Individual muffin-tin focaccia
Mini Focaccia (Muffin-Tin Individual Focaccias)
A small batch of individual focaccias baked in a muffin tin — puffy, oil-crisped little rounds that portion themselves, bake fast and even, and make a gentle first bake for beginners.
- Total
- 3.5 hr
- Hands-on
- 20 min
- Hydration
- 75%
- Skill
- beginner
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-11 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Make a small 75% hydration focaccia dough, ferment and proof it, then divide it between 12 well-oiled muffin-tin wells, dimple, oil and salt each, and bake at 220°C/430°F for 15–18 minutes until golden. The muffin tin portions the dough and crisps every side.
Why this works
Small individual focaccias have far more crust-to-crumb surface than one big slab, so each roll turns out extra crisp; the muffin-tin wells act as little pans that fry the sides in oil and support the soft, wet dough as it bakes. Because each portion is small, it bakes through quickly and evenly, which makes timing forgiving — ideal for a first focaccia where a full pan can under-bake in the middle.
The schedule
~28m hands-on of 3.4h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 28m
- Bulk ferment · 1.8h
- Proof · 45m
- Bake · 16m
- Cool · 10m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Mix the dough
Whisk the flour and yeast, add the water and the 17 g dough oil, then the salt. Mix to a wet, shaggy dough with no dry flour.
Look for: Sticky and loose, clinging to the bowl — a soft, wet dough.
- 2
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 2 stretch-and-folds in the first hour, then let the dough rest until puffy and nearly doubled.
Look for: Domed, bubbly and airy, close to doubled.
- 3
Oil the tin and divide
Spoon about 1 tsp oil into each muffin well and brush it up the sides. With oiled hands or a scraper, divide the dough into 12 rough pieces (about 60 g each) and drop one into each well.
Look for: Each blob half-fills its well and sits in a little pool of oil.
- 4
Proof
Cover loosely and let the mini doughs proof until puffy and risen to fill the wells.
Look for: Each round has grown soft and pillowy, filling most of its well.
- 5
Dimple, top and bake
Oil a fingertip and press one or two dimples into each round, drizzle with a little more oil, add flaky salt and any small topping, then bake at 220°C/430°F for 15–18 minutes until golden.
Look for: Puffed, deep-gold little rounds with crisp, oil-fried sides pulling from the tin.
- 6
Cool and release
Cool in the tin a couple of minutes, then run a small offset spatula around each and lift out onto a rack.
Look for: They release cleanly from the oiled wells; the bases are crisp and golden.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Soft and open inside, with a high crust-to-crumb ratio.
- Crust: Crisp, oil-fried sides and base — crunchier all over than a big pan focaccia.
- Height: Small domed rounds about 4–5 cm across.
- Color: Even deep gold, with slightly darker, crisp edges.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Mini focaccias stick in the tin | Not enough oil in the wells | Brush each well generously up the sides; a scant teaspoon of oil per well fries and releases them. |
| Dry, over-baked rounds | Small portions bake fast and were left too long | Start checking at 14–15 minutes; they finish quicker than a full pan. |
| Dense little rounds | Under-proofed after dividing | Let them proof until they visibly puff and fill the wells before baking. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best the day they are baked; keep loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days.
Freezing: Freeze cooled rounds in a bag up to 1 month — their small size thaws and refreshes quickly.
Reheating: Refresh in a 190°C/375°F oven for 4–5 minutes.
Contains wheat/gluten. Naturally vegan as written.
Tools & ingredients for this focaccia
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Core pantry
- Bread flour (opens Amazon) ↗ — High-protein bread flour or Italian “00” both work.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (opens Amazon) ↗ — Use a good EVOO you like the taste of.
- Fine sea salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fine sea salt for the dough.
- Instant yeast (opens Amazon) ↗ — Instant (or active dry) yeast keeps for months.
- Flaky finishing salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — For the crunchy finish.
- Olives (opens Amazon) ↗ — Jarred brined olives; Taggiasca are traditional.
You don’t need to buy everything here — many items are already in most kitchens. Fresh produce, cheese and herbs are best bought local and in season.
Frequently asked
- Why bake focaccia in a muffin tin?
- Individual wells portion the dough automatically, bake fast and evenly, and give each mini focaccia crisp, oil-fried sides — a forgiving format that avoids the under-baked middle a big pan can have, which makes it great for beginners.
- How much dough goes in each well?
- About 60 g per standard muffin well from this batch of roughly 744 g of dough divided into 12. They should half-fill each well before proofing.
Keep baking
In these collections
Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/mini-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.