It’s been proven that success in an area is increased by the number of times we complete it. This was thought when I decided to begin my focaccia journey. My plan is to bake focaccia once a month for the entire year of 2025. Find out more about the general process and the first bake here.
Being that I started in February, it will be 11 times for the year. 11 time may not seem like a lot. I’m excited for the this journey and to see the progress. I will likely use the same recipe, but if I find it not as friendly, then I will use other ones.
I will continually update this post throughout the year.
February
February was my first time ever making focaccia and it turned out better than expected. I’ve had not so great previous experiences baking with yeast, but this wasn’t so bad.
I tried this recipe from Six Clever Sisters.
Strengths:
The internal texture was soft. This was nice to eat on its own. The flavor was good. I seasoned it with salt and black pepper
Opportunities:
Not enough olive oil. The top wasn’t as crispy as I would have liked. I also didn’t like the way I completed the dimpling—it looked more like waves.
March
For my March focaccia I tried a new recipe. I used this one from Little Ferraro Kitchen. I wanted to try a recipe that was originally rectangle instead of round like the first one.
Strengths:
This had a great rise. The rise on the dough was higher than the first time which ultimately resulted in a thicker finished product.
Opportunities:
Though I added more olive oil to the top, it was still not as crispy as I would have liked. With this one, I forgot to add salt and pepper to the dough, so it wasn’t seasoned. I added some to the top.
April
Strengths:
The rise on this was great. I was finally able to get a nice, crispy top. I left it in the oven a bit longer and added enough olive oil to the top. I also added honey butter to the top when it finished baking. I only added a little of this, so it wasn’t too sweet.
Opportunities:
The seasoning was not where I would have wanted it. I usually try to use a little less salt than what’s expected, so I will add more next time. I also forgot to add black pepper to the dough before mixing. I know a lot of recipes, including this one, uses garlic and/or herbs for flavor. I prefer a milder flavored focaccia because I eat it with multiple dishes and different times of day.
May
Strengths:
I used the same recipe as last month. This time around I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. I like to sub some of the flour with wheat to make it a bit healthier. The taste has more of a nutty flavor as does most things with wheat. I liked it and will try it again in the future.
Opportunities:
This was a bit overcooked. I’m not sure if the wheat flour had something to do with it or I accidentally set the oven on a higher temperature and didn’t realize. I will watch it more closely next time.
June
June came and left, and, unfortunately, I didn’t get to making focaccia. I did; however, bake zucchini bread for the first time. It came out beautifully.
July
Strengths:
The internal texture was the best so far. It was soft with a slight bite to it. I used the recipe from Six Clever Sisters using 2 ½ cups all purpose flour and 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
Opportunities:
This time around, the dough didn’t proof as large as previous times. I’m not completely sure what the reason was behind it.
August
Strengths:
I did a new flavor combo for this one. I added honey to the top before baking and did not include black pepper in the dough nor on top. This one tasted great with the slight sweetness from the honey balanced with the flakey sea salt on top. I used this recipe this time around. I liked that the flour was in weight measurements; it makes it easier when splitting the flour between wheat and all purpose.
Opportunities
The rise on this one fell flat (lol pun intended🤣). I had to leave this one rising for about 12 hours, on the second rise, due to running errands and other tasks. When I returned to it, the dough was sticky and didn’t have a great rise on it. I baked it as is without dimpling it.
September
Strengths:
The flavor of this month’s focaccia was good. I only added salt, so it was pretty simply.
Opportunities:
This focaccia did not rise well. I am starting to think it’s due to using half whole wheat flour instead of all flour being all purpose flour. I use whole wheat to get extra fiber and make it slightly healthier. For October, I will go back to using only all-purpose flour to test my theory.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take an image of this one.