A Focaccia Adventure!!

Wow. . .This was really fun, quick and turned out great for my first attempt at Focaccia!

First of all, if you aren't already weighing your ingredients, for baking - as opposed to measuring - just put this recipe aside for now - buy yourself a little kitchen scale that weighs in pounds, ounces and grams. You'll be glad you did after using it a time or two.  It's a European thing that gives much more consistent results.

300g Italian 00 flour - from Caputo, Italy

7g of a salt, pepper & garlic blend

  -or- everything bagel seasoning

4.5g active dry yeast

280g warm (115°) water

1t organic cane sugar

  -or- raw local honey

  -this helps to activate the yeast-

Whisk the flour and seasoning in a big glass bowl. Heat the water to 115° and stir in the yeast and sweetener. Once dissolved, let it activate for 10 minutes or so. Pour this into the flour bowl. Working quickly with a silicone spatula, mix this together until all the flour is absorbed.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until double in size.

I've found the best place for this is a cold oven with the light on. That brings the temperature to around 85° and there are no drafts to interfere with the rising process.

Preheat your oven to 395°F (200°C) Using butter or ghee, grease a glass baking pan very well* Pour and scrape the dough into the pan using the spatula to spread it evenly to the corners.

Drizzle with EVOO and oil your fingers. Poke them into the surface of the dough to make little 'wells'. Sprinkle the top with flaked salt or any seasoning you like. I mixed a salt, pepper & garlic blend into the flour, to flavor the bread but decided to sprinkle the oiled top with everything bagel seasoning just before baking.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy on top. Cool 20 minutes or so then remove from the pan and cut into strips and squares. This is really good served warm.

This recipe, and any subsequent variations, just might turn me - a 'not-too-big-on-bread' person, into a crispy Focaccia lover! I'll cut the rest of this into squares that can be split for sandwiches or toast. . .Lin


*This came out of the pan cleanly, but did not come out easy.
It required some prying with a flat metal pancake flipper. If you want to avoid that, line the pan with 2 well greased pieces of parchment paper, cut to fit the length and width of the pan, including the sides.

Whole Grain No-Knead Egg Focaccia

• 2c unbleached flour
  
• ⅓c each:
• corn flour
• hazelnut flour
• ground chia and flax
• ¼t instant yeast
• 1t salt

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large glass bowl, then combine the first two ingredients in a small glass bowl:

• 1c fresh cold water
• 1t organic honey or Maple syrup

Stir half the water, then microwave 15 seconds to dissolve the sweetener, then add the other half cup of water and:

• 1 lg. egg - omit to keep this Vegan
• additional water to total 12oz. total liquid in the bowl

Whisk everything together well. Wash you hands, then test the temperature with your finger. It should feel warmer than body temperature, ideally about 110°.  If not, microwave again another 10 seconds and repeat if needed to get this mixture warm.  Pour this into the flour bowl, mix with a heavy wooden spoon until it's blended and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. I let mine rise 15 hours. It will have almost doubled in volume, and be bubbly as shown in the next photo below. . .

This is an exciting little adventure for me! I'm really picky about bread, and don't eat much of it. Maybe 4 loaves a year, and usually whole grain bread made with sprouted grain flour. The other day I stumbled on a video series called The Vegan Corner. In the first episode, the first segment I think, was the information and demonstration of their No-Knead Italian Focaccia. It looked SO good, I immediately started thinking of all the possible options and flour combinations! So this is a possible return, back to bread making for me. I have made it in the past, but it's been decades since I attempted it. I'm not opposed to kneading bread by the way, it's just that the texture and look of this great flat bread really caught my interest. . .Will my deviations from the original recipe work out? It's after 9pm here now, so I'll be back tomorrow, to jump into the next step, I'll bake it, and then, we'll find out!  Here's the video and RECIPE

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When the dough has risen, after 15 hours, as shown here ——>

mix the following, in a tiny container: 1t total, of your favorite herbs that pair well with the grain-flavors in the bread, 1t EVOO and 1t water, or 2t water. I used ½t each of a dried roasted garlic-herb blend, and one with black pepper and dried bell pepper. Set this aside.

Uncover and transfer the risen dough in the bowl, into a floured parchment-covered baking pan. Flatten the dough a little and make indentations on the top with your fingers. Spread the herb-oil mix over the top and into the indentations. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of coarse or flaked salt. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake, in a preheated 425° oven, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-14 minutes, turn the pan 180° halfway through this crisping up time. Cool completely before cutting and serving. 

 

This healthied-up version turned out so well!! I can't wait to try changing this in other directions.  Lighter nutritious additions to keep it fluffier and whiter, possibly a focaccia with more garlic, Italian seasonings and sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Maybe a breakfast version with grated orange peel, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, chopped pecans and coarse sugar on the top before baking, all with or without the egg. . .SO many options!

Be Creative! — Happy Cooking! . . .Lin