Focaccia

Naturally leavened Focaccia.

3. Baker’s Notes

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Introduction

By: Chad V.

This 83% hydration Focaccia is one of my most recent experiments and stays on brand with the naturally leavened style. It’s perfect for sandwiches or just for snacking!

Prep Time:

30mins-1hr

Total Time:

54-78hrs

Servings

8-10

Diet:

Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly

Ingredients

– 700g 00 flour (or T85 flour or bread flour)

– 560g filtered water

– 100g sourdough starter

– 20g fine sea salt

– 20g filtered water (mix with salt)

– 2-3tbsp olive oil

– 1tbsp flaky sea salt

– 1/2tbsp oregano (optional)

– 2 thinly sliced tomatoes (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions.

Note: The days and times below are just example time-frames to help guide you along.

Step 1. (Tuesday, 9:00am)

Feed your starter. 4 hours before you plan on mixing, give that starter a little snack.

Step 2. (Tuesday, 12:30pm)

Autolyse. 30 minutes before you plan on mixing, combine flour and water, and mix gently with your hands. This hydrates the flour and makes the dough taste infinitely better.

Step 3. (Tuesday, 1:00pm)

Combine. Mix together (by hand!) autolysed flour and water, sourdough starter, and salt (+ the extra 20g water), for 5 minutes. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Step 4. (Tuesday, 1:30pm-3:00pm)

Stretch and fold. Do your first stretch and fold 30 minutes after you covered it. Repeat stretch and folds every 30 minutes (4 times total). The dough will start to tighten up and you’ll get a good “windowpane” when you stretch it. This is crucial for having a solid dough.

Step 5. (Tuesday, 3:30pm)

Proof. Move your dough into a proofing box and place it into the refrigerator for 48-72 hours.

Step 6. (Thursday, 5:00pm, 2 days later)

Prep and rest. About an hour and a half before you’re about to bake, pull out the proofing box from the refrigerator. Take a sheet of parchment paper, place it onto your baking sheet, and add a thin layer of olive oil to the parchment. Transfer the dough to your parchment-lined baking pan, cover, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. *Make sure you coat the entire top sheet of parchment to prevent the dough from sticking.

Step 7. (Thursday, 6:00pm)

Preheat oven. 30 minutes before you’re about to bake, fire up your oven to 500°F (260°C).

Step 8. (Thursday, 6:30pm)

Dimple and Bake. Add about 1-2tbsp of olive oil to the top of the dough and spread it all around. Take your fingers and gently create semi-deep dimples in the dough. Lastly, sprinkle some flaky sea salt and oregano on top and place it into the oven for 20-25 minutes. Here’s where you can add the optional sliced tomatoes!

Focaccia Dough in Baking Pan with Olive Oil Salt and Oregano

Step 9. (Thursday, 6:50pm)

Let cool and slice. Pull the focaccia out of the oven and set it on a cooling rack for 15 minutes to let it cool down. Transfer it to a cutting board and slice into sandwich sized squares or however else you’d like!

Notes:

– You can also use T85 flour or bread flour. Both produce an excellent focaccia as well. Just follow the same steps and ingredients!

– My starter is always made with T85 flour, but feel free to use bread flour if you prefer.

– You can adjust this however you’d like to accommodate your schedule. Either starting a little earlier or later, or bulk fermenting for longer totally works!

– Recommended items can be found here!