Easy Focaccia Bread


Date Published: Jan 31st, 2025 | Last Updated: Jan 31st, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: breads, how-to, easy, <30 mins, appetizers, basics, pastry, snacks, vegetarian
Serves: 1 pan | Prep time: 1.5 hours | Cook time: 25 minutes

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Making your own focaccia bread is incredibly easy and so customizable. With this recipe, you can make any flavour of focaccia you like and you can be as creative and artistic as you like. Go crazy with your focaccia art!

This recipe uses my basic dough recipe, which can be used for so many other things as well – think halloumi cheese pie, za’atar manakish (Lebanese flatbread), pizza dough, flat bread! You can follow the recipe for the basic dough here, but I’ve also outlined the gist of the recipe in a series of photos in this post.

My Go-To Basic Dough


This is my go-to recipe for a basic bread-based dish (ie. flatbread, pizza, manakish, cheese pocket…etc). It only requires 5 ingredients + water and comes together so easily. Make it an hour or two ahead of time and…

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by Abby

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • One ball of basic dough, after proofing: follow the instructions here
    • 1 Tbsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
    • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
    • 1 cup (250ml) warm water
    • 3 cups (432g) all purpose flour + extra for dusting/kneading
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
  • 3 + 2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • + Any toppings you want (tomatoes, black olives, caramelized onions, feta cheese, parmesan, basil, honey…etc.)
    • I like to infuse the olive oil with rosemary, lemon zest and garlic as a topping

Directions:

Make one basic dough ball (you can double the recipe for a thicker focaccia): follow the instructions here, I’ve summarized the process in a series of photos below.

1 Tbsp active dry yeast + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
+ 1 cup (250ml) warm water, mix until sugar dissolves
Set aside and wait 5-10 mins until it froths
Ready when you see the tiny bubbles/frothiness
3 cups (432g) all purpose flour + 1 tsp salt
Knead and slowly add the flour/salt mix to the yeast mixture
Drizzle in 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil while kneading
Continue to knead until your dough ball forms
Knead a few times by hand on a floured surface until no longer sticky
Dough ball ready to proof
Rub oil to the bowl and the dough ball
Set aside to proof in warm place or proof in oven with hot water
Proof until dough doubles in size (~1hr)
Turn proofed dough onto a floured surface again
Knead until any bubbles have released – one basic dough ball, ready to use!

Preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C.

Place a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a 9″x13″ pan and spread it around to coat the entire pan, including the sides and edges. Place your dough ball in the pan and gently spread it out to the edges ensuring even thickness. If your dough is difficult to spread out to the edges and is tearing, wait 5-10 mins and try again (letting the dough rest relaxes the gluten).

Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for another 20 minutes to relax the dough.

Use your fingers and make indents all over dough to release any air pockets.

Brush 3 Tbsps of olive oil over the bread then add your choice of toppings (I used caraway seeds and salt in the photos). Gently press down on the toppings into the bread and use your fingers to make indents again.

Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 20-25 mins until the top is golden. Rotate your pan halfway through so the top cooks evenly.

After baking, brush on another 2 Tbsps of olive oil over the top. Let it rest for a few minutes then transfer on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Easy Focaccia Bread

Date Published: Jan 31st, 2025 | Last Updated: Jan 31st, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: breads, how-to, easy, <30 mins, appetizers, basics, pastry, snacks, vegetarian
Serves: 1 pan | Prep time: 1.5 hours | Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

  • One ball of basic dough, after proofing:
    • 1 Tbsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
    • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
    • 1 cup (250ml) warm water
    • 3 cups (432g) all purpose flour + extra for dusting/kneading
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
  • 3 + 2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • + Any toppings you want (tomatoes, black olives, caramelized onions, feta cheese, parmesan, basil, honey…etc.)
    • I like to infuse the olive oil with rosemary, lemon zest and garlic as a topping

Directions:

  1. Make one basic dough ball (you can double the recipe for a thicker focaccia)
  2. Preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
  3. Place a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a 9″x13″ pan and spread it around to coat the entire pan, including the sides and edges.
  4. Place your dough ball in the pan and gently spread it out to the edges ensuring even thickness. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for 20 minutes to relax the dough.
    • If your dough is difficult to spread out to the edges and is tearing, wait 5-10 mins and try again (letting the dough rest relaxes the gluten).
  5. After 20 minutes, use your fingers and make indents all over dough to release any air bubbles.
  6. Brush 3 Tbsps of olive oil over the bread then add your choice of toppings (I used caraway seeds and salt in the photos). Gently press down on the toppings into the bread and use your fingers to make indents again.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 20-25 mins until the top is golden. Rotate your pan halfway through so the top cooks evenly.
  8. After baking, brush on another 2 Tbsps of olive oil over the top. Let it rest for a few minutes then transfer on a cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!

