This is my favorite crispy but fluffy Cast Iron Focaccia Bread, made in a cast iron for that delicious crispy crust. I love to make focaccia in a cast iron because you get that same flavor, but it changes the game for home cooks with how evenly hot a cast iron pan is able to get!

Looking for another easy dough recipe? Try our New York Style Pizza Dough!

A Quick Look at The Recipe

✅Recipe Name: Cast Iron Focaccia
⏲️Ready in: 3 hours
👪Makes: about 8 servings
📋Main ingredients: bread flour, olive oil, salt.
⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This cast-iron focaccia is the best because it has the best crispy texture to pair with the extra virgin olive oil and salty flavors.

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Why Make Focaccia with Cast Iron

Same fluffy flavor, but you also get that really crisp signature bottom. The cast-iron pan can evenly heat the focaccia better than cheaper pans!
You get a beautiful circular loaf. It usually turns out a lot more even and symmetrical than the rectangular loaves.
Easy clean up! You're going to season the cast iron with oil anyway. No need to clean the cast iron after cooking, just wipe it dry with a paper towel.
Follow the bread up with another easy Italian cast-iron dish like Italian Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin or Cast Iron Lemon Chicken Orzo.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Bread flour- Bread flour is best for focaccia because focaccia is a high-hydration dough. Bread flour absorbs more water than AP flour and can handle this wet dough better. Because of its high protein and strong gluten formations, it can hold a fluffier focaccia as well. Use any bread flour with 12-14% protein.
Yeast- I use active yeast, but you can substitute instant yeast. Still follow the same instructions, but because instant will rise faster, lower the amount to 4 grams
EVOO- High-quality olive oil is so important in a recipe like focaccia with this much olive oil.
Honey- We use the honey as the sugar that feeds the yeast and helps the bread rise. You can substitute sugar at a 1:1 ratio.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.

How to Make Cast Iron Focaccia

Autolyse

Step 1: Gently mix 400 g bread flour and 320 ml of water until just combined. Cover with a damp towel for 1 hour.

Activate Yeast

Step 2: 15 minutes before the dough finishes resting, add the yeast, honey, and 40 mL of lukewarm water to a bowl. Whisk to combine and rest for 15 minutes.

Kneading

Step 3: Add the yeast mixture to the rested dough. Cut the mixture together by hand. Squeeze it over and over again like you're making a fist around it until it is just combined. Add the salt and continue to knead the dough using the same technique for 8-10 minutes.

Add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and the oil is completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to an oiled container. Cover with a damp towel.

Stretch and Fold

Step 4: After 45 minutes, you'll do your stretch and folds. Use wet hands and reach underneath the dough. Stretch that piece of dough up and over to the center of the bowl. Rotate the bowl and do this 5 more times. Cover and let it rest for 45 minutes, and repeat the stretch and folds again.

Ferment

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

How to skip the overnight ferment: Cover the dough and leave it out at room temperature for 75 minutes. Then, skip right to step 5 and pour the dough into the cast-iron pan.

Bake

Step 5: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and rest it on the counter for 2 hours.

Drizzle your cast-iron pan with olive oil. Place a piece of parchment paper over the cast iron. Drizzle with more olive oil. Brush it across the parchment paper.

Pour the dough onto the tray. Use wet hands to guide the dough into the pan with the seam on the base of the pan in the center. Gently pull the sides of the dough toward the edge of the pan. Let the dough rest in the pan for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450℉.

Drizzle the dough with 3 tablespoon of olive oil. Drizzle your fingers with olive oil. Press your fingers into the dough. Avoid popping the air bubbles. Season the dough with salt.

Step 6: Place in the oven on the lower shelf. Bake for 27-30 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden brown on top. Let it sit in the cast-iron pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cool for 30 minutes before cutting open.

Focaccia is the perfect bread to serve with dinner. Serve with your favorite Sunday classics, like Authentic Italian Sunday Sauce or Sauteed Rapini with Garlic, and use it as the scarpetta. Or serve it for dipping in a simple summer seafood dish like Grilled Clams with White Wine Sauce.

Pro-Tips

This is a high-hydration dough at 90%. It will be sticky and hard to handle. Always wet or oil your hands before handling the dough.
10 minutes seems like a long time when it comes to kneading, but it is really necessary. If your hands don't have the strength or stamina, use a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment.
The overnight ferment allows strong, airy bubbles to form and lets the flavor develop. I recommend an overnight ferment rather than letting the bread rise at room temperature for 75 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Serve focaccia with saucy Italian classics below!

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to use a cast iron for focaccia?

No, this recipe would still work on a regular baking pan. Cast-iron focaccia allows for the bread to have a good, crispy bottom without a real bakery-style oven.

Can I substitute All-Purpose flour for bread flour?

No, because of how hydrated the dough is. A strong bread flour will be able to hold the bubbles and airy texture of a focaccia with its strong gluten formations. It will also absorb more water, making it easier to handle than if you used AP flour.

What size cast-iron pan works best?

This amount of dough was developed for a 10-inch cast-iron pan, but if you want to use a 12-inch pan or a regular baking tray, increase all of the ingredients by 25%.

Do you have to ferment focaccia overnight?

No, instead of placing it in the refrigerator overnight, you can cover and rest at room temperature for 75 minutes. Then move on to shaping and docking.