Photo of Focaccia by WW

Focaccia

2
Points®
Total Time
25 min
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Moderate
Focaccia is an Italian bread of great versatility and usually involves a great amount of olive oil. Our version omits the oil—yet the flavor is still delicious, and the crumb still slightly spongy and light. Focaccia can be the perfect foil for any variety of toppings. Try studding the dough with herbs such as fresh rosemary or oregano before baking, or bulk up your bread with chopped sun-dried tomatoes or thinly sliced onions or olives. Another great topping for focaccia that screams authenticity is a smattering of coarse sea salt crystals and cracked black peppercorns or chili flakes. Use focaccia as a side for soups and salads, or slice the thin squares cut from the loaf horizontally and use for creating crisp panini sandwiches.

Ingredients

Yeast

¼ oz

Water

15 Tbsp, warm (105-115°F; equals 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp)

All-purpose flour

2 cup(s)

All-purpose flour

2 Tbsp

Whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp

Table salt

1 tsp

Cooking spray

2 spray(s)

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing 30 times; the dough will still be sticky.Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray; put the dough in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
  3. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Punch down the dough. Flour your hands and form the dough into a ball. Place it on the baking sheet and press into a 10-inch circle. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.
  4. When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425°F. Without piercing the dough, make dimples all over it with your fingertips. Bake on the center oven rack until browned, 15–20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe first appeared in Best of Weight Watchers Volume 1 and is used here with permission.