What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta? - MiMi FOODS (2024)

What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta? - MiMi FOODS (1)

One of the most frequent questions we get asked is “What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta?”. Although both breads have originated in Italy and are made with similar ingredients, it is important to know that the two are fundamentally different. Here are three differentiating points between focaccia and ciabatta:

Texture: Focaccia has a lightweight, cake-like consistency that is similar to pizza dough. On the other hand, ciabatta has a dense consistency and a chewy texture.
Baking: Focaccia is baked as a flatbread, while Ciabatta is baked as loaves.
Serving: Focaccia is incredibly versatile and can be served as an antipasto, appetizer, table bread or snack. In contrast, ciabatta serves as a delicious sandwich bread.

At Mimi Foods, we created popular formulations of focaccia including: herb, pesto, tomato, focaccia Barese and stuffed focaccia with jalapeno and cheddar cheese. What does your next custom dough creation look like? Tell us more about your next custom dough project at artisticdough@mimifoods.ca

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What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta? - MiMi FOODS (2024)

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What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta? - MiMi FOODS? ›

Texture: Focaccia has a lightweight, cake-like consistency that is similar to pizza dough. On the other hand, ciabatta has a dense consistency and a chewy texture. Baking: Focaccia is baked as a flatbread, while Ciabatta is baked as loaves.

What is the difference between focaccia and ciabatta bread? ›

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's the difference between focaccia and bread? ›

How Is Focaccia Different From Other Bread? Focaccia is ½" to 1" thick with a light crust on the top and bottom. It's often described as "flatbread" or "Italian flat bread," but unlike the flat bread we're used to, it isn't flat at all, but thick and fluffy.

What's the difference between focaccia and panini? ›

Confused ? A Panini is actually an Italian name for sandwiches ( It's a plural of Panino) . While a Sandwich in general represents anything between the two breads , Panini uses a specific Italian bread like Focaccia or Ciabatta. ( Focaccia is typically a flat bread while Ciabatta is baked as loaf bread.

What is different about ciabatta? ›

Traditional ciabatta is characterized by a slipper shape as well as an extremely porous and chewy texture. Originating from the Lake Como region of northern Italy, ciabatta means “slipper” in Italian. Ciabatta dough is wet and sticky with hydration levels often 80% or higher.

What bread is similar to focaccia? ›

Pizza Bianca is a type of bread that is similar to focaccia, but is typically thinner and crispier. It is topped with olive oil, salt, and sometimes rosemary, and is often served as a snack or appetiser in Italy.

What is unique about focaccia bread? ›

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).

What exactly is focaccia? ›

Focaccia (pronounced fo-kah-cha) is a flat bread similar to pizza dough that can be either sweet or savory. In Italy, Liguria is the best known region for focaccia, which is called “classica” in Genoa, a focaccia 1/2 to 1 inch thick, with a light crust and an surface full of indentations that hold oil.

What are the two types of focaccia? ›

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.

What's the difference between ciabatta and panini? ›

Ciabatta is made with a strong flour and uses a very high hydration dough. While panini indicates any kind of sandwich regardless of the bread used (whether slices or a bun), toasted sandwiches made from small loaves of ciabatta are known as "panini" outside Italy.

What is the best panini bread to use? ›

Use Half-Inch Thick Bread To Make A Panini

These include ciabatta, focaccia, rye, French, and sourdough. But no matter which bread you use, your slices should always be about a ½-inch thick. If you use slices that are thicker than that, you'll taste way too much bread when you bite into your panini.

Why is focaccia bread healthy? ›

A moderate consumption of focaccia bread can be healthy. It is because complex carbs in focaccia offer the body energy slowly and help control blood sugar levels. In addition, it gains an advantage if it contains whole wheat flour.

What's the difference between ciabatta and focaccia? ›

Here are three differentiating points between focaccia and ciabatta: Texture: Focaccia has a lightweight, cake-like consistency that is similar to pizza dough. On the other hand, ciabatta has a dense consistency and a chewy texture. Baking: Focaccia is baked as a flatbread, while Ciabatta is baked as loaves.

What is the closest bread to ciabatta bread? ›

There are striking similarities between the baguette and ciabatta, but the biggest difference is in the level of moisture in the dough. The wet dough used in ciabatta creates alveolar holes in the bread during the baking process, which changes the texture of the bread.

Which is healthier, ciabatta or sourdough? ›

Sourdough bread is healthier than traditional ciabatta bread. Ciabatta bread is a popular type of Italian bread, and therefore, is less nutritious than sourdough bread due to the leavening agent used. However, if you are searching for a healthier ciabatta bread, you can choose one made with sourdough or whole grains.

Is focaccia healthier than regular bread? ›

A moderate consumption of focaccia bread can be healthy. It is because complex carbs in focaccia offer the body energy slowly and help control blood sugar levels. In addition, it gains an advantage if it contains whole wheat flour. It is also rich in vitamin, mineral, and fibre content.

What is another name for focaccia bread? ›

In Burgundy, focaccia is called foisse or fouaisse, in other areas of France it is known as fougasse. In Argentina, it is widely consumed under the name fugazza. The Spanish call it hogaza. Today we enjoy this versatile bread alone as a snack or light meal or on the side complimenting a full bodied Italian meal.

Why do Italians eat focaccia? ›

But though pizza can stand in for a meal, focaccia is more of a snack, or at most an appetizer. In Italy, it's a popular walking-around food. Also, though cold pizza may have a certain raffish charm, focaccia really needs to be eaten when it's hot to be at its best.

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