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    Home » Pizza & Focaccia » Wholemeal Spelt Focaccia with olives and tomatoes

    Published: Jun 22, 2021 · Modified: Sep 13, 2021 by Nicoletta · 18 Comments

    Wholemeal Spelt Focaccia with olives and tomatoes

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    Jump to Recipe

    Wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes is a great alternative to regular focaccia. Wholesome and delicious, this focaccia is light, crispy on the edges, and soft inside. I topped it with sun dried black olives and roasted tomatoes. A lovely accompaniment to a meal or appetizer night.

    Song of the day: Squeeze Me - Diana Krall

    wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes-focaccia on a wood board

    I find making focaccia to be extremely rewarding. Even if between the start and the finish there is quite some time. Non active time, that is, mostly rising time, and you get to attend to other businesses while the dough works its magic.

    Wholemeal Spelt Focaccia - the preparation

    I usually use a stand mixer to make the dough, but it also works well in a food processor, or simply in a large bowl, following the same order below and then finishing kneading it on a lightly floured surface.

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the spelt flour, the crumbled fresh yeast or active dry yeast, and some of the water. Mix on low speed and when the dough starts to form, add the salt, the oil, and the remaining water. Mix on medium speed for at least 5-6 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and looks and feels smooth.
    • Place the dough into an oiled bowl, oil the top, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature, away from cool air.
    • After this time, place the dough on a work surface and with a knife or bench scraper divide it into 2.
    • Gently, shape them into 2 balls.
    • Then, place each into an oiled bowl, oil the top, and let rise for 2 more hours.
    • After that, grease two 9-inch round pans with oil.
    • Place one dough inside each pan, gently streatching it to the edges with your fingertips, creating little dimples on the top. Pay attention not to break the dough.
    • Drizzle more evo oil on top, add chopped sundried olives and roasted tomatoes.
    • Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F/250°C for about 15-18 minutes.

    And there you have it, a wonderful wholemeal spelt focaccia, with lovely pockets of tasty olives and tomatoes. I usually brush the top with evo oil, it gives a nice shine and an additional flavor.

    wholemeal-spelt-focaccia-with-olives-and-tomatoes-baked-focaccia-in-the-pan

    Variations

    I like my focaccia to be more crispy than soft so I make sure to make it fairly thin. A perfect example is the classic Italian Focaccia Genovese.

    If you like your focaccia to be tall and soft, you can use all the dough for a rectangular 9x13 inch pan. In this case, after the first two hours rise, stretch the dough in the pan, add the oil and toppings and let rise again for about 45 minutes before baking. Also, I often halve the recipe to make just one focaccia and bake it in an 8 or 9 inch round or square pan. Same as above, in the case of just one dough, I stretch the dough in the pan, add the oil and toppings and let rise for about 45 minutes before baking.

    wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes-cut focaccia stacked on a wood board

    Substitutions

    • Instead of wholemeal spelt flour you can use light spelt.
    • Also, the toppings are only a suggestion. You could use different olives, or omit; cherry tomatoes, or sundried tomatoes instead of roasted tomatoes. Or, you can simply sprinkle the top with herbs, evo oil, and coarse sea salt. Be creative in your kitchen.
    wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes-cut focaccia on a blackboard

    You are going to love this Wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes. There is this wonderful crisped edge and the crust has a lovely nuttiness to it, also very airy and soft inside. The big bang comes with the intense flavor of the tomatoes, olives and the olive oil. The crust offer the perfect bed for these ingredients. Whether an accompaniment, or as a snack or appetizer, this focaccia is a win win in my books!

    Enjoy!

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    wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes-feature-cut focaccia on a wood board

    Wholemeal Spelt Focaccia with olives and tomatoes


    ★★★★★

    5 from 10 reviews

    • Author: Nicoletta
    • Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
    • Yield: 2 x 9-inch focaccias 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    Wholemeal spelt focaccia with olives and tomatoes is a great alternative to a regular focaccia. Wholesome and delicious, this focaccia is light, crispy on the edges, and soft inside. I topped it with sun dried black olives and roasted tomatoes. Lovely accompaniment to a meal or appetizer night.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 500 g wholegrain spelt flour (you can use light spelt if you wish)
    • 6 g fresh yeast, or 2 g active dry yeast
    • 300 g lukewarm water
    • 50 g evo oil
    • 10 g salt

    For the topping:

    • evo oil
    • sundried olives
    • roasted tomatoes

    Instructions

    1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the spelt flour, the crumbled fresh yeast or active dry yeast, and some of the water. 
    2. Mix on low speed and when the dough starts to form, add the salt, the oil, and the remaining water. Mix on medium speed for at least 5-6 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and looks and feels smooth.
    3. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, oil the top, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature, away from cool air.
    4. After this time, place the dough on a work surface and with a knife or bench scraper divide it into 2. Gently, shape them into 2 balls, then, place each into an oiled bowl, oil the top, and let rise for 2 more hours.
    5. After that, grease two 9-inch round pans with oil and place one dough inside each pan, streatching it to the edges with your fingertips, creating little dimples. Drizzle more evo oil on top, add chopped sundried olives and roasted tomatoes.
    6. Bake both together in the preheated oven at 425°F/250°C for about 15-18 minutes.
    7. Take both focaccias out of the oven, let cool slightly. I usually brush the top with evo oil, it gives a nice shine and an additional flavor.
    8. Unmold, place on a wood board, and cut into slices.

