Source: Big and Bubbly Focaccia.
For one 23 × 23 cm square pan.
- Hydration
- 78.9 %
- Salt
- 2.5 %
- Total flour
- 360 g
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient | Baker's percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 360g | Plain flour | 100 % |
| 9g | Salt | 2.5 % |
| 5g | Sugar | 1.4 % |
| 3g | Instant yeast | 0.8 % |
| 284g | Waterwarm, 32 to 43 °C | 78.9 % |
| 18g | Extra-virgin olive oil | 5 % |
| Amount | Ingredient | Baker's percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 26g | Extra-virgin olive oilhalf for the pan, half for the top | 7.2 % |
| Flaky sea saltfor the top |
Method
- Dough: weigh the flour. In a large bowl (a 3 l bowl with a lid works well), whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- Add the water and the olive oil. Stir with a spatula, bowl scraper, dough whisk, or your hands until the mixture is fully combined, with no dry patches or lumps. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 15 minutes.
- First bowl fold: with a wet hand, grab a section of dough from one side of the bowl, lift it up, and press it into the centre. Repeat with a new section each time until you have gone round the whole bowl, about 8 to 12 times. Then flip the dough over so that the smooth side is up. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
- Second bowl fold: repeat the fold (use a wet hand so that the dough does not stick). The dough should now feel smoother and tighter. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Third bowl fold: repeat. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Fourth bowl fold: repeat a last time. The dough should feel quite strong.
- Rise: cover the bowl and let the dough rise at a warm room temperature (21 to 25 °C) for 1 hour. It should nearly double and be very puffy, maybe with a few bubbles on the surface.
- Pan: spray the bottom and sides of a 23 × 23 cm square pan with oil. Cut a strip of baking paper 8 cm wide and about 40 cm long. Lay it across the centre of the pan, with a few centimetres of overhang on 2 sides. Press it into the pan and crease it where it meets the sides, so that it stays in place. (You use the tabs to lift the focaccia out later.)
- Spray the paper with oil. Add half of the pan oil and tilt the pan to spread it over the bottom.
- With a bowl scraper or a flexible spatula, gently move the risen dough to the centre of the pan. Use your hands as paddles to quickly but gently flip the dough over, so that it is coated in oil. Handle it as little as possible, so that it does not deflate.
- Second rise: cover the pan and let the dough rise at a warm room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours, until it is soft and jiggly like a marshmallow. It should nearly fill the corners of the pan and be very close to the top edge.
- Towards the end of the rise, heat the oven to 250 °C, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Dimple: lightly oil your fingers. Starting at one edge, press your fingertips into the dough until they touch the bottom of the pan. Work your way to the other edge, with the dimples about 4 cm apart. Dimple the whole dough without deflating it: decisive but gentle. Add more dimples with one finger in any large untouched areas.
- Top: drizzle the rest of the oil over the dough; it is fine if it pools in some dimples. Sprinkle evenly with flaky salt.
- Bake: on the lower rack for 15 to 18 minutes, until brown on the highest spots and golden in the hollows. If necessary, move the pan to the top rack and grill for the last 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully, to get the colour you want.
- Take the focaccia out of the oven. Lift it out of the pan with the paper tabs and put it on a wire rack or a cutting board. Remove the paper strip.
- Turn off the oven and put the focaccia back in, directly on the lower rack, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sides are golden brown and crisp. Then let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Focaccia is best on the day you make it.
- To store leftovers, wrap the focaccia loosely in foil and keep it at room temperature. Reheat before serving.
- For the flaky salt: about 1 generously rounded tsp of Cyprus flake salt, or ½ tsp of Maldon.