Butter Focaccia (Croissant Focaccia)

Butter croissant focaccia slices on a board.

5 from 2 votes

Don’t let the name confuse you, this Butter Focaccia is still a focaccia but made with a rough puff technique that gives you a delicious, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside bread. This recipe uses my no-knead overnight focaccia recipe base. Cold butter is added to the flour before mixing in the yeast and water.

I like to think of it as a croissant-focaccia hybrid of sorts. A croccia? A focissant? Whatever you wish to call it, I promise that you will love it.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Rise time18

Total Time18 40

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: Servings

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Equipment

9x13 Baking pan or large rimmed baking sheet - Affiliate link
Kitchen Scale - Affiliate Link

Ingredients

For the Dough

4 cups All-purpose flour - 520 grams - Bread flour can also be used
½ cup Cold salted butter (grated) - 1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams, see note
2 tsp Instant yeast - 7 grams
1 tsp Kosher salt - 5 grams
2 cups Cold water - 473 grams
1-2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil - For lightly drizzling the top of the dough

For Baking and Garnish

1 tsp Butter - For greasing the pan
1-2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil - for greasing the pan
2 tbsp Butter (Melted)
Flaky salt

Instructions

Mix in butter. To a large bowl, add 4 cups All-purpose flour and ½ cup Cold salted butter (grated). Using a fork or your hands, stir well. You are looking for a crumbly texture (the butter should be distributed throughout the flour).
Mix in yeast, salt and water. Add 2 tsp Instant yeast, 1 tsp Kosher salt and 2 cups Cold water. Mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is hydrated. The mix should be shaggy and there should be no dry flour streaks.
Rise. Drizzle 1-2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil over the top of the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting cover and refrigerate overnight for at least 18 hours.
Deflate and shape. 2 hours before you want to bake the focaccia, take the bowl out of the fridge and uncover it. Using your hands or a dough scraper deflate the dough slightly and transfer the dough to a generously buttered and oiled baking tray (9x13) or sheet pan. Shape it loosely by grabbing each end and folding it over like you would a letter. Flip the dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Cover the tray with a towel and set aside for 1.5-2 hours.
Dimple. Preheat your oven to 450F/230C. The dough should now have spread covering the surface of the baking tray. If not, you can help it stretch to the edges by carefully easing it to the corners. Drizzle 2 tbsp Butter (Melted) over the dough and start dimpling with your fingers, covering the entire surface. This creates valleys and mountains in the dough and you should also see air bubbles forming. Add a big pinch of Flaky salt.
Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. Every oven is different, so your focaccia may need more time. Let the focaccia cool for 30 minutes before cutting into it.

Notes

See the blog post above for a detailed step-by-step with photos.

Some important tips:

Don’t Hurry the process. Allow the dough to rise in the fridge for at least 18 hours and you’ll need 2-3 hours for the second rise. The timing will depend on the temperature in your kitchen and how active the dough is. That being said, plan ahead!
This recipe uses Instant yeast. But if you only have active dry yeast, you can bloom it in lukewarm water for 5 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients.
Use really cold butter! Cold butter will be easier to grate before adding to the flour. Freeze your stick of butter for 15 minutes before grating it.
Use salted butter. If you can, use salted butter. If you only have unsalted, add an extra teaspoon of kosher salt to the mix.

Check out my other Focaccia recipes:

Nutrition