The walnut focaccia is a truly special leavened bread. I love kneading and making pizzas and focaccias at home, and I always try to provide you with a simple and quick “no-knead” recipe that you can mix by hand or even with a fork, perfect for those who don’t have a stand mixer. Today it’s the turn of this wonder, a delightful, soft and tender focaccia with walnuts both in the dough and on top, delicious on its own and perfect for filling, you make it in just a few minutes without even getting your hands dirty, and I’m sure it will become one of your favorite pizzas/focaccias. It’s also among my brother Andrea’s favorite recipes, and he’s quite critical, so that says it all 😀
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12-inch square baking pan
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps water
- to taste salt
Steps
The walnut focaccia is very simple and quick to prepare. First, put the flour in a bowl, add the yeast and sugar dissolved in a little bit of water taken from the total, the remaining water, the extra virgin olive oil, and mix with a fork. Don’t worry if the dough won’t be perfectly smooth; it should be rustic.
Add the chopped walnuts, salt, and mix everything together, still using the fork. Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Then, do a round of quick folds, mixing the dough again with the fork.
Cover the bowl and do two more rounds of folds, each 20 minutes apart, for a total of 3 rounds of folds every 20 minutes. After the last round of folds, let the dough rise for an hour.
Then transfer the dough to a slightly oiled baking pan, quickly spread it out with the fork, and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
At this point, top the focaccia with the emulsion made by mixing water and oil, the chopped walnuts, a pinch of salt, and spread the walnut focaccia using your fingers this time.
Bake the walnut focaccia in a preheated oven at 428°F for 25/30 minutes, until well-golden.
Tips:
The walnut focaccia can be stored at room temperature for 4/5 days; keep it in an airtight bag to maintain its softness and fragrance. If you have dry yeast, use 1/2 tsp.
Other focaccia recipes HERE
