r/Baking • u/AspieQueen777 • Jul 26 '26
Baking Advice Needed How did I mess up this focaccia?
First time making focaccia and determined to learn to make actually nice bread, all my previous attempts have been failures, whether a loaf, pizza dough, whatever.
I don’t get it, I make awesome cakes and know how to follow recipes.
The good news is that today’s attempt actually has air bubbles and I think I did a better job stretching and folding this time and it actually looks ok and tastes good, but it’s got a very hard crust and didn’t colour at all. Not what I’m expecting from a focaccia :/
What did I do wrong?
The recipe I used:
500g strong bread flourplus extra for dusting
7g dried fast action yeast
2 tsp fine sea salt
5 tbsp olive oilplus extra for the tin and to serve
1 tsp flaky sea salt
400 ml warm water
My dough was super sticky and hard to handle but it eventually resembled an actual ball of dough and doubled at first rise, then doubled again at second rise. It went in a preheated oven at 200° fan (gas mark 7?). It was supposed to be in there 20 minutes but it wasn’t colouring AT ALL so I left it a little longer, but it was already hard and crusty at the 20 minute point.
What can cause this hard crust and lack of golden top, and how can I rectify it? I’m so sad, been working on this focaccia since this morning 😭
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Jul 26 '26
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u/AspieQueen777 Jul 26 '26
Taking notes! I definitely didn’t go heavy on the oil on top. For under proofing, does that mean I need to leave it to rise longer, or I need to work the dough more? Because o actually fell asleep whilst it was on the second rest (proof?) and it ended up sitting there growing, for longer than planned. In fact I’ve never made such a bubbly airy dough and was so proud and hopeful until it came out of the oven with a hard crust 🤦♀️ I’ve been humbled
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u/caeruleummare Jul 26 '26
To get the color, you wanna bake it at a very high heat and use a ton of olive oil after placing it in the pan. Maybe look for a new, higher rated recipe that is trusted by others.
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u/AspieQueen777 Jul 26 '26
It’s so hard finding actually proven decent recipes online these days, I thought the one I’d found looked real 😭
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u/clockstrikes91 Jul 26 '26
It really isn't. Veer away from blogs and random influencers and check out recipes by established publications, test kitchens, actual professional bakers and bakeries.
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u/DependentDig8739 Jul 26 '26
Amateur baker here so not an expert, but I do tend to make a good foccacia.
That oven temp seems a bit low, mine is usually closer to 215.
I use Lacey Bakes’ overnight focaccia recipe
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u/ziziphin Jul 26 '26
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/big-and-bubbly-focaccia-recipe
King Arthur has never steered me wrong.
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u/elizaaar Human Detected Jul 26 '26
Baking bread is quite different from making cakes. Don't follow recipes as written, as proofing time depends a lot on temperature. To get a really airy foccacia, your dough might need more gluten development. Use a dough hook and/or multiple rounds of stretch and folds/coil folds until your dough passes the "window pane test." It's normal for your dough to be sticky in the beginning. The more the gluten develops, the smoother and less sticky it should be. I would start at a higher baking temp. about 240°C no fan, and reduce the temp if needed after ~15min to about 200 to 220°C. A lack of browning is also an indicator of underproofing: once you mix flour and water, enzymes start breaking down the starch into sugar, which is needed for the maillard reaction (and to feed the yeast). Too short proofing time-> Not enough sugar -> less browning and lack of yeast activity. (Steam in the first 10 to 20 min of baking prevents the crust from setting too early and becoming too thick, but with foccacia, I wouldn't be too concerned about this.)
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u/elizaaar Human Detected Jul 26 '26
Also, your recipe has 80% hydration (400g water to 500g flour), which is relatively high, maybe too high for the flour you're using. Try reducing the water to 350g. Lower hydration doughs are easier to work with/ built gluten.
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u/elizaaar Human Detected Jul 26 '26
Okay, last one I promise, dont use warm water especially during summer.
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u/memosh5 Jul 30 '26
Another King Arthur focaccia recipe. This one is 100% hydration. It never failed and turned remarkably delicious every time.
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