The Perfect Fluffy Focaccia Rossa Recipe – So Easy!

Fluffy.

Flavorful.

DELICIOUS.

My husband is obsessed with pizza and bread. He could eat pizza every single night of his life and die a happy man. I’m not as big a fan of pizza, but I love focaccia. So, I came up with this focaccia rossa recipe after seeing my friend Owen Han’s video and it was a MASSIVE hit at Casa di Molinaro! I’ve now made this focaccia recipe three times in the last 10 days and each time, it’s gone in a few hours! The last time I made it, Anthony said, “The only problem with this is that I can’t stop eating it!!” Not a bad problem to have, amiright??

So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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What is Focaccia Rossa?

Focaccia rossa literally means “red focaccia.” The focaccia, as you probably know, refers to a specific kind of Italian bread, while “rossa” or “red” refers to marinara sauce. Hence, focaccia rossa is a focaccia smothered in red sauce.

What is the difference between focaccia and pizza? Interestingly, I think the difference between the two is far more evident in the United States than in Italy itself. Oftentimes, in Italy, “focaccia” looks exactly the same as pizza, only without any sauce on it. Here in the United States, though, focaccia is far fluffier, with much more height than what you see behind the glass displays in Italy.

It turns out that the fluffier varieties are a recent adaptation of the original “focaccia,” which many experts believe predates the Roman empire (that’s old!). The word focaccia is a derivation of the latin words “panis focacius,” or “bread of the hearth.” It refers to an unleavened flatbread that was baked over the coals. That’s right–focaccia was originally a flat bread, which is probably why the ones in Italy look so similar to pizza.

This recipe for focaccia rossa will be of the more recent variety–fluffy and tall and soft, instead of flatter and chewy. Mostly because that’s what I prefer!

Why You’ll Love this Focaccia Rossa Recipe.

You are going to love this focaccia rossa recipe because it’s:

• EASY
• DELICIOUS
• VERSATILE
• GORGEOUS

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easy it is. I can rattle off the recipe to you in my sleep, because there are so few ingredients. Most of the work is in the waiting, as is the case with so many bread recipes. When I first started making focaccia, I used far less water, active dry yeast, and kneaded it quite a lot, yielding a much tighter crumb and chewier bread.

Not only is it absolutely delicious (trust me, everyone will ask you to make this at least twice more in the next 2 weeks), it’s so versatile. You can honestly add whatever toppings you like, just like pizza! Anthony prefers keeping it simple, so the most dressed up our focaccia rossa has gotten is a little fresh basil and dollops of vegan ricotta (we like Kite Hill but Nisha Vora also has a fantastic tofu ricotta recipe).

And as you can see, she’s a stunner!

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Focaccia Rossa Recipe.

The following are the key ingredients and substitution ideas for focaccia rossa.

Instant Yeast.

Because I don’t want you to have to budget out an entire 24 hours for this recipe (which is what most pizza dough recipes require), I recommend using instant or fast-acting yeast for this focaccia rossa recipe. If all you have is active dry yeast, you may need to adjust your proof times accordingly.

All Purpose Flour.

Like I said, I prefer my focaccia on the fluffier, softer side of things, so this focaccia rossa recipe relies on all purpose flour. If you prefer a chewier crust, go with a bread flour (which will have more protein content). Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Yes, but you should only do so using a gluten-free flour blend specifically designed for yeasted breads, like King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Bread Flour. The texture will not be the same, but once you slather it with your favorite red sauce, it’ll be absolutely scrumptious!!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The original original focaccia recipe (you know, the one from pre-Ancient Roman times) used extra virgin olive oil and this focaccia rossa recipe is no different! As I’ve said a million times, use an extra virgin olive oil that you’d feel comfortable serving as a dipping sauce–in other words, one where the flavor is delicious and addictive. You’ll be using the EVOO as not just a flavor agent for this focaccia rossa, you’ll also be using it to grease your focaccia pan to ensure a clean lift-off!

Sugar.

Sugar is your yeast’s food, so you will need a little bit in this focaccia rossa recipe. If you don’t want to use sugar, though, you can also use brown rice syrup.

Sea Salt.

You’ll be seasoning your focaccia rossa with the simplest of sea salts. Do not use table salt for seasoning your focaccia bread–use a good, medium grain sea salt or kosher salt.

Red Sauce.

This is a focaccia rossa, so you will need to bust out your favorite red sauce! I like to use my homemade marinara for this, but obviously, store bought will work just as well if you don’t have time to stew tomatoes for the next several hours!

Cherry Tomatoes.

In addition to red sauce, I like to add a handful of cherry tomatoes to my focaccia rossa, mostly for decorative purposes. But Anthony also mentioned that he loved the burst of bright, tart flavor they imparted.

Basil and Oregano.

I like to season my focaccia rossa with both a blend of dried Italian herbs (basil and oregano) and then top the baby with some fresh basil at the end.

Vegan Cheese (Optional).

