Everything Bagel meets Focaccia
This Everything Bagel Focaccia takes my classic no-knead focaccia recipe and combines the bold, essence of an everything bagel. The airy texture is complimented perfectly with the savory blend of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced onion and salt. I can almost guarantee it will quickly become your favorite focaccia recipe ever. It’s practically fool-proof!
Why you'll love my recipe
No special equipment needed
All you need is a mixing bowl and a baking pan.
Beginner-friendly
My focaccia bread recipe is easy to follow, perfect for novice or expert bakers. Read through my blog post and expert tips from my test kitchen and you will be rewarded with a beautiful, fluffy focaccia on the first try.
Perfect for any occasion
If you’re Romanian, you know bread is at the center of every meal. The same goes for this focaccia. It’s perfect for all occasions.
Ingredients and substitutions
Flour: When making bread, I prefer to use bread flour due to it’s high protein content and structure. Read more about the different types of flour here.
Water: Filtered water is best. This is because tap water may contain impurities like chlorine or minerals that could affect yeast activity and overall quality of the bread.
Salt: I rarely ever use table salt in my recipes. When you see salt, think sea salt. Table salt is also saltier and is not an equal substitute for other salts.
Sugar: Sugar provides food for the yeast during fermentation. It helps with the leavening process and promotes a better rise.
Yeast: This recipe uses instant yeast but you may use active dry yeast instead. See my notes in the recipe for special instructions. Read more about the different types of yeast here.
Everything Bagel Seasoning: This blend of seasonings is commonly a mix of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced onion and salt.
Expert tips for making Focaccia
Be generous with the olive oil
Focaccia is renowned for its olive oil infused crust. Be generous when drizzling olive oil on top of the dough and on the bottom of the baking pan. It also helps you achieve the signature crispy exterior.
Slow rise for flavor
Don’t rush the process. Allow the dough to undergo a slow fermentation for enhanced flavor. I created two sample schedules for this process. See above.
Proper stretch and folds
This process helps develop gluten, resulting in a light and airy structure.
Sample schedule for making Everything Bagel Focaccia
Below are two sample schedules for making my focaccia. Both convenient even for the busiest of schedules.
Refrigerator first rise, room temperature second rise
- Once you’ve completed the stretches, oil the bowl, place in the fridge, cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for as little as 2 hours to as long as overnight.
- After the first rise, transfer to a generously oiled non-stick baking tray and follow the rest of the recipe directions.
- Let it rise at room temperature for anywhere between 2 hours but up to 4 hours until the dough no longer feels cold and springs back when you press on it.
Room temperature first rise, room temperature second rise
- Once you’ve completed the stretches, oil the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and tea towel.
- Leave it in a warm spot to proof for 1 to 1½ hours. The ideal temperature for bread to rise is between 74°F to 85°F / 23°C to 29°C.
Why should I weigh my flour?
Flour is the most over measured ingredient in baking. My number one tip is get a scale. Shop my exact kitchen scale for baking here. (Affiliate link)
How to measure flour without a scale
Fluff up the flour first
Fluff the flour in its container with a spoon or fork by gently stirring it. This helps aerate the flour and prevent it from packing down.
Spoon flour into the measuring cup
Scoop flour into the measure cup with a spoon.
Do not tap or shake the cup
Fill the cup until its full. Do not tap or pack down.
Level the top
Level the top off with a knife or straight edge.
the cup to compact the flour, as this can lead to too much flour in the recipe.
Measure at eye level
Just as with measuring liquid in a cup, always check the measurement at eye level to ensure the most accuracy.
How to measure flour with a scale
In my recipes, I follow the guideline conversion of 1 cup of flour = 120 grams. I try my best to measure by exact volume for my recipes but my golden rule is no more or less than 3-5 grams of a given ingredient.
Place your bowl on the scale
Place your bowl or container on the scale.
Zero out the scale
Turn the scale on and set to zero, also known as “tare”.
