Focaccia from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread (page 159) by Peter Reinhart

  • high-gluten flour
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  • instant yeast
    Instant yeast appears similar to active dry yeast, but has smaller granules with substantially higher percentages of live cells per comparable unit volumes. It is more perishable than active dry yeast, but also does not require rehydration, and can usually be added directly to all but the driest doughs. Instant yeast generally has a small amount of ascorbic acid added as a preservative. (Wikipedia) Buy Now
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  • EYB Comments

    Requires refrigeration overnight and 3.5 hours to prepare. Can substitute unbleached bread flour for high-gluten flour. See recipe for herb suggestions. See recipe for variations.

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Requires refrigeration overnight and 3.5 hours to prepare. Can substitute unbleached bread flour for high-gluten flour. See recipe for herb suggestions. See recipe for variations.

  • doug_j1bmba on April 21, 2026

    Worked out great. More dense than compared to the poolish, but tastes nice. Could probably up the salt content a bit and hit it harder with herbs!

  • Frenchfoodie on November 03, 2025

    Delicious. Divided in to two smaller pans so can have fresh bread two days in a row. Not as faffy as the very long recipe initially suggests. Mixed in a stand mixer and used a bit less oil to flood than suggested.

  • anya_sf on May 17, 2020

    I used bread flour and 1/2 cup herb oil (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano). This recipe takes a while, but there's not too much hands-on work and no steps are difficult. The dough developed some large bubbles while rising, so the oil pooled in places and didn't get fully absorbed upon baking. After 20 minutes in the oven, I feared it was too dark, but it was actually perfect. The focaccia was delicious, if a bit oily - but our favorite bakery focaccia is also rather oily - I think that's what makes it so good. Next time I might decrease the oil, but then I'd want proportionately more herbs and salt on top.

  • e_ballad on October 22, 2016

    Best focaccia I've ever eaten... can't believe it came out of my oven. Instructions seem quite complex at first (4 pages!), but it's actually just really detailed rather than complicated. Needs plenty of preparation time: almost 3hrs, then refrigerate overnight, then room temp 3hrs before cooking, then only 15mins to cook. Totally worth it.

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Reviews about this recipe

  • Two Peas and Their Pod

    The focaccia bread is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. The olive oil, herbs, garlic, and salt perfectly season the bread. This recipe makes a huge pan loaf, so be prepared to share.

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