the best (and easiest) focaccia ever

plus a spring farm update

It was a BIG week here at the farm… our first seeds + seedlings of the season are officially in the ground! Earlier this week, we seeded our carrots and sugar snap peas, and yesterday we got our first round of kale and swiss chard planted in our tunnels.

We have two caterpillar tunnels on the farm, which are passively heated by the sun and allow us to get a jump start on the season and plant spring greens early, before we would be able to plant them outside. In the next week or two, we’ll fill the other rows in the tunnels with radishes, turnips, lettuces, arugula, baby kale etc… and then in early March, we will plant a big round of spring veggies in our main outdoor growing areas. Our Spring CSA starts the first week in April (t-minus 6 weeks away), so the countdown is ON to get these veggies growing so that we have heaps of veggies to fill our CSA members’ boxes.

So ready or not, spring is officially kicking into gear, and I’m bringing y’all along for the ride!

In other news, I *know* I’m a bit late to the game, but I’ve recently hopped on the sourdough train, and I’m HOOKED. I’m still totally new to sourdough, so I’m definitely am not qualified to share my own sourdough recipe yet (I’ve been using this recipe/method) – BUT while I’ve got bread on the brain, today I’m sharing one of my most requested recipes… focaccia bread!

I make focaccia for all of my workshops and classes here at the farm, and it’s always a hit. BONUS - it’s incredibly easy to make, no kneading or complicated steps required (keep reading for the full recipe).

Let's be honest – focaccia bread is always a crowd pleaser. A good focaccia is nice and salty, with a crunchy exterior, pillowy soft interior, and is perfect for dipping in olive oil, slathering with butter, sopping up a succulent sauce, or slicing into slabs and making a seriously luxurious sandwich. 

The recipe I use is from a beloved (and now closed) Brooklyn based sandwich shop, Saltie, and I learned about it thanks to food writer Luisa Weiss, aka The Wednesday Chef. Though the dough does need 8-24 hours to slowly rise in the fridge, it comes together super easily and requires no kneading whatsoever.

In the recipe below, I’ve included some photos of what to look for when it comes to proofing the dough (ie, allowing it to rise and double in size). I find that the visual cues really help if it’s the first time you are making this bread!

See below for the full recipe, and you’ll also find a one-page PDF version for easy printing.

No-Knead Focaccia Bread