The recipe for homemade Soft Milk Focaccine, quick with dry or fresh brewer’s yeast. The milk focaccine are small soft focaccias, ideal to enjoy as a snack, perfect for our children, but also good to serve during a buffet or as a standing aperitif, together with Panini al latte and Pizzette al latte. These super-soft milk focaccine are great on their own and even better if stuffed with cold cuts and cheeses, so they are perfect for dinner or for a picnic or a day at the beach.

The soft milk focaccine like those from the bakery, but homemade, are very simple to make and can be kneaded by hand, with a food processor or with a stand mixer and the result will always be delicious. These focaccine, which my sister (who worked for many years at a supermarket) says look like “Esselunga’s focaccine“, are also my son Alessio’s favorites—he would eat them every day. Practically, the very soft milk focaccine are a go-to treat that sells out fast and since they can be frozen, you can make a good batch and use them as needed. Before baking, they can be topped with rosemary, cherry tomatoes, olives, bits of ham, salami and much more.

Ready to discover how to make super-soft milk focaccine? Let’s go to the kitchen, but first I remind you that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 3 Hours
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time: 15 Minutes
Portions: about 16
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make soft milk focaccine

3 1/3 cups type 0 flour (or Manitoba (strong flour))
1 1/4 cups milk (warm)
1 tsp active dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
to taste black pepper

Tools

Bowl
Baking sheet
Oven
Brush
Parchment paper
Round cutter
Rolling pin

How to make soft milk focaccine

To make the super-soft milk focaccine you can knead by hand as I did, but using a stand mixer will make everything easier; you can also use a Thermomix.
Pour the flour into a bowl, add a little warm milk and dissolve the yeast in it,
Stir, add the sugar and a little more milk, stir again, pour in the oil and finally the rest of the milk with the salt. Combine everything with a spoon, knead in the bowl for a few minutes, using your hand if you prefer, cover with a cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
After this time, turn everything out onto a floured work surface and work the dough until it gains structure and is no longer sticky. Do not use too much flour, just a dusting, otherwise the focaccine will become hard.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled; the time is indicative but it may take about 2 h 30 min. If it needs more time, wait for proper fermentation.
Turn the proofed dough out onto the work surface and, without deflating it too much, roll it out into a sheet just under 1 cm thick (about 3/8 in).
Cut the sheet into discs, knead the scraps and let them rise before rolling the dough out again. Place the discs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes so they can puff up again.
Prepare an emulsion by beating together with a fork water and oil, then add a good sprinkle of black pepper.
Take the focaccine, which should be nicely risen, brush each piece with the emulsion and use the tips of your fingers to make dimples.
Bake in a hot fan-assisted oven at 392°F for 15 minutes or until the desired golden color is reached.
The oil-and-milk focaccine are ready, they are good warm or at room temperature, can be filled and are also great on their own and keep for 2 days like any other bread if kept sealed in a plastic bag. If you wish, you can freeze them in appropriate bags and thaw them as needed to consume as you prefer.