Add flour to the bowl
Add flour to the bowl until you reach the needed weight. Stop when the number matches the recipe.
Watch the full recipe tutorial on YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions about Focaccia
What is the best pan to use for focaccia?
I suggest an aluminum, non-stick pan. Glass is a very poor conductor of heat. Linked below is the exact baking pan I use for all my focaccia recipes. Shop my exact 9″x13″ Baking Pan here (Affiliate link)
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast to make focaccia?
Instant yeast can mixed directly with dry ingredients and active dry yeast must be dissolved in warm liquid first to be “activated” before use.
How do I activate yeast?
First, heat up your water until its lukewarm. Stir in the active yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until its foamy or bubbly. Then, add to the flour and continue with the recipe.
What is a Danish dough hook?
A Danish dough hook is a uniquely designed whisk that helps incorporate ingredients efficiently, develop gluten for better texture and structure in the bread without overworking the dough. Shop my exact Danish dough hook whisk here (Affiliate link)
Two types of stretches
Stretch and fold method
1. Wet your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to you.
2. Grab one side of the dough and stretch it gently but not to the point of tearing.
3. Fold it over the center of the dough.
4. Turn the bowl 1/4 of a turn, like a clock. Repeat until you’ve completed all four sides.
5. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Coil method
1. Wet your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to you.
2. Loosen the dough gently around the edges of the bowl.
3. Lift the dough from the middle with both hands until the ends hang down.
4. Lower back into the bowl, letting the ends tuck underneath, so it looks like a coil.
5. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat again.
6. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Repeat three times.
Do you have a sourdough focaccia recipe?
At the moment, I do not have any sourdough recipes but one day, I will! My dear friend and culinary mastermind, Eden from The Bold Appetite has the most detailed and beautifully crafted Sourdough Focaccia recipe for you.
How to store leftover focaccia
Store leftovers at room temperature, wrapped completely in plastic wrap and a tea towel, up to two days. It makes amazing sandwiches the next day. Always toast leftover focaccia in the oven to revive the texture. If your focaccia has toppings like cheeses and meats, please consume same day. It should never be stored in the refrigerator as the environment is very drying.
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Everything Bagel Focaccia
Ingredients
- 500 ml warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt NOT table salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast see note below if using active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 550 g bread flour
- 2 teaspoons Everything Bagel seasoning
Instructions
Before you start
- Read my directions, expert tips and FAQ before beginning.
Make the dough
- To a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients in order as listed except the flour. Whisk together, then add the flour. Use a Danish dough hook or the neck of a wooden spoon to mix for at least 1 minute until the dough is wet and sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.Note: Instant yeast can mixed directly with dry ingredients and active dry yeast must be dissolved in warm liquid first to be "activated" before use. Measure out water from the recipe, stir in the active yeast with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until its foamy or bubbly. Note: This recipe uses sea salt, which has larger, coarser grains compared to fine table salt. This affects the quantity of salt and the saltiness in the bread. If you don't have sea salt, reduce the salt measurement to 2 teaspoons.500 ml warm water, 1 Tablespoon sea salt, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons instant yeast , 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 550 g bread flour
Stretches
- Once the dough has rested for 10 minutes, it's time for the stretch and folds. For this recipe, I have recently adapted two types of stretches.STRETCH AND FOLD METHOD: This is the first type of stretch. First, wet your hands before proceeding as it will make it easier to handle the dough. Work your way around the dough like you are looking at clock. Perform a fold at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock by pulling the dough up and over to the other side of the bowl. Cover with a tea towel for 10 minutes.COIL METHOD: This is the second type of stretch. Wet your hands again. Gently loosen the edges of the dough by pulling it away from the sides of the bowl. Place your fingertips under the dough, so that you can pick it up in the middle. Allow the dough to unstick from the bowl and fold using its own weight, while you support the middle. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat to perform another coil fold. Do this method 3 more times, 10 minutes apart.
