High Hydration Focaccia, Step By Step

Most bread mistakes come from fighting the dough. Focaccia asks you to stop fighting. The dough is wet enough that you cannot really shape it in any conventional sense; you pour it into an oiled pan and coax it into the corners. The pan supports the structure while fermentation does the work. For a first high-hydration project, focaccia is a better teacher than any boule.

Why Focaccia Is Forgiving

Pan breads have an advantage over free-form loaves: the vessel holds the shape. A slightly over-proofed focaccia goes into the oven and bakes into a thick, airy slab. That same over-proofed boule spreads into a flat disc. The margin for error is wider with focaccia, which lets you focus on learning fermentation rather than managing shape and structure simultaneously.

High hydration (80% in this formula) also helps. Wet doughs ferment more evenly, have better oven spring per unit of yeast activity, and produce a more open crumb. The oil in focaccia serves a different purpose than in most enriched doughs. It coats the dough as it bakes, creating a fried bottom crust and preventing the interior from drying out during the longer baking time.

The Formula

This makes one large focaccia in a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan, or two smaller ones in 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pans. The formula uses commercial yeast for simplicity; a sourdough version is possible by substituting 100g of active levain for the yeast and extending the timeline.

Baker’s percentages:

Ingredient	Weight	Percentage
Bread flour	500g	100%
Water (room temp)	400g	80%
Instant yeast	4g	0.8%
Fine sea salt	10g	2%
Olive oil (in dough)	25g	5%
Olive oil (for pan and top)	60g	12%

The pan oil is listed separately because it contributes to texture rather than dough structure. The 60g goes into the pan before the dough, and some of it is used to coat the dough surface and fill the dimples before baking.

See the hydration guide for a full breakdown of what changes at different hydration percentages if you want to adjust this formula.

Same-Day Schedule

Afternoon (2 PM): Combine flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will look rough and shaggy; that is expected. Cover and rest 30 minutes.

2:30 PM to 4:30 PM: Perform four sets of stretch-and-fold, one set every 30 minutes. To do one set, wet your hand, reach under one side of the dough, pull it up, and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat four times around. After each set, the dough should feel stronger and hold its shape slightly better.

4:30 PM: Pour 30g of olive oil into the pan. Gently slide the dough in. Tilt the pan to let oil coat the underside. Pour the remaining 30g of oil over the top. Cover loosely and let the dough relax for 30 minutes before attempting to stretch it.

5 PM: With oiled hands, press the dough toward the edges of the pan using your palms. Do not force it; if the dough resists, cover it and wait ten more minutes. Work from the center outward. The goal is to fill the pan without tearing the dough.

5 PM to 7 PM: Final proof. The dough should look puffier, fill the pan, and jiggle slightly when you shake it. The bubbles visible on the surface are a good sign.

7 PM: Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Just before baking, dimple the entire surface with your fingertips, pressing firmly all the way down. This is more aggressive than it looks; go deep. Scatter flaky salt and any toppings. Bake 22 to 28 minutes until deep golden brown on top and the bottom, when you lift an edge with a spatula, is dark and crisp.

Cold Retard Option

If you want to bake the next morning, bulk ferment at room temperature for two to three hours with stretch-and-folds, then place the dough in an oiled container and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator, pour into the oiled pan, and let it warm for one to two hours before the final proof and stretch. This slower fermentation produces a more complex flavor and a slightly more open crumb.

The cold method also gives you more control. The dough in the refrigerator is moving slowly enough that a one-hour window on timing does not ruin the loaf.

Dimpling and Toppings

The dimples do two things. They prevent the top crust from forming a solid sheet that lifts away from the crumb, and they create pockets that hold oil and toppings. Press straight down with three or four fingers, going all the way to the bottom of the pan.

Classic toppings include flaky sea salt, fresh rosemary, sliced olives, halved cherry tomatoes, or thinly sliced onion. Add them just before baking so they do not dry out during the proof. If using fresh herbs, press them into the dimples so they do not burn.

A plain olive oil and salt focaccia is worth mastering before adding toppings. The base flavor tells you a great deal about your fermentation and baking.

Common Mistakes

Under-fermenting the dough. Focaccia that has not proofed long enough bakes into a dense, chewy slab. Look for visible bubbles on the surface, a dough that jiggles as a cohesive mass, and a significantly increased height compared to when you poured it into the pan.

Skipping the final proof in the pan. After the dough goes into the pan, it needs time to relax and re-rise before baking. Baking immediately after stretching produces a tough focaccia with no interior air structure. Wait until it has clearly puffed.

Oiling the pan too lightly. The bottom of a proper focaccia should fry in the oil during baking, producing a crisp, deeply flavored crust. If you use too little oil, the bottom bakes rather than fries and sticks to the pan. Do not be conservative with the pan oil.

Baking at too low a temperature. Focaccia needs a hot oven to set the crumb quickly and develop the crust. At 375F (190C) or below, the top browns unevenly and the crumb stays gummy in the center. Stay at 425F (220C) or above.

Not going deep enough with the dimples. Shallow dimples close up during baking. If your finished focaccia has a smooth top with no distinct holes, the dimples were too tentative. Before you next bake, press much harder.

Storing and Reheating

Focaccia is best the day it is baked. The second day, it softens. To restore some of the crust, reheat slices in a dry skillet over medium heat for two to three minutes per side, or run the whole slab in a 375F (190C) oven for ten minutes.

Focaccia can also be frozen. Slice, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to a month. Reheat from frozen in a 400F (200C) oven for twelve to fifteen minutes.