Meyer Lemon Focaccia
You can make this. I promise! It's a golden crusted focaccia draped with whisper thin rounds of Meyer lemon, studded with black olives, and a showered with sliced almonds. It's the one focaccia recipe you need.
You can make this. I promise. Even if you don't think you're much of a baker. It's a golden crusted focaccia draped with whisper thin rounds of Meyer lemon, studded with black olives, and a showered with sliced almonds. The dough is herb-flecked with a generous boost of hemp seeds, and a percentage of rye flour if you happen to have some on hand. It's the same one I posted to my Instagram feed, and It's the one focaccia recipe you need!
The Pre-bake:
The shot above is what the focaccia looks like prior to baking. I used an enameled cast-iron baking pan, but(!) you can absolutely make the focaccia free-form (just shape it on a standard baking sheet). A third option is a cast iron skillet. I baked the last version I did in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Experiment and have fun with it!
Focaccia Inspiration
I've been on a bit of a focaccia bender lately after making Nigel Slater's Cranberry Focaccia for New Years Eve (from The Christmas Chronicles). I forgot how simple and satisfying it is to make, and all the different ways you can top it based on what you have around the kitchen. You can adapt the recipe with all sorts of alternate toppings! Have fun experimenting.
Choosing the Correct Yeast:
This recipe calls for instant yeast, and I'm including a shot of the exact yeast I used for reference below. You can add it directly to the dough. Different than active dry yeast.
If you’re ready to give your oven a workout, here’s where you can browse all the baking recipes. This braided onion bread is a beauty, and you likely have most of the ingredients for this Easy Little Bread. Don’t miss this black bread, or the Big Sur Bakery Hide Bread. And this oatmeal bread is so good, with lots of opportunity for variations. Have fun baking!
And, if you make this, or a riff on it, tag me on Instagram (heidijswanson) so I can see :)!
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Meyer Lemon Focaccia
You basically want 500g of flour here, and you can play around with different flour blends. Here I use strong white bread flour, with a boost of (sprouted) rye flour, plus a good dose of chopped herbs and hemp seeds. I like this ratio - it results in a focaccia that is hearty without being heavy.
- 400 g / 3 cups strong white bread flour
- 100 g / 3/4 cup rye flour
- 1 packet fast-acting instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds, (optional)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
- 1 1/2 cups / 350 ml warm water (~120F)
- 2 Meyer lemons, sliced razor thin
- 15 black olives, pitted and halved
- 1/4 cup slices almonds
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Combine the flours, yeast, salt, olive oil, garlic, hemp seeds, and half of the rosemary and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water, and mix until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a work surface and knead for five minutes or so, until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Rub the dough with a bit of olive oil, and return to a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm cozy place until doubled - 45 minutes, to an hour-ish.
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Preheat your oven to 400F, rack in the middle.
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You can bake the focaccia in a (8x12 or larger) pan or free form on a baking sheet. Tip the dough into baking pan, and deflate with flat hands. Arrange the lemons, olives, and almonds on top, and cover with a tea towel again. Leave to rise for another 20-30 minutes, until the dough is nice and puffy. At this point, use your finger to press deep holes into the dough. Drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with any remaining rosemary and thyme, and bake for thirty minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for a bit before cutting and serving. Sprinkle with a bit more salt if needed.
Inspired by the Cranberry Focaccia recipe in Nigel Slater's The Christmas Chronicles. (4th Estate, 2017)
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We bought a box of Meyer lemons this year and this recipe is the best way of featuring that special purchase that we’ve found so far (salt-preserved lemons being the other winner). I’ve never made focaccia before, but this was so easy and came out beautifully. Only changes made were pantry-driven: I used regular all purpose flour (not strong flour), 1 1/4 packet of active yeast (I counted the 1/4 cup plus 1 T. of water used to activate the yeast toward the 1 1/2 cups of water in the recipe), and topped with alternating lemon and thinly sliced yellow squash slices. My 4-year old helped with the final steps and loved the sweet lemons in the final product. We will definitely be making this again!
Sounds great Christine! So glad you liked it. xx
I am super excited to make this, but I couldn't find instant yeast. Can I use active dry yeast??? what would the modification be? I got rye flour and bread flour (no strong available in Vermont/upstate NY). I <3 your site and have made some many delicious thinkg with your guidance!!!
Yes, you can try to adapt based on the instructions on your yeast packet (for activating the yeast)...
Hello from New Zealand, Heidi! I've been following 101 Cookbooks for about...15 years now? Since I was a student. Your recipes have always been a staple for me. I made this focaccia last night - turned out perfect, and was perfectly delicious. Extra points must be awarded as I already had everything I needed in the pantry, so I didn't even need to do a shop. Thanks for all your dedicated work - it's made all my cooking endeavours a lot easier!
Awww - thanks for the nice note Kelly! Thrilled you enjoyed it.
I didn’t know we could get strong white flour in the USA. I thought it was a British thing. Does it go by another name? I’ve never seen it in stores or online. I don’t ever get to shop at Rainbow. I wonder if that’s where you found it. Thanks for all your inspiring recipes.
I made this and everyone loved it. I used limoneira because I could not find only Meyer lemons. I will say the rind was very bitter so maybe next time I can add other vegetables like red onion , mushrooms, or any suggestions from you? Can the dough be made using the Kitchen Aid mixer? Thank you again.
HS: Sure Mahnaz, I just feel like it's easier to mix by hand versus cleaning the mixer ;)
I made this and ended up putting the hemp seeds on top. Should they be in the dough? It was so delicious--thanks for a great recipe. I love the flavor profile.
HS: Thanks Cyndi! Yes to mixing the hemp seeds into the dough, but you could always sprinkle more on top as well ;)
I made this gf with a combination of rice, buckwheat, tapioca- came out incredible!
What a coincidence! This week, I made a brown rice and wild rice dish that included roasted Meyer lemon slices, so I am very attracted to your recipe, with its amazing combo of flavors (olives, lemon, rosemary, thyme, garlic). One thing I will change, though: The roasted lemon slices in my rice dish turned out too strong — probably because of the white pith just under the lemon peel — so I plan to try your focaccia recipe using only the zest of the lemon and maybe add some orange zest, too. Thanks for always being such an amazing inspiration! -gloria
This is a beautiful looking focaccia! I am grain free so I will be using your toppings on a simple mills focaccia mix, but I am sure it will be awesome, such lovely toppings. Thanks..
Looks amazing! I have everything here at home to make it except for the instant yeast-any idea how to make this with active dried yeast instead? Maybe I’ll experiment and see how it goes....