Get your hands on this recipe for a quick Italian bread with fresh rosemary and a creamy-crunchy pair of toppings.
This focaccia is seriously delicious. The texture is exactly how I like my focaccia to be: dense and chewy, yet soft and tender. However, the toppings are what really make this bread special. The focaccia is creamy, tangy and decadent from the goat cheese, salty and crunchy from the pistachios, and earthy and well balanced from the rosemary. Overall, this bread is hearty and spectacularly scrumptious. 
As if all that wasn’t enough jazz, the bread is made even better because it is a no knead bread. Yes, you heard me right. No kneading necessary. Simply stir the focaccia ingredients together in a large bowl, walk away and let it do its yeasty thing.
Also, this focaccia is customizable. Don’t fancy goat cheese (because you must be nuts)? Swap it out for parmesan or Asiago. Pistachios not really your thing? Try cashews or walnuts. Don’t care for Rosemary? Switch it out for thyme or dill. Or, you could get really crazy and nix those ingredients all together. Instead, opt for sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, red onions, roasted red pepper… or you could keep it seriously simple with just sea salt and some balsamic. The world is your oyster and this focaccia is your blank canvas.
Step by Step to Making Goat Cheese Focaccia with Pistachios
- Yeast Preparation: Warm ¼ cup water to 105-110°F. Add yeast and sugar, stir, and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes.
- Dough Mixing: In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and remaining water. Add the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 8-24 hours.
- Forming Dough: Flour the surface and your hands. Form the dough into a ball. Place in a cast iron skillet, coated with 1 TBS oil, seam side down. Cover and let stand for 2 hours.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 525°F with the rack in the middle position.
- Prepare for Baking: Press the dough to make indentations and ensure it fills the skillet. Sprinkle with goat cheese, pistachios, rosemary, and sea salt. Drizzle with 2 TBS oil.
- Baking: Bake until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about 16-24 minutes.
- Cooling: Let the bread rest in the skillet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to cool for 5 more minutes before serving.
No-Knead Goat Cheese Focaccia with Pistachios
- Total Time: 54 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Get your hands on this recipe for a quick Italian bread with fresh rosemary and a creamy-crunchy pair of toppings.
Ingredients
- 17.5 ounces Bread Flour (about 3 1/4 cup + 2 TBS)
- 3/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 3/4 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 ounce Kosher Salt (about 1 TBS + 1 tsp)
- 11.5 ounces Water – divided (about 1 1/2 cups – 1 TBS)
- 1/4 cup + 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil – divided
- 4 ounces Goat Cheese – crumbled
- Heaping ? cup Roasted Pistachios – shelled and roughly chopped
- 1 TBS Fresh Rosemary Leaves – finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Yeast Preparation: Warm ¼ cup water to 105-110°F. Add yeast and sugar, stir, and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes.
- Dough Mixing: In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and remaining water. Add the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 8-24 hours.
- Forming Dough: Flour the surface and your hands. Form the dough into a ball. Place in a cast iron skillet, coated with 1 TBS oil, seam side down. Cover and let stand for 2 hours.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 525°F with the rack in the middle position.
- Prepare for Baking: Press the dough to make indentations and ensure it fills the skillet. Sprinkle with goat cheese, pistachios, rosemary, and sea salt. Drizzle with 2 TBS oil.
- Baking: Bake until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about 16-24 minutes.
- Cooling: Let the bread rest in the skillet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to cool for 5 more minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the water temperature is correct for yeast activation.
- The dough should significantly rise during the initial resting period.
- Be gentle when forming the dough to maintain its airiness.
- The skillet size is crucial for the shape and thickness of the focaccia.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat as needed.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 24 mins
- Category: Baking, Bread, Pane
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Excellent dough, though I would cut down the pistachios by half.
Not a bad idea Brushjl! Glad you liked it!
That is a typo. It should read 11.5 ounces of water, which will equate to 1 1/2 cups minus one tablespoon. Sorry about that, thank you for pointing it out! Cheers!
THE AMOUNT OF WATER STATED MAY CAUSE SOME FOLKS CONFUSION. 1.5 OUNCES OF WATER WILL NOT EQUATE TO 1 1/2 CUPS – 1 Tbsp. Clarification please.
Looks so good. Thanks for posting.