Black Pepper Focaccia
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This black pepper focaccia focaccia bread is so simple yet rich and delicious. its crisp crust, chewy texture and amazing black pepper flavor is going to blow your mind!
You need only 5 minutes of prep time, and no stand-mixer required.
Who doesn’t love freshly baked focaccia? Its texture and flavour are out of this world. This Italian flatbread recipe made with a handful of ingredients is one of the best things in life.
I’ve already shared quite a few focaccia recipes on The Clever Meal, including the most scrumptious and creative focaccia toppings, and I wonder why I didn’t post this black pepper focaccia long before!
Think of a crispy crust, a soft and fluffy interior infused with extra virgin olive oil, perfectly salted and with an irresistible spicy flavor that we crave and love.
The method is essentially the same you find in this no-knead focaccia recipe (don’t forget to check it out!), but in this version we have a sensational black pepper flavor that is just so delish.
And it’s ridiculously easy to make in one bowl and no-kneading required.
It goes beautifully with just about anything, easy to customize, great for sharing, it makes incredible sandwiches, and it’s freezable too.
Yes, this black pepper focaccia will be your new best bread friend!
List of the ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Water
- Instant yeast
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to make black pepper focaccia
(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Mix flour, yeast, black pepper, and salt in a large bowl until combined.
- Add water and olive oil to the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate the liquid into the flour.
- Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl with the spatula, you want to shape the dough into a ball (lumps are totally fine).
- Let the dough rest in the warm oven for 40 minutes until it doubles in size.
- Pour the dough onto a baking tin, stretch it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Make the brine by shaking olive oil, water and salt in a jam jar. The brine adds so much flavor and keeps the focaccia deliciously moist.
- Pour the brine all over the dough, poke dimples with your finger and finish with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for more deliciousness.
- Bake for 20 MINUTES until golden and crispy.
- I love brushing focaccia with some extra virgin olive oil when it’s still hot, but that’s totally optional. Enjoy!
Recipe notes
Black pepper focaccia ingredients
All-purpose flour: unbleached all-purpose flour works great, but bread flour works fine too. Make sure to measure the flour correctly (see notes in the recipe card).
Yeast: I use instant yeast that can be added directly to the flour. Alternatively, Active dry yeast works fine, but it needs to be activated in water (follow the manufacturer’s directions).
Salt: fine salt is for the dough and the brine, while sprinkling some sea salt flakes on top add more texture and flavor.
Black pepper: freshly ground black pepper is amazing, it adds so much flavor and a pungent aroma without being overwhelming.
Extra virgin olive oil: it’s the best and adds plenty of flavor.
Don’t forget the brine!
Once the dough is done, we make the brine which is an emulsion of olive oil, water, and salt that we spread on the focaccia dough before baking. It looks a lot, but most of it will evaporate in the oven. Don’t skip it!
The brine makes a big difference: it keeps the black pepper focaccia super moist and flavorful, especially the holes you made with your fingertips.
How to serve black pepper focaccia?
Black pepper focaccia is SO GOOD as it is, but it also pairs with just about anything, seriously. Here some of my fav ideas!
- It’s amazing to make deli sandwiches: cut in half horizontally and filled with layers of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, lettuce, frittata... the possibilities are endless.
- Serve it with a fresh lettuce salad, a tomato carrot soup or a bean salad,
- It’s great for entertaining: cut into small cubed and serve it along with Italian appetizers such as sun dried tomato paste, marinated mozzarella, a simple olive oil dip, a fresh bruschetta dip or a flavourful white bean dip just to name a few!
How long does it keep?
It’s best when it’s freshly made, but it can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 day. It freezes very well: just defrost at room temperature, reheat in the oven (at 350F/175C) for a few minutes, and enjoy it warm, crisp and delicious.
More focaccia and pizza recipes to try?
If you love pizza and focaccia, I’m sure you’ll love this super easy pizza dough and these collections of 17 veggie pizza recipes or 25 YUMMY pizza toppings!
Here are a few of my favorites:
- Olive pizza
- Tomato focaccia
- Artichoke pizza
- Veggie pizza
- Greek pizza with feta cheese
- Pizza with gorgonzola
- Spinach Pizza with feta
- Focaccia with olives
- Pizza with eggplant
If you make this black pepper focaccia, or if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
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Black Pepper Focaccia
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon dry instant yeast (or Active dry yeast, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp (200 ml) lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
BRINE (double the quantities if you use a larger baking pan)
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) warm water
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Optional step to speed up the rise time: Preheat the oven to 200F°/90C° and turn it off. This helps to create a warm oven to speed up the proofing time. Feel free to skip this step, but allow extra 20 minutes until the dough doubles in size.
- Combine flour, salt, black pepper, yeast in a large bowl.
- Add water, olive oil, and mix with a spoon or a spatula to incorporate the flour (see notes). Mix until no dry flour remains, but lumps are totally fine.
- Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel, then let it rest in the warm oven for 40 minutes (or until the dough doubles in size)
- Grease a baking pan or line with parchment paper (for this recipe I use 9 inches/25 cm Ø pan). If you use a larger baking pan, make the brine accordingly.
- Scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula and pour the dough onto the baking pan.
- Dust with some flour (the dough is sticky and you need to dust it with flour a little bit) and press the dough out with your fingers to fit the pan.
- Place in the warm oven again for 20 minutes. No worries if the oven is less warm now, there's no need to preheat it again.
- Meanwhile make the brine by placing the olive oil, the water and the fine salt in a jam jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. (Note: if you use a larger baking pan, double the brine)
- Remove the baking tray from the oven, pour the brine all over the focaccia and poke dimples into the surface with your fingertips, you want to fill the holes with the brine. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Finish the focaccia with freshly ground black pepper and a generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes (optional, but I love them) and bake in the preheated oven until golden and crusty, it will take about 20-25 minutes.
- Let it cool for 10 before slicing and serving. I love brushing the focaccia with extra virgin olive oil when it's still hot, but that's optional. Enjoy!
