Focaccia - Focaccia Bread - Focaccia Recipe - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

How unhealthy is focaccia bread? ›

Like croissants and brioche buns, focaccia is high in calories and fat. Most people aren't aware of it, but it contains a lot of olive oil, which in excess has the same effect. To lose weight, people should choose whole-grain or rye bread, which has more fibre and is lower in fat and calories.

Use your favorite kind—I prefer extra virgin olive oil. Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour: I tested this focaccia with both and prefer the bread flour variety. Both are great, but bread flour has a higher protein content so it yields a chewier texture.

Venetian focaccia is sweet, baked for Easter and resembles the traditional Christmas cake panettone. Sugar and butter are used instead of olive oil and salt. Focaccia barese, which is common in Puglia in southern Italy, is made with durum wheat flour and topped with salt, rosemary, tomatoes or olives.

Sourdough is more nutritious, easier to digest, and has a lower glycemic index. Sourdough also contains less gluten than other bread.

Rather, focaccia provides complex carbohydrates that slowly give the body energy and help better regulate blood sugar levels,” Schirò explains. If it's made with whole wheat flour then it's got an extra edge. “It provides a greater amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

The heat of a baking steel is necessary for getting a crispy bottom on a focaccia pizza. The cheese and sauce on top of the dough insulate the pan too much for the bottom to get crispy otherwise.

Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil and don't be shy with it – this is a recipe that relies heavily on extra virgin olive oil not just for the taste but also for the texture and that golden and crunchy crust. It's important we are not skimping on the quality which is why I recommend using Rich Glen olive oil.

Focaccia is an olive oil-rich Italian bread we can't decide is better described metaphorically as a sponge or a springy mattress. It's crispy and golden on the top and bottom crusts, and inside, it has an airy crumb (meaning there are tons of air holes, big and small, that squish in the best way possible).

So why does it tend to be more expensive to purchase? Friends who have worked in the restaurant industry had some thoughts: Focaccia requires a lot of olive oil, which is pricey (though some other breads call for butter and eggs, which pencil out to more in my own Kirkland-brand-olive-oil kitchen).

Focaccia typically contains flour, water, yeast, salt, and oil. Ciabatta is made with a similar dough but without oil, often as wet as focaccia or with even wetter doughs. This preferment is called a poolish and has equal parts of water and flour.

What is focaccia traditionally eaten with? ›

It was used as a dipping bread, usually torn apart by hand and dipped into salty soups made from water, vinegar, and possibly olive oil (essentially what you get served at most Italian restaurants as you wait for your meal these days, minus the water component of course).

Dimpling (aka poking holes) in focaccia helps to release gas and air, which helps your focaccia to maintain its signature flat look. At the same time, olive oil that's drizzled onto the foccacia is able to infuse into the dough for a truly wonderful flavour!

This dough will be very, very wet – almost like cake mix. If you can, wet your hands (to stop them sticking) and fold the dough over a little, just to see what a dough of this wetness (or 'hydration') feels like.

Unlike sourdough, which requires that you feed a hungry little starter gremlin every day, focaccia is mostly hands off. It also doesn't require any special equipment besides a digital scale. Made with a high-hydration (80% in this case) dough, it comes together quickly in a bowl and doesn't need to be kneaded.

If your focaccia bread is made according to tradition with extra virgin olive oil, this makes it heartier, with more protein and fats, than your average bread. It also makes it more filling and satisfying.

Is focaccia high in carbs? Conventional focaccia is made with wheat flour and has about 20g of carbs per serving. But this keto focaccia bread is completely grain free and has only 5g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber.