Homemade garlic focaccia

Name: Homemade garlic focaccia
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 500 g strong white flour; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 sachet fast action yeast; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 300 ml lukewarm water; Olive oil to drizzle; 2-3 garlic cloves

This recipe for homemade garlic focaccia is soft on the inside, a little crispy on the outside but best of all so easy to make even children and beginner bakers can do it.

Homemade garlic focaccia is a fun, easy bread recipe to try and is perfect for kids who want to get a little hands on in the kitchen. With no special equipment required, anyone can rustle it up and enjoy baking something really wholesome and tasty.

How can kids help to make homemade focaccia?

Like most bread recipes, this homemade focaccia is a great bake for kids to get involved in.

Kids can help measure and mix the ingredients then knead the dough. My kids always enjoy kneading bread – it’s a great hands on job for them to do. We tend to use our mixer to make the kneading process a bit quicker, especially as this is such a sticky dough, but I also like to give my kids the chance to at least do some of the kneading by hand. It’s great for children to be able to touch the dough and feel it changing its texture the more they work it.

Another great hands on job for kids to do is to form the focaccia. It’s really easy as you just need to press it into a baking tray and poke lots of dimples in it, which are both jobs my kids really enjoyed.

Should focaccia be hard or soft?

When we make it, it turns out a touch crispy on the outside, but soft and a little chewy on the inside. There should be lots of air holes in the middle to keep it light rather than heavy and dense.

How wet should focaccia dough be?

It’s a really wet dough – probably the wettest bread dough we’ve ever made. This does make it a little tricky to knead in the same way you’d usually expect to but don’t be tempted to add extra flour to stop if from sticking though, as this will dry it out too much when it bakes.

How long will focaccia stay fresh?

Homemade focaccia will keep for a day or two if you wrap it well in cling film and keep it in an air tight container. I like to eat focaccia when it’s a little warm, so would recommend reheating gently it at about 180C/350F.

What other easy bread recipes for kids can i make?

If your kids enjoyed making these bagels they might also some of our other easy bread recipes for kids including:

Finger rolls
Easy white bread recipe
Soda bread
English muffins
Breadsticks
Brown bread
Soft bread rolls
Shaped dinner rolls
Homemade bagels

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these homemade bagels

Digital scales
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
23 x 30cm baking tin

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Ingredients

500g strong white flour
2 teaspoon salt
1 sachet fast action yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
300ml lukewarm water

For the topping
Olive oil to decorate
2-3 garlic cloves

How to make a homemade garlic focaccia

Get your kids to measure out the flour and add it to a large mixing bowl or free-standing mixer.

In separate corners, add the yeast, olive oil, and salt. When your kids measure out the salt make sure they level the top with their finger so you get just the right amount.

Make the dough

Measure out the water. The easiest way to do this accurately is when the ml setting of some digital scales if you have them. You also need to make sure the water is lukewarm – it should feel a nice temperature if you put your finger in it. If it’s too cold the yeast won’t be activated but if it is too hot it will kill the yeast.

Get your kids to pour the water into your bowl as you’re mixing it. Keep mixing it until it all comes together in quite a sticky dough.

Knead the focaccia dough

If you are using a free-standing mixer, make sure your dough hook is attached and let it run, kneading the dough for at least five minutes.

To finish it off, tip it out onto a oiled work surface and get your kids knead it for another few minutes. I always let my kids have a turn of kneading as they love getting to play and feel the dough with their hands.

If you don’t have a mixer, simply tip the dough out of your mixing bowl onto a lightly oiled surface. Knead the dough by stretching and pulling it with your hands for 5-10 minutes.

The dough is very sticky but it does get a little easier to handle the more you knead it. If you have one, you might find a dough scraper will save your hands from getting too messy and make kneading the dough a little easier.

Leave the dough to rise

Pop the dough in an oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with cling film. Leave it in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Make the focaccia

Grease a 20x30cm (8×12 inch) baking tray with oil.

Tip the focaccia dough out into your baking tray and get your kids to flatten and push it into the sides and corners.

Cover it again in oiled cling film and leave it for an hour to rise.

Bake the garlic focaccia

Preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/ 425F

Get your kids to poke their fingers into the focaccia to give it its traditional dimples. Drizzle it with olive oil then crush some garlic and spread it over the top, pushing it down into the dough in places.

Bake the garlic focaccia for 20 minutes. It’s ready when it has turned a nice, golden brown colour and sounds hollow if you top on the bottom.

Serve while warm and enjoy.