As a result, I don't usually buy it at stores here--it's always a disappointment--and I was excited to see a recipe for it in Peter Reinhart's "Bread Baker's Apprentice". In the book he has 3 versions of focaccia--regular, made with poolish, and pizza-style. He also has a recipe for Herb Oil to top the dough. I decided to make poolish focaccia, since breads made with pre-ferments are more flavorful. This does require you to make the poolish a day ahead of time.
Day 1: make the poolish
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c bread flour
1 1/3 c water, room temp
1/4 t instant yeast
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until the flour is hydrated. It should be like thick pancake batter. Let sit at room temperature 3-4 hours, until it is bubbly. Refrigerate overnight.
Day 2: make the focaccia
Remove the poolish from the fridge 1 hr before making the dough
Ingredients:
3 c poolish (~the recipe above)
2 2/3 c unbleached bread flour
2 t salt
1 1/2 t instant yeast
6 T olive oil
3/4 c water, lukewarm
1/4 c-1/2 c herb oil (recipe below)
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the poolish, olive oil, water, and mix until the ingredients form a sticky ball. If mixing by hand, mix for 3-5 minutes, dipping the spoon or your hand into cold water to work the ingredients into a smooth mass. If using a mixer, use a dough hook and mix 5-7 minutes until a smooth, sticky dough has formed. Add more flour if needed.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and pat it down into a 6'' rectangle. Let it relax for 5 minutes. Stretch the dough out to 3 times it's width and fold it over itself like try-folding a letter. Mist the dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough one more time, mist and cover, then let sit for 1 hour. It will swell but might not double in size.
While the dough is resting, make the herb oil.
Ingredients:
2 c olive oil--not extra virgin, anything will work
1 c chopped fresh herbs--basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, cilantro, savory, sage--or 1/3 c dried herbs.
1 T kosher salt
1 t coarse ground black pepper
1 T granulated garlic or 5-6 cloves fresh, chopped/pressed
*optional: 1 t ground cayenne pepper
*optional: 1 t paprika
*optional: 1 T fennel seeds
*optional: 1 t onion powder, or 1 T dried minced onions
Warm the olive oil to about 100 degrees F. (only warmed! do not heat!) Add there herbs and seasonings of your choice and let steep. When I made this I put in cayenne, paprika, and ground black pepper, and it was pretty spicy.
When the focaccia is almost done resting, line a 17'' x 12'' sheet pan with baking parchment and drizzle 1/4 c olive oil over the parchment, spreading the oil over the entire pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and spoon half the measured herb oil (~1/4 c) on top of the dough. Using your fingers, dimple the dough while spreading it out along the pan. Keep the thickness consistent and don't worry about filling the whole pan. Add more oil if needed, so the top stays coated. Cover with plastic wrap and proof ~2 hrs, until the dough fills the pan.
15 minutes before baking, drizzle on more herb oil, and dimple in the dough so the oil forms pools, and the dough spreads out to fill the entire pan (if it hasn't already). It should be about 1/2'' thick. Let it sit 15-30 minutes before baking, until it has risen to 1''.
Preheat the oven to 500 F, oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the focaccia in the oven, lower the temperature to 450 F, and bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway through. The bread is done when the focaccia is golden brown. Immediately transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack after removing it from the oven. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
Day 1: make the poolish
Ingredients:
2 1/4 c bread flour
1 1/3 c water, room temp
1/4 t instant yeast
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until the flour is hydrated. It should be like thick pancake batter. Let sit at room temperature 3-4 hours, until it is bubbly. Refrigerate overnight.
Day 2: make the focaccia
Remove the poolish from the fridge 1 hr before making the dough
Ingredients:
3 c poolish (~the recipe above)
2 2/3 c unbleached bread flour
2 t salt
1 1/2 t instant yeast
6 T olive oil
3/4 c water, lukewarm
1/4 c-1/2 c herb oil (recipe below)
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the poolish, olive oil, water, and mix until the ingredients form a sticky ball. If mixing by hand, mix for 3-5 minutes, dipping the spoon or your hand into cold water to work the ingredients into a smooth mass. If using a mixer, use a dough hook and mix 5-7 minutes until a smooth, sticky dough has formed. Add more flour if needed.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and pat it down into a 6'' rectangle. Let it relax for 5 minutes. Stretch the dough out to 3 times it's width and fold it over itself like try-folding a letter. Mist the dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold the dough one more time, mist and cover, then let sit for 1 hour. It will swell but might not double in size.
While the dough is resting, make the herb oil.
Ingredients:
2 c olive oil--not extra virgin, anything will work
1 c chopped fresh herbs--basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, cilantro, savory, sage--or 1/3 c dried herbs.
1 T kosher salt
1 t coarse ground black pepper
1 T granulated garlic or 5-6 cloves fresh, chopped/pressed
*optional: 1 t ground cayenne pepper
*optional: 1 t paprika
*optional: 1 T fennel seeds
*optional: 1 t onion powder, or 1 T dried minced onions
Warm the olive oil to about 100 degrees F. (only warmed! do not heat!) Add there herbs and seasonings of your choice and let steep. When I made this I put in cayenne, paprika, and ground black pepper, and it was pretty spicy.
When the focaccia is almost done resting, line a 17'' x 12'' sheet pan with baking parchment and drizzle 1/4 c olive oil over the parchment, spreading the oil over the entire pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and spoon half the measured herb oil (~1/4 c) on top of the dough. Using your fingers, dimple the dough while spreading it out along the pan. Keep the thickness consistent and don't worry about filling the whole pan. Add more oil if needed, so the top stays coated. Cover with plastic wrap and proof ~2 hrs, until the dough fills the pan.
15 minutes before baking, drizzle on more herb oil, and dimple in the dough so the oil forms pools, and the dough spreads out to fill the entire pan (if it hasn't already). It should be about 1/2'' thick. Let it sit 15-30 minutes before baking, until it has risen to 1''.
Preheat the oven to 500 F, oven rack on the middle shelf. Place the focaccia in the oven, lower the temperature to 450 F, and bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating halfway through. The bread is done when the focaccia is golden brown. Immediately transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack after removing it from the oven. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
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