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Braised Bacon & Mushroom Sweet Sauerkraut


Date Published: Feb 13th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 13th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: sides, Czech, easy
Serves: 4-6 (large bowl) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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I’m not a fan of sour foods in general (unless it’s sour patch kids 😜) so its no surprise that sauerkraut has never been something I’ve wanted to try and make…until now!

Babička’s sweet sauerkraut

Toby likes his sauerkraut so I usually give him my portion, but during our last trip to Czech to visit his grandparents, babička made a sweet and creamy version with caraway seeds and the sourness of the sauerkraut was minimal. Needless to say, it was DELICIOUS paired with the smoked pork shoulder that she made – we nearly ate the whole pot! Before we left, she gave me verbal recipe instructions with ‘guestimated’ ingredient amounts (you’re not an OG if you measure when you cook) and when we got home to Brooklyn, I was determined to recreate it ASAP while the flavours were still fresh in my mind. Sadly, the guestimated measurements did not yield the same beautiful sweet sauerkraut she made 💔. Mine somehow came out too sour and yet too sweet at the same time lol, no idea how I achieved that. Although disappointed, I was still determined to learn how to make a sweet sauerkraut and in my search of other Czech-style sauerkrauts that might be close to babička’s, I found a sweet braised version from Cook Like Czechs that was intriguing. When I made it for the first time, it was actually – dare I say it – better than babička’s 🤐 ! The sweetness level was exactly the same but this new version had bacon in it! I made it a second time with some minor tweaks and added in some leftover mushrooms I had in the fridge and it was somehow even more AMAZING. This is now my favourite sauerkraut hands down, and I’m going to show it off – to you 😛.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 450g sauerkraut, without the liquid
  • 350g portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1/2 Tbsp of pork lard, or olive oil
  • 2 large (~1.1kg) onions, diced small
  • 130g smoked thick-cut bacon, sliced into small pieces
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
  • 1.75 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsps (25g) all-purpose flour
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

450g sauerkraut without liquid
Liquid squeezed out of the sauerkraut

Place the sauerkraut in a strainer over a bowl and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If you prefer your sauerkraut on the more sour side, save this liquid for later (I prefer mine on the sweeter side, so I just discard this liquid). Set aside.

In a pan on MED heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. Put the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside until the end.

In the same pan on MED heat, melt the pork lard and add in the onions. Sauté until the onions soften and become lightly browned (5-8 minutes).

Add in the caraway seeds, bacon, and sauerkraut. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add in half cup of water (or the sauerkraut liquid from step 1 if using) then turn the heat down to LOW and cover with a lid. Let the sauerkraut braise for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add in the sugar and flour. Mix together thoroughly then let it braise on LOW heat with the lid on for another 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add in the cooked mushrooms from step 1 (do NOT add in any mushroom liquid that may have accumulated during this time, just the mushrooms). Stir until heated through then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and sugar to your preference. It’s meant to be a sweet, smokey, and slightly sour sauerkraut with a kind of creamy texture. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Served in a vepřo knedlo zelo

Summarized Recipe:

Braised Bacon & Mushroom Sweet Sauerkraut

Date Published: Feb 13th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 13th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: sides, Czech, easy
Serves: 4-6 (large bowl) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

  • 450g sauerkraut, without the liquid
  • 350g portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1/2 Tbsp of pork lard, or olive oil
  • 2 large (~1.1kg) onions, diced small
  • 130g smoked thick-cut bacon, sliced into small pieces
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
  • 1.75 Tbsps (25g) granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsps (25g) all-purpose flour
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Place the sauerkraut in a strainer over a bowl and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If you prefer your sauerkraut on the more sour side, save this liquid for later (I prefer mine on the sweeter side, so I just discard this liquid). Set aside.
  2. In a medium pot or pan (make sure you have a lid) on MED heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. Put the mushrooms into a bowl and set aside until the end.
  3. In the same pan on MED heat, melt the pork lard and add in the onions. Sauté until the onions soften and become lightly browned (5-8 minutes).
  4. Add in the caraway seeds, bacon, and sauerkraut. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes, then add in half cup of water (or the sauerkraut liquid from step 1 if using) then turn the heat down to LOW and cover with a lid. Let the sauerkraut braise for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, add in the sugar and flour. Mix together thoroughly then let it braise on LOW heat with the lid on for another 15 minutes.
  6. After 15 minutes, add in the cooked mushrooms from step 1 (do NOT add in any mushroom liquid that may have accumulated during this time, just the mushrooms). Stir until heated through then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and sugar to your preference. It’s meant to be a sweet, smokey, and slightly sour sauerkraut with a kind of creamy texture. Serve warm. Enjoy!

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