    Notes

    You can succesfully halve the recipe and make only 1 focaccia, round or square.

    If you want, you can use the whole dough to make a bigger focaccia using a rectangular pan.

    The toppings are only a suggestion, although very tasty. You could use different olives, or omit; cherry tomatoes, or sundried tomatoes instead of roasted tomatoes. Or, you can simply sprinkle the top with herbs, evo oil, and coarse sea salt. Be creative in your kitchen.

    • Prep Time: 4 hours
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Category: Pizza & Focaccia
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Keywords: focaccia, spelt flour, olives, tomatoes, healthy, vegan, italian, delicious, bread

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @sugarlovespices on Instagram and hashtag it #sugarlovespices

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    Loreto

    When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment. Dig deeper →

    Nicoletta

    I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul. Dig deeper →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ramya says

      June 28, 2021 at 8:25 am

      sorry just saw this now will be making this on thursday or friday after work can i make this one day advance let me know as i have busy schedule at work everyday in Singapore i love focaccia and italian food sooooooooooooo much perfect for my office and home snacks with nandos lemon herb sauce will dm you guys if i make this and let you guys know how it goes Thanks Ramya

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        June 29, 2021 at 5:20 pm

        Thank you, Ramya! Focaccia is a great snack!

        Reply
    2. Gloria says

      September 13, 2021 at 8:35 am

      OMG homemade bread is the best. Finding really good gluten-free bread is not easy. This will be a hit for sure.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 13, 2021 at 11:05 am

        Thanks, Gloria! Unfortunately spelt is not gluten free but it is tolerated to those who have just a mild intolerance to gluten. It is a delicious focaccia nonetheless, though 😉 !

        Reply
    3. Bernice says

      September 13, 2021 at 10:53 am

      Yummo! It looks like I'll have to go buy some spelt flour as you have so many delicious recipes featuring this unique flour. Have you ever let this do a longer ferment in the fridge overnight?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 13, 2021 at 11:06 am

        You're so right, Bernice, I have so many spelt flour recipes on the blog 😉 . I love it a lot! No, I haven't, but I am assuming it would work just fine. Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Kayla DiMaggio says

      September 15, 2021 at 11:08 am

      I have never worked with spelt before but this was so easy and delicious! I am so excited to make this again to share with others!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 17, 2021 at 8:16 am

        Thank you! I love spelt flour! Hope I inspired you to use it more, it's a great flour for baking!

        Reply
    5. Tristin says

      September 16, 2021 at 8:46 am

      Those sun dried olive and roasted tomatoes are calling my name! Excited to try this wholemeal spelt focaccia.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 17, 2021 at 8:16 am

        Thanks! They add such a salty umami flavor to the focaccia!

        Reply
    6. Liz says

      September 16, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      Homemade bread is the best! This recipe sounds delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 17, 2021 at 8:17 am

        Thank you! Yes, it's so rewarding to make bread and focaccia at home!

        Reply
    7. Veronika says

      September 17, 2021 at 7:54 am

      There is nothing better than the aroma of a homemade bread! Love the flavor combination and going to make it this weekend!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        September 17, 2021 at 8:17 am

        Thanks! Yes, the aroma that emanates from the kitchen while making bread and focaccia is wonderful! Enjoy!

        Reply
    8. Veronika Sykorova says

      September 18, 2021 at 9:53 am

      Oh my that looks amazing! I haven't come across spelt focaccia yet so, they all just have white flour. I'm excited to make this one!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. Amy Nash says

      September 18, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      Not only is this a delicious tasting bread, but it's beautiful as well! And it made my house smell so good while it was baking!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Sharon says

      September 18, 2021 at 5:43 pm

      This rustic focaccia is the perfect bread to go with a hearty stew or pasta dinner.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    11. Tammy says

      September 19, 2021 at 12:55 pm

      I have a bag of spelt in the pantry that I was thinking about but unsure what to make with it. Your foccacia looks wonderful! Cannot wait to give it a try.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Hi! We are Loreto and Nicoletta, the foodie duo behind Sugar Love Spices. We love creating in the kitchen using seasonal good quality ingredients that we believe are key to the success of every meal. Come with us as we share traditional Italian recipes and so much more. Having fun in the kitchen is very important to us, and want to share that light heartedness with you. Nicoletta will help you with the sweet things, and I Loreto like to spice things up. Dig deeper →

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