First rise
- Coat the entire focaccia and bowl with oil, about 3 Tablespoons. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let it rise in a warm spot at room temperature for at least 1 to 1 ½ hours or in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours. Read more about my alternative rising schedules in this blog post.
Prep the dough
- Remove the plastic wrap. Move the bowl back and forth, opening up the bubbles and allowing the dough to breathe. Coat a generous layer of olive oil on the bottom of a 9"x13" inch aluminum, non-stick baking pan. For good measure, you may also line the bottom with parchment paper prior to drizzling the oil. Pour the dough into the pan. The dough may seem to "deflate" but don't fret.
- Fold the dough into thirds. Then, rotate 90 degrees so that the dough is in line with the pan and flip over, revealing the smoother side on top. Gently spread the dough into the corners with your fingertips but don't force it.
Second rise
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot at room temperature for at least 1 hour. The dough will continue to stretch and rise into the corners in this final proof. Please note, if you followed the refrigeration sample schedule, you need to let the dough come to room temperature and this may take between 2 hours but up to four hours until the dough no longer feels cold and springs back when you press on it.
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 450°F / 232°C.
- When the oven is done pre-heating, remove the plastic wrap and lightly drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil.
- Coat your fingertips with some of the oil. This helps prevent sticking as you make your dimples. To do that, use your fingertips to press into the dough, creating soft indentations and bubbles on the entire surface. The dough should slowly spring back. We are looking for jiggly dough.2 teaspoons Everything Bagel seasoning
Bake
- Sprinkle the top with Everything Bagel seasoning. Place into the oven for 22-24 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Depending on the strength of your oven, baking time may vary by a few minutes.
- Leave the focaccia in the pan for at least 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
- Instant yeast can mixed directly with dry ingredients and active dry yeast must be dissolved in warm liquid first to be "activated" before use. First, heat up the water until its lukewarm. Stir in the active yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until its foamy or bubbly.
- Store leftovers at room temperature, wrapped completely in plastic wrap and a tea towel, up to two days. It makes amazing sandwiches the next day. Always toast leftover focaccia in the oven to revive the texture. If your focaccia has toppings like cheeses and meats, please consume same day. It should never be stored in the refrigerator as the environment is very drying.
- Overnight schedule sample: Once you've completed the stretch and folds, oil the bowl, place in the fridge, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for as little as 2 hours to as long as overnight. After the first rise, transfer to a generously oiled non-stick baking tray and follow the rest of the recipe directions. Let it rise at room temperature for anywhere between 2 hours but up to 4 hours until the dough no longer feels cold and springs back when you press on it.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
28 Responses
Hello! My dough is in its first rise but I may have misunderstood your directions. I chose the 3,6,9,12 fold method. Should I have done 3 sets with 10 minutes in between? Or is that just for the coil method? I only did one set of the 3,6,9,12. If I did this wrong, should I do folds anyway? It’s got olive oil all over it now…
Hi Carol, thank you for your question! You are on the right track. Do the stretch and fold once, then do the coil method three times, 10 minutes apart. You may also chose to only perform the stretch and fold method. This recipe is very forgiving. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Patricia, I’m looking forward to trying this amazing looking focaccia recipe, thank you. You mentioned in the notes that it’s best to weigh all the wet and dry ingredients, but I can’t seem to find the weight equivalents for any of the ingredients except the flour. How much does a tablespoon of salt weigh? And 2T of sugar? Or any of the others that are listed in imperial measures or in mL? Thanks in advance for you help 🙂
Hi Karren, thank you for your questions! The biggest factor that affects the success of a high hydration bread such as focaccia is the amount of water and flour. That’s why the measurements for those two ingredients in particular are in metric. The other measurements are not as necessary to be exact per say but for your reference, use the following: 12 grams sugar and 10 grams sea salt. I know that’s a long explanation but I hope it helps. I have no doubt your going to love our focaccia. 🙂
Thank you very much for this recipe and for your effort in putting everything together so neatly, Patricia! Directions, explanations, pictures, the video…
You literally can’t imagine how happy I was yesterday when I finally got bubbles and a jiggly dough! (After many, many attempts).
