Focaccia at the Bakery
Good focaccia in Belfast is harder to find than it should be. The stuff done properly, with a proper crust, an open, airy crumb and that unmistakable glossy finish that comes from generous olive oil. At Krumb Bakery on the Ormeau Road, we make ours from scratch every day, and we do not hold back on the oil.
Focaccia Belfast: How We Make Ours
Our focaccia starts with a high-hydration dough that is mixed, stretched and given the time it needs to develop flavour and that signature open texture. We dimple it generously before it goes in the oven, and we finish it with Honest Toil olive oil. That is not a detail we take lightly.
Honest Toil is a brilliant small producer making extra virgin olive oil in a part of the world that really knows what good olive oil is. It has the kind of depth and fruitiness that lifts a bake rather than just coating it. You can taste the difference, and it is exactly the kind of ingredient that belongs at Krumb.
The result is a focaccia with a golden, slightly crisp base, a soft and chewy interior, and a top that shines. Baked fresh daily in small batches, because that is the only way to do it properly.
Focaccia in the Kitchen: Our BLT
We use our focaccia as the base for our BLT, and it is genuinely one of the best things in our savoury cabinet. The bread does what good bread should: it holds everything together without taking over, and those dimples and that olive oil flavour work beautifully against the other ingredients.
It is a reminder that Italian bread like focaccia is not just a side dish. It is a proper ingredient in its own right, and when it is handmade and fresh it transforms whatever you put it with.
Come in Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. The BLT tends to go, so it is worth not leaving it too late in the day.
Why the Olive Oil Matters
We think a lot about the ingredients we use at Krumb, and Honest Toil olive oil is a good example of why. We champion local and independent producers across our menu wherever we can. Where we reach beyond Northern Ireland, we look for makers who share the same values: small scale, proper craft, quality you can taste.
Honest Toil fits that brief perfectly. When you drizzle it over focaccia dough before it goes into a hot oven, the oil crisps the top, soaks into the crumb and fills the kitchen with a smell that is hard to describe and easy to love. That is a little bakery magic right there.
A Loaf Worth Buying to Take Home
Our focaccia is available to take home as well as eat in. It keeps well and toasts beautifully the next morning. Tear it into pieces, dip it, or just eat it standing at the kitchen counter. No judgement.
We are also proud to stock a retail larder at Krumb, including Honest Toil olive oil itself, so you can take home the same oil that goes into your focaccia. That is the kind of joined-up thinking we love.
Questions We Get Asked
Is the focaccia available every day?
We bake focaccia as part of our daily bread selection, Wednesday to Sunday. We work in small batches so it is worth coming early, especially if you want a whole loaf to take home.
What olive oil do you use in your focaccia?
We use Honest Toil extra virgin olive oil. It is also available to buy in our retail larder if you want to take some home.
Does your BLT use the focaccia?
Yes. Our BLT is made on our own freshly baked focaccia. It is one of the best things on the savoury menu and a very good reason to visit before noon.
Order online: Focaccia and Honest Toil Olive Oil, plus more on click and collect.
More from the Krumb journal
Come and find us at 258 Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2FZ. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Click and collect is available online. Every last krumb is worth it.