Pesto Focaccia Bread

5 from 1 vote

This Soft Pesto Focaccia Bread is a delicious twist on the fluffy, airy texture of classic focaccia with the vibrant, herby flavors of fresh basil pesto.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Resting Time2

Total Time2 40

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: portions

Calories: 244kcal

Author: Jessica Montanelli

Equipment

10x15 inch Baking Sheet

Ingredients

1 lb All Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
¼ oz (1 package) Instant Yeast
2 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
6 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 ⅔ cup Warm Water (40°C / 100°F)
½ cup Basil Pesto
Pine Nuts optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the sifted flour in a large bowl and mix it with the dry yeast. With your hands make a hole in the middle and add the 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 6 tablespoon of oil.
Mix with a fork and slowly add the warm water, a little bit at a time.
When the ingredients are uniformly mixed, cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film, and set it aside in a warm place to raise for about 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Oil a 10x15 inches baking sheet and pour the Focaccia dough in it. Stretch it with your hands into a rectangle.
Spread ⅔ of the basil pesto on the dough, then fold it in half and stretch it again into a nice rectangle with uniform thickness.
Spread the remaining pesto on top, covering the whole surface of the dough. Press your fingers punching holes into the dough to get the classic focaccia dimples.
Cover and set it in a warm place to raise again for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.
You can sprinkle some pine nuts on top for extra crunch.
Bake at 200°C / 390°F or 20-25 minutes in the middle to lower rack or until golden on top.

Notes

Focaccia is best eaten the same day. Although the next day, it could be reheated in the microwave to soften again.

You can freeze the cooled, freshly baked focaccia for up to six months. Thaw in the microwave to have soft and warm focaccia, just like the freshly baked.

Nutrition