This will be my to-go focaccia recipe from now on. I am truly thankful!
All the best!
Thank you for such a lovely review! We enjoying hearing how our blog is helpful for bakers of all levels. 🙂 Happy baking!
Is there any adjustment needed for high altitude? I’m at 5,000 feet MSL.
Hi Tyler! Though I am not fully experienced in changes to recipes, I can give you a few tips I am knowledgeable in. Because of the lower pressure and humidity at higher altitudes, which affects dough rising and baking, consider these things: reducing the yeast by 25% to prevent over-fermentation, keep a close eye on rising time as dough tends to rise faster in those environments, and depending on the humidity, you may need to slightly adjust water and flour to get the right consistency as seen in my tutorial videos and photos. This focaccia recipe is forgiving and I wouldn’t worry too much. I hope this helps. 🙂
Here is the thing…. Only recipe for focaccia you’ll ever need. PERIOD! Bubbles…. The texture, the flavor…. The compliments when you bring this to an event…. I wish I could say it’s my recipe… it’s that good!!!
That’s so sweet! Thank you, Raluca! 🙂
I recently made the everything bagel focaccia and was very pleased with the final outcome! I definitely had my doubts as to how this would turn out but trust me, you will not be disappointed. The recipe was easy to follow and I really liked having photos as well as the reel on Instagram to make references to as the recipe progressed. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this again!
Hi Christine, what an honor to receive this kind compliment on my recipe! 🙂
Just made this today. Followed the recipe process (room temp first prove) but seasoned with seasalt rosemary and garlic slices and poked then into the dough.
I was really impressed, it looked so professional. I’m going to be making this again very soon and trying out different flavours.
Hi Jess! Wow, thanks so much for this lovely review! So happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe. Looking forward to hearing about your other experimental flavors.
When using active dry yeast and dissolving it in 1/4 cup (59ml) of water, would I then subtract that amount from the 500ml of water in the “instant dry yeast” recipe?
Same applies to the sugar? Thank you!
Hi Felix, thank you for your question! To clarify, if you are activating in the way you mentioned above, then yes, subtract from the total 500ml. Typically, when I use Active Dry Yeast in my focaccia recipe, I will weigh and measure the recipe quantity of water and sugar first in the large mixing bowl. Then, I will sprinkle the yeast over, whisk and let it rest to activate. Then, I’ll add flour to the same bowl and proceed with directions. I hope this helps!
Yes, I could sorta tell by the consistency of the dough also but thank you much for clarifying. Turned out amazing…starting more tonight for tomorrow’s SB party!!
Yay! Happy Baking!
What about 00 type flour. Isn’t it the preferred type of flour for pizzas and focaccias?
You can definitely substitute with 00 flour. For some, it may be harder to access but it works great in bread recipes. As we know, 00 flour has lower protein content than bread flour. Any substitutes to my original recipe may change the texture and bread structure. I’m sure the end result is delicious! Thank you for pointing this out.
Your original focaccia recipe is the best bread recipe I’ve ever used. This one tastes like an ultra fluffy bagel. I can’t wait to make sandwiches out of it. You’re a bread master. Thanks so much.
Thank you, Kathy! So happy you enjoyed our recipe.
Can I use AP flour? Stores here don’t carry bread flour. Thanks
Hi there! In that case, All-purpose flour will work just fine. Substitute in a 1:1 ratio. The texture may be a little bit different because bread flour has a higher protein content but overall, the bread will still turn out delicious. I hope this helps.
This looks so good! I’ve always wanted to try to-make it.
Do you have a subscription form? I can’t find it.
Thank you so much for the step by step instructions – Im not sure I would have succeeded without them – my family and I thought it was perfect – first try!!
Thank you, Donna!
Thank you! I wish you much success on this recipe! The subscription pop-up is fixed and working.