Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Focaccia

Focaccia is a rustic bread with a golden, crispy crust and soft, pillowy center. It derives from flat or slab-style bread baked on the hearth, before modern ovens were plentiful. Focaccia bread is meant to be shared. So gather ’round the hearth (or the kitchen island in our case) and enjoy slices of focaccia with dipping oil, good cheeses and a glass of wine.

The first secret to focaccia is to use a very wet dough (“high-hydration dough”), so the water to flour ratio is important. The wet dough produces the pillowy center you want for focaccia. The second secret is to “stretch and fold” the dough rather than knead it. A high-hydration dough is very difficult to knead without adding additional flour (which we don’t want to do because more flour will create a dense dough). So instead of kneading, we do three rounds of stretching and folding the dough. Check out this video for a step-by-step demonstration.

Looking to spice things up a bit? We like to add a few tablespoons of minced fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of flakey sea salt to the top of the bread just before baking. Hope you enjoy this one!

Focaccia

Ingredients

3 ½ cups (480 g) bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) Instant yeast
1 ⅔ cups (390 g) warm water (105 – 115℉)
2 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus about 5 Tablespoons more for pan and top of bread

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt and yeast. Measure out 1 ⅔ cup warm water (105 – 115℉) and add 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Add water and oil to dry ingredients and stir until fully combined. (Dough will be very wet and sticky.) Cover bowl with a clean dish towel, set in a warm spot, and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Remove dish towel and begin the “stretch and fold” process. Using wet hands to prevent sticking, pull one edge of the dough up and then fold it over towards center of dough. Turn bowl ¼ turn and repeat stretch and fold. Wet hands as needed to prevent sticking. Continue stretching and folding until you have turned the bowl 3 times around (about 12 total stretch and folds). Cover bowl with dish towel, set in a warm spot, and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and fold process a second time. Then cover bowl with dish towel, set in a warm spot, and let dough rest for another 20 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and fold process a third time. Then cover bowl with dish towel, set in a warm spot, and let dough rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Dough should be big and bubbly.

Drizzle 3 Tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Tilt pan to distribute oil. Gently turn risen dough into pan, using a rubber spatula to help release it from the sides of the bowl if needed. Lightly oil your hands and gently press and stretch the dough towards the edges of the pan. (Don’t force it. If it resists, let dough rest 10 to 15 minutes, then continue gently stretching until it fills most of the pan.) Cover pan with an inverted baking sheet and let rise 30 to 45 minutes until puffy and airy. Preheat oven to 425℉ while dough is rising (a fully preheated, hot oven will produce the best crust).

Drizzle 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Press lightly-oiled fingertips straight down into the dough to create deep dimples all over. Bake at 425℉ until bread is golden brown on top and crisp on the bottom. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then transfer to a wire rack and continue to cool until ready to serve.

Notes:

Focaccia is best enjoyed on the day it is made.
For short-term storage: Cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350℉ for 5-10 minutes to re-crisp crust.
For long-term storage: Cool completely. Slice into portions. Wrap tightly in plastic or foil and place in a freezer bag. Remove excess air from bag and seal. Freeze for up to 2 months.

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