Black Pepper Focaccia (Panera Bread Copycat)
If you are a Panera Bread fanatic, then you have probably tried their black pepper focaccia. This Panera copycat black pepper focaccia recipe comes close to the bakery version, from the comfort of your own home with minimal effort.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 359kcal
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoon Active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon Granulates sugar
- 1 ¾ cups Water
- 4 cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Black pepper coarsely ground, freshly cracked
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated, optional
- Flakey sea salt to top
- ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil to top
Instructions
- Add the water, dry yeast, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has started to bubble and foam at the surface of the water.3 teaspoon Active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon Granulates sugar, 1 ¾ cups Water
- While the yeast is blooming, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.4 cups All purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Granulated garlic, 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Add the olive oil to the bloomed yeast mixture, and top with the dry ingredients.½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dough on level 2 speed until the dough is roughly combined. Increase the mixer speed to level 3 and continue to knead the dough until the dough has formed into a smooth ball and comes off of the side of the bowl. This should take 3-5 minutes.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bread dough ball in the mixing bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Place the bowl in a warm draft-free area to let the dough rise, for 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down with your fist. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and stretch the dough out on a quarter sheet pan, greased with half the remaining olive oil. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and place back in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours again.½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the risen dough, and pour the rest of the olive oil on the top of dough. Using the tips of your fingers, lightly indent the dough and press dimples into the top. Top with cracked pepper, flakey coarse sea salt, and parmesan cheese.1 ½ teaspoon Black pepper, Flakey sea salt, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes with the rack in the center of the oven, until the focaccia is a deep golden brown color all around.
- Remove the baked focaccia from the baking pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Notes
- Use lukewarm water: Yeast blooms best in a lukewarm environment. Avoid using very cold, or very hot water, as it can kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising.
- Extra moisture is good: If you find that the dough has extra moisture that is completely fine. Focaccia dough typically has a higher hydration content (a wet dough), which gives you those beautiful air pockets.
- Do not go light on oil: One of the unique things about focaccia is the oily, crispy exterior. You need to oil both the bottom of the pan and the top of the dough for the best results.
- Help to rise dough: A great way to help dough rise is to keep the bowl or sheet tray in the oven, with the oven light on. This creates a warm environment for the dough to rise nicely.
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 634mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
