Another focaccia recipe? Yes, another focaccia recipe. But this time it’s the best whole wheat focaccia you’ll ever have. This is an easy, fool-proof focaccia recipe that turns out fantastic every time! The blog needed one, so here it is, and I’m so excited for you to try it.
This whole wheat focaccia is light and fluffy but filled with a complex, earthy nuttiness from the whole wheat flour. Unlike other focaccias, which rely on an overnight ferment to develop flavor, this focaccia is made in under 2 hours but uses the shortcut of whole wheat flour to add some nice depth of flavor. Also, the golden crust is just to die for. Read on for the quick steps on how to make this oh-so-quick focaccia recipe!
Table of contents
Ingredients for this whole wheat focaccia
The ingredients for this focaccia are simple. It’s a wet dough, but that’s what creates big, gorgeous bubbles in your focaccia! Here is everything you need:
- 3.5 grams active dry yeast (1 heaping teaspoon)
- 60 mL water, between 90-95°F (1/4 cup)
- 150 grams whole wheat flour (1 cup and 1 teaspoon)
- 240 grams bread flour, (1 3/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use 1/2 tablespoon if using Morton’s)
- 300 mL water, between 90-95°F
- 1/3 cup high-quality olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon flakey salt
How to make this whole wheat focaccia
The recipe itself is so simple. You do need a stand mixer for this focaccia, but after that, all you need is a bit of time, patience, practice and good ol’ evoo. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the instructions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast and 60 mL of warm water. Let this sit for a few minutes until it is foamy.
- Add in the whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt and water. Use the hook attachment of the mixer to mix the dough on medium-high speed for 10-15 minutes. This process will take a while, so don’t worry! You will know the dough is ready when you can pull and stretch it from the hook. It should feel elastic and firm. If your dough needs a bit of help getting there, put the mixer on high speed for the last 1-2 minutes.
- Lightly oil the sides of a large bowl. Add the dough to the bowl, loosely cover it with a lid or towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it is doubled in size.
- When the dough is ready, pour almost all of the olive oil in a 10″ cast iron pan, or a 9″x11″ rimmed baking sheet. Add the dough to the pan. Lightly stretch it with your hands until it reaches the edges. Cover the dough with either a lid (leaving a loose crack if you do this) or oiled cling wrap. Let it proof another hour or until it has risen about 50% in size.
- When the dough has about 20 more minutes of rising time left, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- When the dough is ready, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top. Use your hands to “dimple” the dough, forming your fingers into a claw-like shape and pressing into the dough, gently pressing in indents. Do this all the way down the pan.
- Sprinkle the flakey salt on top of the dough, and then bake at 425°F for 25-28 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when it’s golden brown, and serve fresh!
Topping ideas for this whole wheat focaccia
I swear by a whole wheat focaccia that just uses smoked flakey salt, but the world really is your oyster with these. You can top it with a few of my favorite ideas:
- Pesto
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sliced garlic
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Black pepper
- Adjika seasoning
- Dukkah
- Fresh tomatoes
- Pearl onions or shallots
The list could go on! Feel free to make it your own!
Looking for other bread recipes?
Here are a few of my recent favorites:
One-Day Ciabatta Rolls
Cornmeal Butter Rolls
Ripple Bread
Why is everything in grams for this whole wheat focaccia?
Baking, and bread especially, is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this bread recipe!
What the recipe video here!
This is for two other focaccias, but the method is similar. You can watch the full version on YouTube or here below.
And that’s everything for this Whole Wheat Focaccia!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 grams active dry yeast, 1 heaping teaspoon
- 60 mL water, between 90-95°F, 1/4 cup
- 150 grams whole wheat flour, 1 cup and 1 teapsoon
- 240 grams bread flour, 1 3/4 cup
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, use 1/2 tablepsoon if using Morton's
- 300 mL water, between 90-95°F
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil , plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon flakey salt, for topping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the 3 1/2 grams of yeast and 60 mL of warm water. Let this sit for a few minutes until it is foamy.
- Add in 150 grams whole wheat flour, 240 grams bread flour, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 300 mL of warm water. Use the hook attachment of the mixer to mix the dough on medium-high speed for 10-15 minutes. This process will take a while, so don't worry! You will know the dough is ready when you can pull and stretch it from the hook. It should feel elastic and firm. If your dough needs a bit of help getting there, put the mixer on high speed for the last 1-2 minutes.
- Loosely cover the dough with a lid or towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it is doubled in size.
- When the dough is ready, pour almost all of the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron pan, or a 9 by 11-inch rimmed baking sheet. Add the dough to the pan. Lightly stretch it with your hands until it reaches the edges. Cover the dough with either a lid (leaving a loose crack if you do this) or oiled cling wrap. Let it proof another hour or until it has risen about 50% in size.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.
- When the dough is ready, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top, adding more as you prefer. Use your hands to "dimple" the dough, forming your fingers into a claw-like shape and pressing into the dough, gently pressing in indents. Do this all the way down the pan.
- Sprinkle the flakey salt on top of the dough, and then bake at 425°F for 25-28 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when it's golden brown, and serve fresh!
Comments
Love that I can make this in a day! Also, love the whole wheat portion of it! It came out super fluffy and the family enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your recipes and content!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, it means so much!
Beautiful recipe! Did you leave the pan on the top shelf of the oven or the middle shelf?
I always do the middle shelf all the way through 🙂
First, stick with weight. Re-write this recipe so every measurement is by weight.
Second, there are three mentions of water, and they are not clear. Start with 75 ml, then 60, then the water (which water? Leftover or 375 ml?) go into the bowl.
What order do things go into the bowl? In order to structure a dough the sequence is important.
Pre-mix dries to get roughly-even distribution.
Start with a simple stir with a spatula to make a shaggy dough. THEN put the recipe on the hook. Otherwise the hook has naught to work with.
I oiled my dough-top lightly to prevent towel sticking.
Hi Martin, thank you for your feedback! We will look into it!
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