Cast Iron Focaccia

Focaccia may seem daunting at first. The dough is very sticky, it needs three 30-minute rises, and you need to transfer it out of the skillet while everything’s still hot. There’s a bigger risk to fail with this recipe, but it will get easier the more you try.

There’s a steep learning curve with yeast breads since you’re dealing with a living organism that responds differently to temperature and environment.

Good luck, and enjoy the outcome. Everyone loves focaccia.

Cast Iron Focaccia Recipe Success Guide:

This recipe asks you to “fold” the sticky dough for five minutes. It looks like this.

This is a very wet dough. Don’t be tempted to add too much flour. Sticky is correct.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a square baking dish.

Meal Pairings:

Focaccia + grilled vegetables
Focaccia + pesto + mozzarella
Focaccia + pizza toppings
Focaccia + sandwich fillings
Focaccia + eggs + avocado

Ingredients

Necessary Kitchen Stuff:
10-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Focaccia:
1 cup warm water (110 degrees*)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 heaping teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast (half a packet)
2 cups (11 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus extra as needed. All purpose could work, but the focaccia won’t be as stretchy/ satisfyingly chewy.
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp Maldon salt, flakey sea salt (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (optional)

*This feels like water that you wash your hands with in the winter and it’s so warm that it thaws your hands but it’s not burning you.

Step-by-step Instructions

Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 cup of flour. Whisk together and let it sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, look for signs of life. This could be tiny bubbles forming on the surface.
Add remaining flour, table salt, 2 tbs olive oil. Mix ingredients together with your hands and form a sticky, shaggy dough. “Knead” the dough in the bowl by grabbing the top, folding it in half (like you’re closing jewelry box), and pressing it in. Rotating the bowl a quarter turn, fold and press again. Continue this for 5 minutes. Your hands will be covered in dough, but if it’s so sticky that it’s unworkable, add more flour 1 tbs at a time.
After 5 minutes of rough kneading, form a ball. Cover with bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area. I put the bowl in the oven (turned off) with the light on.
After 30 minutes, check on it. It should be poofed. Fold and press the dough again four times, completing one full rotation of the bowl. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Grease a 10 or 12-inch cast-iron skillet with 2 tablespoons oil. Transfer dough to prepared skillet, coating one side with oil, and flip it over. Use your fingers to press and stretch the dough to fit the width of the pan. Cover with plastic and let rise for a final 30 minutes. Preheat Oven to 450F and position a rack in the middle.
Using your fingertips, press indents into the dough. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt over the top. If you don’t have flaky sea salt, you can use a salt grinder. Don’t use table salt or a fine salt on the top.
Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until very golden brown on the top. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove focaccia and place on a wire rack. I do this by flipping it onto a plate upside-down, and flipping it back over right-side-up. This prevents the bottom from getting too soft from the steam.
Brush the top with remaining 1 tbs olive oil for shine (optional). Almost mandatory to toast slices before serving