Iced Lemon Focaccia
MAKES
one 9 inch / 23 cm square loaf
TAKES
Prep time: 14 hours 5 minutes (includes rise times)
Cook time: 30 minutes (depending on size)
Total: 14 hours 35 minutes (includes rise times)
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
These sweet, zesty focaccia is packed with lemon flavor. Think of it like your favorite lemon loaf or bundt cake - but immensely light and fluffy. Finished with a lemony powdered sugar glaze, it’s incredibly fragrant, and even more delicious.
INGREDIENTS
Focaccia
99 g / ½ cup granulated sugar
zest of 2 lemons
360 g / 3 cups bread flour (see Note)
8 g / 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
6 g / 1 ¾ teaspoons instant dry yeast
288 g / 1 ¼ cups warm water (around 110°F / 45°C)
60 g / ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
45 g / 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
14 g / 2 teaspoons honey
Finishing
85 g / ¾ cup powdered sugar
15 g / 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
15 g / 1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed
Make This Recipe With Me:
METHOD
1. In a small bowl, rub the sugar and lemons together with your fingers until well combined - the sugar should become yellow.
2. Twelve to 48 hours before you want to bake the focaccia, make the dough: In a large bowl, stir the flour, lemon sugar, salt, and yeast together. Add the water, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey and mix until thoroughly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Cover the bowl and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Use a dough scraper or damp hands to gently reach under the dough, folding the bottom portion of it over onto the top. Repeat this process, 4-5 times, working your way around the bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 48 hours.
4. When ready to make the focaccia, bring the dough to room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Grease a 9 x 9 inch / 23 x 23 cm pan generously with olive oil. Add the dough to the pan and gently turn it over so both sides are lightly oiled. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it nearly doubles in size and almost fills the pan, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Use your fingertips to gently stipple the dough - this will even out the thickness of the dough, spread it out over the base of the pan, and add texture to the surface. Cover and let rest while you preheat the oven.
7. Preheat the oven to 450°F / 235°C with an oven rack in the center.
8. Drizzle olive oil generously over the surface of the dough - it will pool in the dimples. Transfer to the oven and bake until the focaccia is deeply browned, 25-30 minutes.
9. Cool the focaccia in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.
10. Make the icing: in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk to combine. It should make a drizzle-able icing. If needed, add more milk until you achieve the right texture.
11. Drizzle the icing over the focaccia. Serve immediately (the icing will be gooey), or let it rest until it sets up completely.
NOTE:
I prefer to use bread flour in my focaccia, however - this recipe is flexible enough that you can use all purpose flour if it’s all you have on hand, and it will still work!
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
