Air fryer focaccia recipe and tips

The air fryer - lord of the kitchen - has delivered the goods once again - in the shape of focaccia. This gorgeous doughy bread is relatively easy to make and it looks and tastes brilliant.

Michelle Southan

2 min read

January 2, 2024 - 12:00AM

We gotcha when it comes to your focaccia!

Making soft and chewy focaccia with a crispy, golden crust has never been easier, thanks to the trusty air fryer! With a cooking time of 15 mins, get ready to dunk the freshly baked bread into a soup, add batons to an antipasto platter or slice in half and use it as a delicious sandwich bread.

Load the focaccia up with toppings of your choice, such as colourful vegetables, herbs, feta, mozzarella, tasty cheese, caramelised onions, olives, and roasted veg- the topping options are endless!

How nice does this look?

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

185ml (3⁄4 cup) lukewarm water

3⁄4 tsp dry yeast

Pinch of caster sugar

225g (11⁄2 cups) plain flour

1⁄2 tsp table salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Assorted colourful vegetables and fresh herbs, to decorate

Sea salt flakes, to sprinkle

Method:

To make focaccia, place water, yeast and sugar in a jug. Stir until combined. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until frothy.

Combine the flour and table salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in yeast mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir for 2 minutes or until a sticky dough forms.

Line base of an air fryer basket with baking paper. Pile dough into centre of prepared basket. Cover top of the basket with a clean tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise.

To finish focaccia, drizzle the oil over dough. Use fingertips to spread out dough to fill basket, making sure dough is coated with oil. Cover basket with tea towel. Set aside for a further 30 minutes or until rises slightly.

Decorate dough with veg and herbs. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cook at 180°C in air fryer for 15 minutes or until golden. Cut into strips.

Here are our tips:

Tip 1: When mixing the wet ingredients for the focaccia dough, it’s important to wait until it’s frothy. This means the yeast is activated and ready to be mixed with the dry ingredients. If it doesn’t froth, the dough won’t rise.

Wait until the ingredients are frothy.

Tip 2: A wooden spoon is what you need to mix the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. This dough is very sticky, so you’ll struggle to mix it with your hands. The spoon is also handy for pushing the dough into the air fryer basket.

Use a wooden spoon to mix ingredients.

Tip 3: Make sure the baking paper lining the air fryer basket comes no more than about 2cm up the side of the basket. If it reaches near the top of the basket, there’s a risk it may catch on fire.

Use fingertips to create dimples in the dough.

Tip 4: When spreading dough in the air fryer basket, use fingertips to create dimples in the dough. This stops the dough rising too quickly, giving the focaccia its signature flatness. The dimples also allow oil to collect in little pockets.

Add tomatoes to the dough.

Tip 5: Decorate the dough with assorted veg and herbs. You can be creative, arranging the ingredients into focaccia art, or keep it simple (as pictured here).

Tip 6: Once you’ve decorated the dough, gently press down the ingredients so they stay in place while cooking. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes. Air fry until golden, being careful the bread and toppings don’t burn.