This light and airy Pesto Focaccia is easy to make, comes together in just one bowl, and is packed with flavour. Topped with vegan pesto and flaky salt with a beautiful crusty exterior.
Course Staples
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Rest Time 16 hourshours
Total Time 16 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Author Two Market Girls
Ingredients
1 ½tspactive dry yeast
1 ¼cupswarm water
1tspmaple syrup
300g(2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
1tspkosher salt
4tbspolive oil(divided)
1tbspvegan buttersoftened
Topping
1tbspolive oil
½cuppesto
kosher salt
Instructions
Whisk together yeast, warm water, and maple syrup in a large bowl. Set aside to activate for 5 minutes.
Add all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and 1 tbsp olive oil to the yeast mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until combined. It will be a very hydrated, sticky dough - this is what you want. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and gently toss the dough to keep from sticking to the bowl.
Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
Stretch and fold the focaccia dough up and onto itself, rotating the bowl a quarter turn and repeating. Do this until you move around the bowl twice, 8 folds in total. Cover and set in the fridge to rise overnight or at least 12 hours.
Grease a tbdxtbd pan with softened vegan butter and 2 tbsp olive oil.
Turn the dough out onto the prepared pan and gently stretch. Cover and let rise once more until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Once the dough has risen, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and spoon over the pesto across the top. Grease your hands with olive oil, then gently dimple the dough using your fingers. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Cover and let rest while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Bake the focaccia in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and around the edges.
(Optional) Brush with melted vegan butter and enjoy.