I love these homemade Focaccia Buns because they are moist and soft, are great sandwich makers with cheeses, cream cheese and salami slices. Or, how about peanut butter on a plain Focaccia bun? Or even with a burger!
With no need to knead this bread dough, it’s easy to make. I like the fact that I can make the starter the night before and, in the morning, get the dough formed and baked into the cute little dimpled Focaccia Buns in time for lunch. Or dip them in flavor infused extra virgin olive oil as an afternoon snack.
The next morning, the unseasoned buns are delicious split, toasted and spread with your favorite jam or jelly…even with a generous spread of peanut butter and sliced bananas. Plus, they're delicious toasted with a little of butter on them. They are so versatile!
This recipe yields 9-12 buns, depending on how large you make them.
If you’re looking for a larger batch, just double it to yield a couple dozen.
Prep your baking pan:
I use a low rimmed 12”x 17” pan with a parchment paper liner. Sprinkle the parchment paper liberally with extra virgin olive oil.
Preheat your oven:
A few minutes before you’re ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
Gather up the Starter Ingredients:
2 C Flour
½ C Water, warm (not hot)
¼ t Yeast, reg or instant
1 T Honey (or real Maple syrup)
Gather up the rest of the dough Ingredients:
1 ¾ C Flour
½ C Water
1 t Salt
2 T Extra virgin olive oil
Herbs, spices for topping (optional)
Make the Starter:
NOTE: I like to make the starter the night before. It needs to sit at room temperature for about 12 hours and can sit for up to 18 hours at room temperature.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, water, yeast and honey.
Stir well with a spatula so there are no lumps.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, at least for 12 hours at room temperature.
Make and bake:
-To the starter, add the flour, water, salt and extra virgin olive oil.
-If you want to add flavoring to the dough itself, now is the time to add about a teaspoon of herbs or spices. I like an Italian seasoning mix or a mixture of oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary. A total of one teaspoon is plenty to add and mix in thoroughly. NOTE: If you just want a few of them seasoned and the others left as plain buns, split the dough in half and season half of the dough, leaving the other half plain.
-Cover and let set for 30 minutes at room temperature.
-Mix the dough, pulling, stretching and folding it over in the bowl a few times every 20 minutes. Do this process 3 times (every 15 minutes), over a 45-minute period. There is no need to pour the dough out of the bowl to knead it. If you feel the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time as you pull and stretch it, so it’s not so sticky.
-After you have the completed the pulling and stretching of the dough 3 times over a period of 45 minutes, cover the bowl again and let it rest for 1 ½ hours at room temperature.
-Divide the dough into 9-12 fairly uniform balls, depending on how large you like them.
-Press them flat onto the parchment paper lined baking pan, leaving them in circles or forming them into rectangles.
-Let the focaccia buns rest for 45 minutes. If you go up to 60 minutes, that’s fine, too.
-Wet your fingers with some of the extra virgin olive oil from the parchment paper lined pan and punch dimples into the buns. I figure about 8-10 dimple per bun, allowing some of the olive oil to drip onto the top of the buns.
-Now is the time to sprinkle herbs on top if you want more flavors. It’s also an easy to make an assortment of flavored buns. I sprinkle a couple with onion powder, a couple with garlic powder and others with various Italian dried seasonings.
-If you like green or black olives baked on top of the buns, this is the time to slice some and press them into some of the dimples.
-Bake at 425F degrees for 15-18 minutes. I check them at the 10-minute mark and rotate my pan (since my oven tends to bake unevenly).
-Bake until golden brown, take them out of the oven and allow them to rest on the hot pan for another 5 minutes. This allows them to continue baking a little.
-Cool completely on a rack.
-Slice and enjoy with meat and cheese as a sandwich or just a bit of butter or cream cheese. They are also delicious split and toasted. Try them with a multitude of sandwich or pizza fixings – the sky is the limit!
Storage:
-I keep them in a sealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to 4 days.
-I have also frozen them in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks. Thaw for an hour or overnight before opening the container.
These focaccia buns are a special treat. I love them fresh and warm with butter. Or, next day as a sandwich to take to work or lunch at home. I love them with Italian seasonings and cheese. Pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up the bun and cheese – YUM! However you deal with your Focaccia Buns, “Bake your own Memories”
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