Genuine focaccia is soft, holey, and richly doused in herb infused oil. The only way to achieve this rustic, soft bread is through the implication simple ingredient and long fermentation periods. The following recipe I pulled from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart. He's a culinary wiz and professor, well known for his master baking skills derived from his knowledge of French and Italian baking. This book is excellent for beginners because in the first half of the book he discusses in detail the reasons for using certain ingredients, techniques, and the chemistry behind flour and yeast. If you want to become a master baker, this is a great place to start.
Before we start, I'd like to say for a very long time I was intimidated by recipes like this. Do not be intimidated! Realize the ingredient are very simple, many of you have all these ingredients in your home right now. The trick to it is time. And really, homemade bread is always good, even if you don't get the recipe just right.
22.5 ounces (about 5 cups) Unbleached high-gluten or bread flour*
.5 ounces (2 teaspoons) salt
.22 ounces (2 teaspoons) yeast
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) olive oil
2 cups (16 ounces) water, room temperature
¼ to ½ c Herb Oil-recipe follows
As described in the “tips n’ such” page (found next to the “home” button), using weight to measure ingredients provides the most accuracy, but I’ve provided regular measurements as well. I’ve made this both ways and couldn’t tell the difference. But I was very careful to sift my flour. Also, you do not have to use Bread Flour but it has the best glutens which makes that flour better qualified for good bread making. The following directions are given assuming you’re using a large Kitchen Aid mixer, but it of course can be done by hand (and is an excellent work out!) This is definitely a labor of love, that being said, make sure you read through all the steps once before starting, that way you know what’s coming (it takes at least TWO DAYS to make).
-Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of a large mixer. Add the oil and water and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment for 3 to 5 minutes. Once the ingredients are evenly distributed switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for five to seven minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Because of our altitude, you may need to add additional flour to firm up the dough enough to clear the sides of the bowl but the dough should still be quite soft and sticky.
-Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed about six inches square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour. Pat the dough into a rectangle. Wait five minutes for the dough to relax.
-Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold it, letter style, over itself to return it to a rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
-Let rest for thirty minutes. Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover. After thirty minutes, repeat this one more time. This may seem very boring and monotonous, but this is what releases the glutens and allows the yeast to ferment to its’ fullest ability. You won’t regret taking the time to include these steps!
-Allow the dough to ferment on the counter for one hour. It should swell but not necessarily double in size.
-Line a 17 by 12 inch sheet pan with baking parchment and proceed with the shaping and panning of the bread. Do this by forming the dough into a rectangle, similar to the shape of the cookie sheet, but smaller. Spread some herb oil on the parchment paper then place the rectangular shaped dough on top. Using your finger gently dimple (do not puncture) the dough. Drizzle with additional herb oil, covering the top. Note: The dough will be significantly smaller than the pan-leaving a two inch boarder around the dough. As the dough ferments, it will expand to the size of the pan.
-Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap, refrigerate the dough over night (or for up to three days).
-Remove the pan from the refrigerator three hours before baking. Drizzle additional herb oil over the surface and dimple it in (you can use the full ½ c or more, though it looks like a lot, the dough will absorb it while baking). The dough should at this point fill the pan and be about a ½ inch thick. Top with any additional tops desired. Such as: sun-dried tomatoes, olives, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, nuts, sautéed mushrooms, onions. Cheeses, such as parmesan should be added half way through baking.
-Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. J
-Place the pan in the oven and lower the oven setting to 450 degrees, bake for ten minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking the focaccia for five to ten minutes or until it begins to turn a light golden brown. The internal temperature of the dough should register above 200 degrees, and the cheese should melt but not burn.
-Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan and onto a cooking rack. If the parchment is stuck on the bottom carefully remove it by lifting the corner of the focaccia and peeling it off the bottom.
-Allow to cool for at least twenty minutes before indulging in this deliciously decadent bread.
It goes great with soups, made into a sandwich, and by itself.
I’m making this for a bridal shower this weekend, I’ll post pictures sometime Sunday!
Herb Oil:
Warm two cups olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh copped basil, 1/3 c herbes de provence (it's a blend of dried herbs that can be found at any grocery store). This is how I like mine, but you can use ANY combination of fresh or dried herbs you like-Italian is a good substitute that most everyone has on hand or a mediterranean blend would be delicious as well. The top picture has fresh rosemary and sliced red onion. This oil will keep for two weeks, and is a great dipping oil for baguette.
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