Sourdough has been my new quarantine hobby and I'm so excited to finally find the time to post this recipe that I have been sharing on my Facebook and Instagram. I bought a lovely beginner's sourdough book (linked at the bottom of this post) and I've been having a really fun time trying out different recipes from it. This focaccia is by far one of my favorite.
I highly recommended to weigh your ingredients, and because of that I am only sharing the ingredients in g instead of cups. Now's the time to invest in a scale if you don't really have one and plan to bake a lot of bread!
Since you may be new to sourdough, like I am, I thought it would be helpful to lay out the steps day by day because it does take some planning ahead. I got my starter from King Arthur Flour back in February or March and I am still learning how to take care of it. I leave my starter (her name is Priscilla in case you were wondering) in the fridge if I don't plan to use if for a while and feed it 1x a week or less if it gets hungry. When I plan to bake with it, I found that giving it 2-3 feedings before using it works the best.
Day 1 morning: remove starter from fridge, keep half and discard the rest. If you have a good amount of discard, there are some recipes you can make with it (like these sourdough waffles). Feed starter a 1:1 ratio of water and flour (I guess this is what you call 100% hydration?)
Day 1 evening: repeat step above
Day 2 morning: repeat step above. If I need more starter, I won't discard any and just feed the 1:1 ratio based on what I have in my jar
Day 2 evening: make your dough! The focaccia needs to rise for 12-18 hours so I like to make the dough the night before.
Day 3 morning: prepare dough for second rise
Day 3 early afternoon: prepare topping, preheat oven
Day 3 afternoon: prepare focaccia with topping, bake
Day 3 late afternoon/evening: eat!
If you are in the MA area and need starter, please email me at francesca@francipes.com and I'd be happy to share some of mine with you!
Servings: 8-16 slices depending on size preference
Ingredients (focaccia):
50 g active starter
375 g cool water
20 g (1 tbsp) honey*
500 g AP flour
9 g (1 1/2 tsp) salt
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt, for topping
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stem removed
*If you are a die-hard vegan, I'm not sure if you can substitute honey for maple syrup or simply sugar. I believe adding honey is to increase the activity of the yeast.
Ingredients (toppings):
8 oz thinly sliced Little Potato Company (or equivalent) Baby Boomer potatoes
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped and stem removed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Directions:
DOUGH: whisk together starter, water and honey in a large bowl. Add flour and salt. Mix to combine and finish by hand. Dough will be sticky. Feed the remaining starter if you plan to keep using it in other recipes, or place it back in the fridge.
BULK RISE: Cover with a damp towel and let it rise at room temperature until double in size (or more), 12-18 hours.
SECOND RISE: Pour a generous amount of olive oil in a ~9x13 rimmed baking pan and make sure that it's evenly coated, including the sides. Pour the dough into the pan and, using your hands, flip the dough so that both sides are covered in oil. Do not pull or stretch the dough, it should look like a blob. Cover again and let it rest for 1.5-2 hours or until very puffy.
TOPPING: About 1 hour into your second rise, heat a medium skillet with olive oil. Add all of the ingredients and cook until fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Potatoes do not have to be soft since they will bake in the oven.
Preheat oven to 425 when you think you'll be ready to bake soon.
ASSEMBLY & BAKE: Once your focaccia is done rising, gently stretch the dough into a rectangular shape. The dough may not reach the corners. Using your finger tips, dimple the dough, pressing straight through to the bottom of the pan. Roughly top with the potato topping, add some more fresh rosemary and flaky sea salt. The focaccia without toppings should take 25-30 minutes but I've had to bake mine closer to 40-50 to get that golden color. Remove from pan and let it cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into 8-16 slices. Best if eaten while still warm.
Focaccia recipe from a book called Artisan Sourdough Made Simply by Emilie Raffa. Topping inspired by King Arthur Flour.
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