The classic focaccia rossa is usually cheeseless. However, if you’d like to add some vegan cheese to it, go for it! I added a few dollops of fresh vegan ricotta, but grated parmesan would also work well as a topping! You can also add vegan mozzarella, but if so, I’d do so while the focaccia is still baking in the oven instead of adding it at the end like ricotta or parmesan.

Tips for Focaccia Rossa (READ BEFORE Making!!!).

There are really two things that are critical to executing the perfect focaccia rossa:

Water Needs To Be The Right Temperature. The water you add to your flour needs to be the right temperature to ensure it doesn’t kill your yeast. If it’s too cold or too hot, your yeast will not survive! The best water temperature for your yeast will be between 90 and 115° F. Here’s a trick I like to use–I fill my liquid measuring cup with 50% really hot water and 50% cold water. This usually gives me the perfect temperature for all my yeasted bread recipes.

Use a Timer. As you’ll see, there’s a lot of waiting around in this recipe. In order to ensure you don’t forget to fold, proof, transfer, or even bake your focaccia rossa, use a timer. I use the one on my oven or on my phone.

Keep a Bowl of Water Handy. Your dough is going to be sticky, but you will be required to handle it quite a lot. To ensure that you’re not over-handling it (which can cause unwanted gluten-agitation), you’ll want to keep your hands slick at all times. I keep a small bowl of warm water next to my dough throughout the proofing process and give my fingers a quick dip before handling. This ensures there will be no sticky situations!

Treat the Dough Like It’s HOT!! I don’t really know how else to describe it, but in order to ensure you don’t unnecessarily deflate your dough after its final proof, you want to treat the dough like it’s on fire. In other words, when you’re sticking your fingers into the dough to create the hallmark dimples for your focaccia rossa, you want to get in and get out, like you’re dipping your fingers in coals!

Don’t Use Glass. You can use whatever kind of bowls you like, but do not use a glass baking pan for your focaccia rossa. It will not crisp up the way you’ll want it to. Instead, use a non-stick focaccia pan, a cast iron pan, or even a dutch oven pan (which is what I use).

Size Matters. And make sure you adhere to the size (9″ x 9″)–if you go with a pan that’s too small, you will not get the desired aeration. If you go with something too large, you won’t get the fluffy height.

Grease That Pan. The worst thing that can happen is that you spend half your day perfecting your focaccia rossa and then it won’t come out of its pan. Whether you’re using a non-stick, cast iron, or dutch oven, you want to generously grease both the bottom and sides of your baking pan with either extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter (the latter works better, fwiw).

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making This Focaccia Rossa Recipe.

Make the Dough.

To a very large bowl, add all your dry ingredients: flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then, add your olive oil, followed by 9 fluid ounces (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) of warm (90 to 115° F) water. Using a wooden spoon, give it a good stir until all your dry ingredients are fully incorporated (you should not see any dry bits of flour). The dough will be very wet and scraggly. Cover and let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature (preferably in the 76 to 79° F range).

Fold and Flip Your Dough Every 15 Minutes.

After 15 minutes have passed, fold your dough by holding the bowl with one hand and using the other hand (wet your fingers!!) to pull the edge of the dough up and into the center. Then, rotate the bowl a few inches and repeat the folding motion. You should end up folding the dough into the center about 10 to 12 times once you’ve rotated your bowl the full 360°. Then, using both hands, gently pull the dough up and flip it before settling it back into the bowl. Cover and let sit for another 15 minutes, before repeating the exact same folds and flip 3 more times.

By the time you reach your final (4th) folds and flip, your dough should be relatively smooth, formed, and even bubbly. Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for another hour (until it has doubled in size).

Transfer To Baking Pan.

After your dough has proofed for about an hour, add olive oil to an already well-greased 9″ x 9″ non-stick baking pan (or similar round pan, which is what I use), making sure the oil evenly covers the bottom of your pan. Gently transfer the dough from the bowl to the baking pan. Then, using wet hands, use your fingers to gently lift and flip the dough into the pan so that both sides are now coated with a little olive oil. Cover and let it sit at room temperature for another hour (until the dough is super poofy).

Pre-Bake The Focaccia.

At around 30 minutes into your third and final proof, preheat your oven to 475° F so it’s ready for you when it’s time to bake. When your dough has finished its final proof, insert your fingers using a quick and darting motion to create dimples throughout (about 1.5 inches apart). Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Add Marinara Sauce.

At 10 minutes, your focaccia should already be pretty crisp. Remove from oven and quickly add your marinara sauce evenly over the top. You do not want to add too much, as doing so will impede the focaccia from cooking fully (you don’t want raw focaccia!). Add cherry tomatoes, pressing them in so they don’t get dislodged. Sprinkle with dried Italian herbs. Place focaccia back in oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

Bake the Sides.

After 10 minutes, remove the focaccia from the oven. Gently remove the focaccia from its pan using a large spatula and place the bread on a wire rack or pizza rack. Place it back in the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until the sides are golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with more extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and vegan cheese (optional) before serving.

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