Woodfired Focaccia

On beautiful summer days, sometimes you just want to stay outside and soak up the sun. So why go inside to cook when you can bake, roast, and grill outside? Baking focaccia in a woodfired oven offers a new dimension of flavor and skill. If you’re looking for something other than pizza to make on your woodfired oven (We use Ooni, but many other brands are available), focaccia is a great place to start. The dough is soft and easy to make, similar to pizza dough, and you can top it any way you like. This recipe offers a classic dough with just olive oil and sea salt, but you can add other toppings like fresh herbs, garlic, or olives.

Where Does Focaccia Come From?

Focaccia gained popularity in ancient Rome, where it was called panis focacius. It has its origins in the Liguria region of Italy. The root for its name is focus, meaning domestic hearth—which is the origin of the English word focus. Though we now rarely use domestic hearths, making focaccia in a woodfired oven definitely gives you something to focus on.

Woodfired Focaccia Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 8g active dry yeast
• 575g all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp olive oil, divided

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine water and sugar. Add yeast and allow to bloom for 5 minutes.
2. Add flour and salt. Using a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix until a cohesive dough forms. Make sure to stop mixer periodically to scrape the sides and incorporate all the flour. The dough is ready when it is combined and there are no dry flour spots. It will be a soft dough and likely not hold its shape.
3. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil into a large bowl and cover the entire surface of the bowl. Move the dough from the mixing bowl to the oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Allow to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil into your baking pan and cover the entire surface of the pan. Make sure this is a baking pan that fits inside your woodfired oven. Move the dough from the bowl to the pan and press to fill the pan. Allow dough to proof for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, begin preparing your woodfire oven.
5. Pour the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over your dough and press your fingers into the dough to create dimples. Make sure to press to the bottom of the pan. Top dough with sea salt.
6. When woodfired oven has reached at least 425F, place pan with focaccia dough inside and close the door. Allow to bake for 20 minutes rotating half way through.
7. Remove focaccia from the oven and take it out of the pan. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Recipe by Kirsten Chervenak / Photography by Laura Petrilla

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