This Brown Butter and Sage Focaccia is one of the easiest types of bread you can make. It’s a no-knead recipe that only needs 15 minutes of prep! The added complexity and richness from the sage and brown butter elevate this simple yet amazing bread making it the perfect way to impress without much effort.
Focaccia is a type of flatbread and because of its light texture and crisp golden-brown crust, it deceptively seems labor-intensive. In actuality, it requires no kneading and when it comes to bread it can’t get much easier than that! This recipe makes baking bread approachable and simple, without sacrificing flavor and texture.
For this vegan brown butter and sage focaccia, you’ll need:
- Active dry yeast – This is what I always have on hand but you need to activate this type of yeast in warm water. If you want to skip that step, instant yeast also works. Just mix the instant yeast with the flour and salt before adding the water.
- Sugar – This is to help the yeast activate. I use cane sugar but agave also works.
- Water – Make sure you use lukewarm water, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and your bread won’t rise.
- All-purpose flour – Bread flour also works.
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Vegan butter – I prefer Miyoko’s because I love the flavor and it browns exceptionally. You can use any vegan butter for delicious bread, but the butter may not brown as well.
- Sage – Fresh is a must.
- Garlic – Although the garlic is a delicious addition, it’s not necessary so feel free to omit or sub for another herb if you’re not a garlic fan.
- Pepper
Notes:
How much should you work focaccia dough?
I suggest working this dough very minimally because doing too much will lead to denser focaccia. Minimal kneading actually gives this bread a better texture and makes the recipe super easy. To avoid overworking the dough, I recommend solely using a rubber spatula instead of your hands.
How long does focaccia dough need to rest?
You can do an overnight first proof (8-24 hours) in the refrigerator or a room temperature proof (3-4 hours). An overnight proof is ideal but both work exceptionally well and create amazing focaccia. After that, you’ll let the dough rest a second time at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, about 1-3 hours. The temperature of your space will determine how long you actually need to let it rest, go by size or do the overnight proof for the most control.
How can you avoid burning sage and garlic while baking this bread?
Letting the brown butter cool a bit before adding the garlic and sage is super important to avoid burning the sage while baking your bread.
How should you store this focaccia?
Store in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature or slice and freeze for up to one month. Focaccia goes stale quickly, so I recommend freezing it if you’re not going to eat it all in a day.
Vegan Brown Butter and Sage Focaccia
Ingredients
Focaccia:
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 c lukewarm water
- 4 c all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ⅛ c sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, activate your yeast. Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast and let sit until frothy (about 10 mins).
- Add flour and salt to a large bowl and mix. Then add the yeast mixture and combine with a rubber spatula until a soft dough is formed. The dough should be sticky but not wet!
- Coat the dough with the olive oil then cover the bowl with a tea towel or a lid. Let this sit in your fridge overnight or at room temperature for 3-4 hours for the first proof.
- After the first proof, grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with butter or a high-temperature oil.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dough inwards (scraping it away from the sides of the bowl) then dump the dough in the pan.
- Gently spread the dough out (it doesn’t need to fill out the entire pan at this point, the second proof will take care of that!) then cover with a tea towel and let proof for a second time. Let it rise for 1-3 hours or until the dough has either doubled in size or fills out the pan.
- While you wait for the second proof, make the brown butter sage sauce. First, melt the butter in a saucepan until it starts to bubble.
- Turn the heat to low and stir frequently to prevent burning until the color deepens (about 3-6 mins).
- Once the butter has browned, remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute.
- Mince the garlic cloves and julienne your sage then add to the butter.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- After the second proof, preheat the oven to 425 °F.
- Drizzle the brown butter sauce on top and then lightly dimple the dough by pressing your fingertips into the surface of the dough.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown.
- Let cool then remove from the pan. Cut into pieces and enjoy!