Crispy, fluffy focaccia with quality olive oil
Close your eyes and imagine the scent of freshly baked focaccia filling the entire house. It truly is one of the best things we know.
Italian focaccia is both crispy and soft, evoking memories of sunny days and Italy.
Freshly baked focaccia is always a hit and can be served with aperitifs or as a side dish to green salads, grilled meals, good soups, or used for lunch sandwiches. And, of course, good quality fresh olive oil belongs with focaccia 😋
Remember that you can top focaccia with exactly what you fancy. Herbs, olives, cheese, or vegetables.
The recipe preparation starts the day before, but it doesn't take much time.
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Ingredients
1200 g wheat flour (preferably type 00, manitoba or a mix)
1 dl good quality olive oil, e.g. classic olive oil or Affiorato
950 ml lukewarm water
17 g yeast
40 g salt
Garnish: 1 sprig of rosemary and a little flaky salt/seasoned salt
If you don't have rosemary, you can easily use other herbs, finely chopped onion, or similar ingredients.
Method
The day before:
Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with all the water and stir in the other ingredients until the flour is completely dissolved. Let the dough rest (autolysis) for 30 minutes.
Now you need to stretch and fold the dough. This is best done with slightly moistened fingers. Start by lifting one corner of the dough vertically upwards and folding it over the dough to the opposite corner. Repeat the fold around the entire perimeter (approx. 4-5 folds). Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then fold it again. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes, then fold it one last time.
Line a square baking dish with baking paper so that it extends beyond the edges of the dish. Grease the bottom of the paper with a little olive oil and place the dough in the dish. Wrap the dish in foil to make it airtight and place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day:
Take the dough out onto the kitchen counter to rise for 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees (fan assisted) with a baking sheet placed upside down in the middle of the oven.
Remove the foil from the dough bowl and use wet fingers to make the characteristic dimples/indentations in the bread.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little flaky salt and herbs.
Lift the baking paper with the dough out of the bowl and place the dough with the baking paper onto the hot baking sheet in the oven. The easiest way to do this is with a pizza peel or with a little help from a friend in the kitchen. Baking the dough on baking paper directly on a hot baking sheet will result in a crispier bottom and better oven spring, giving the bread a beautiful height.
Bake at 220 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm focaccia with small bowls of your favorite olive oil and a little flaky salt, into which you can dip the bread.
If you have any left over for the next day, you can easily toast the bread and make a Caprese sandwich or a cheese sandwich. You can also cut the focaccia into cubes and toast them in a pan with a little olive oil to make delicious bread croutons for salads or soups.
Bon appétit!