Lily Walker
Course: Appetizer Cuisine: Italian Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 1hr 55mins Calories: 276kcal
Let’s get started!
– 3 &3/4 cups Bread Flour – 8-10 tablespoons extra Virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling – 3 teaspoons active dry yeast – 1 teaspoon honey or sugar – 2 cups warm water – 1 teaspoon salt plus more for topping I used flakey salt – 5 sliced garlic clove optional: you can top the bread with anything you like. – sliced red onion. – 2 springs fresh rosemary
1. Combine the yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup of warm water in a large basin. Let the mixture foam for five minutes. To see if the yeast is still alive, you can skip this step. 2. With a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining water, salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour.
3. Work the dough into a ball that is about semi-smooth. Don’t worry, the dough will be sticky. You may need to add an extra 3–4 tablespoons of flour or water, depending on the brand and type of flour. Note: You want to find a dough that is semi-sticky and can be shaped into a ball.
4. The slower fermentation makes it better to proof for nine to fourteen hours over night in the refrigerator. The texture and flavor of the focaccia are improved by this technique. I prefer to prepare the dough the night before and let it rise in the refrigerator for a duration of nine to fourteen hours.
5. Apply four tablespoons of olive oil (or more, based on the pan’s size) to a large round or rectangle baking pan. Spread the dough thinly, using plenty of olive oil. Avoid attempting to cover every corner of the pan with dough. I spread the dough thinly, cover the pan, and set it in a warm location to rise for a further two hours. The dough is going to spread and rise.
6. After around two hours, make indentations in the dough with your fingers by running them through it. Add any kind of topping to the dough, such as garlic, red onion, rosemary, etc. Don’t forget to brush the bread with olive oil and season it with flaky sea salt both before and after baking.
7. Set oven temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 8. After the edges and top are golden, place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 9. Before slicing, let the bread cool fully. Savor the focaccia bread by itself or with soup.