a small extra splash of olive oil over the top while hot.

Cool and serve

1. Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and lift it out onto a cutting board, or cut directly in the pan into 12 squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• The dough should feel very wet and sticky; resist adding extra flour, since high hydration creates the big, bubbly crumb and soft texture.
• A cold overnight rest builds flavor and bubbles; the dough should look airy and jiggly in the pan before baking.
• Leftover focaccia reheats well wrapped in foil in a 350°F oven until warm and can also be toasted in a skillet with a little olive oil.