Focaccia Dough Calculator

Focaccia dough fundamentals:

Focaccia is an Italian flatbread known for its dimpled surface, generous olive oil, and airy crumb. It runs at a high hydration, 70 to 85%, with olive oil both in the dough and poured over the top. On the baker’s percentage calculator that puts it at the wet end, level with ciabatta and above most sourdough. A classic Ligurian pan focaccia sits near the bottom of that band; the very open Roman style is up at the top.

Baker’s percentages (standard focaccia):

All ingredients are expressed relative to flour weight:

Dough weight per pan size:

The one calculation that matters is how much dough goes in your pan. Focaccia finishes about 0.75 to 1.25 inches thick.

Dough weight (g) = pan area (sq inches) × density factor

Density factors:

• Thin focaccia (0.75"): about 8 g per square inch
• Standard focaccia (1.0"): about 11 g per square inch
• Thick focaccia (1.25"): about 14 g per square inch

Common pan sizes:

The shape dropdown below handles both. A rectangular pan is length × width. A round one is π × (diameter ÷ 2)², which is the same as diameter × diameter × 0.785, and that is why a 9-inch round is 64 square inches rather than 81. Measuring a round tin as if it were square asks for about 27% too much dough, which on a cast-iron pan is the difference between focaccia and a doorstop.

Worked example (half sheet pan, standard thickness):

Pan area: 13 × 18 = 234 in², so the target dough weight is 234 × 11 = 2,574 g.

Working backwards from baker’s percentages at 75% hydration, 6% oil, 2% salt, 1% yeast:

• Flour: 2,574 ÷ 1.84 = 1,399 g (1.84 = 1 + 0.75 + 0.06 + 0.02 + 0.01)
• Water: 1,399 × 0.75 = 1,049 g
• Olive oil: 1,399 × 0.06 = 84 g
• Salt: 1,399 × 0.02 = 28 g
• Instant yeast: 1,399 × 0.01 = 14 g

Fourteen grams of instant yeast looks like a lot, and it is: nearly five teaspoons. It is also a very big pan. If you are cold-fermenting overnight, cut the yeast to a quarter of that, about 3.5 g, and let time do the work instead.

Topping olive oil: Another 3 to 4 tablespoons, 45 to 60 mL, drizzled over the top before and after baking. That is what produces the golden, half-fried bottom and the pooled dimples.

Schedule:

• Mix: 10 minutes
• Bulk ferment: 1 to 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor
• Stretch into the pan and dimple
• Final proof: 30 to 45 minutes
• Bake: 425°F (220°C) for 20 to 25 minutes

Cold ferment option: After mixing, refrigerate the dough for 12 to 24 hours. It builds more complex flavor and, counterintuitively for a dough this wet, makes it much easier to handle. Bring it back to room temperature for an hour before shaping.