First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you for your patience last week! Poor sleep affects my mental health faster than anything else and I’m incredibly grateful I could take a few days to focus on rest. As promised, today I’m sharing the sourdough focaccia recipe I’ve been practicing all Summer.
As always, make sure your starter isn’t peckish when you use this recipe. Feed it at least three, but ideally four times over the course of 48 hours before you begin, with the last feed 3-4 hours before mixing. The key to good focaccia in my opion is a mindset: use more than you think is right. More olive oil, more toppings. Exactly how much is an extremely personal preference you will have to work out on your own (E uses so much oil his bread is basically fried!). On a related note: the thicker the focaccia, the harder it is to get a really hefty dose of oil and toppings in each bite. Hence, the sheet pan method.
If you’ve come here for precision, no you didn’t. Sourough isn’t that serious; there are many ways to “succeed” with it, especially focaccia which doesn’t need to hold a certain shape. It’s also largely about your own unique taste, so have fun exploring what you like or don’t like! For example, I like semolina in my focaccia. It creates a crispy bottom and interesting flavor.
For the dough:
90g fed starter
600g water
450g AP or bread flour (a mixture is good too!)
45g rye flour
245g fine semolina
50g olive oil
14g Morton’s kosher salt
extra oil for greasing the sheet pans
Special equiptment:
two half sheet pans
two rubber bands
For the top:
olive oil- start with 1/4 cup and see how you feel!
large toppings such as cubes of cheese, walnuts, fruit, vegetables
small toppings such as seeds, flaky salt, chopped herbs
Mix all the water into your starer a little bit at a time until no large clumps remain, then fold in the AP/bread flour and rye. Let sit 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in a standmixer with the dough hook for 5-7 minutes or by hand for 10-12. It’s not super important for it to pass a windowpane test— the next step combined with lots of time will build up gluten just fine. You just want it to look cohesive and a little glossy at this point.
Rest 30 minutes covered, then stretch and fold. Repeat twice, for a total of three stretch and folds. This is a pretty high hydration so don’t be surprised that it’s sticky! Wet hands will keep it from clinging to your fingers.
Bulk proof for 4-10 hours or until at least doubled in size. Mine almost always takes 5, but it will depend on the temperature in your kitchen.
Generously oil (don’t forget the sides!) a half sheet pan. Punch the air out of your proofed dough and tip it into the pan, gently stretching it out. Cover with a second sheet pan (lightly oiled!) and rest 10-15 minutes. Push the dough all the way to the sides.
Cover again, and this time secure the second sheet pan with two rubber bands. Place in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. You can technically skip this step, but I really think it makes the sourdough flavor much more interesting!
When you’re ready to bake, remove the focaccia from the fridge and place it in a warm spot for 1.5-2 hours. It’s ready if the bottom sheet pan no longer feels cold and the dough looks bubbly, pillowy. Preheat the oven to 450F.
Now! Personally I think larger toppings (pictured: chopped dates + quartered fresh figs) stick better when you press them in before a final coat of oil. So try it, let me know what you think! Again, use more oil than you think is right, then dimple the dough like a viral video. Finally, add small toppings (pictured: sesame seeds).
Bake 30-45 minutes, or until light golden brown. If it sticks, don’t fret!! Let it cool completely, then wedge your way underneath with something metal, thin and bendy like an offset spatula or a fish spatual. Enjoy ASAP!