Recipe right here for Rustic Savory Focaccia

Clay Q

I tried to keep it simple, really. Put your mixer away, roll up your sleeve and grab a wooden spoon because this is RUSTIC.


Rustic Savory Focaccia! Time; 8 hours total. Brick oven/Ceramic cooker /kitchen oven temp; 400° holding steady. Setup; Indirect heat as for pizza and breads.

Ingredients to complete the dough;
2 cups spring water

4 1/4 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons granular yeast

3 Tablespoons virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Savory Topping ideas; Any combo or mix of oil and Fresh herbs of basil, thyme, oregano and marjoram dried herbs, diced onion, minced or powdered garlic tomato pesto, sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers chopped olives, pickles, grated cheese, spices, cooked- smoked meats, nuts, seeds,* sugar and salt.

This recipe is a two step process. First step is making a pre-ferment called a poolish. The poolish improves the breads flavor. Although the poolish can be made the same day that you are baking I find it is easy to make it ahead then simply refrigerate it for up to three days. I usually make a poolish the evening before baking day.

Poolish, taken from above dough ingredients;
1 ½ cups spring water
½ teaspoon yeast
2 cups flour

In a medium sized non-reactive bowl first add the water then the yeast. Allow yeast to dissolve for about 5 minutes then add the flour. Slowly stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until flour is wet then mix rapidly until a smooth and thick batter is formed. Cover bowl and leave out at room temperature for 3 hours then refrigerate.

The next day or on baking day take the poolish out of the refrigerator to warm up at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Now we are ready for the second step; Completing the dough, adding toppings and baking. Pour the poolish into a large non-reactive bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup water and 1 ½ teaspoon granulated yeast. Then add the 3 Tablespoons virgin olive oil and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Mix to form a smooth and wet batter that will look like a spongy pancake batter.
Add 2 ¼ cups bread flour and slowly stir until flour is wet and becomes well incorporated.



About kneading… I knead by hand in the bowl. This dough is very wet and soft, it sticks to everything it touches so if I was to knead on a bread board I would end up adding about a cup or more of flour just to keep the dough from sticking to my hands. I knead in the bowl with a “stretch and fold” method using the spoon. Here how it works. If your right handed, hold the bowl by the edge with your left hand and with a spoon lift the right corner of the dough with a up motion to stretch and before the dough falls off the spoon turn it down to fold over itself. Repeat this motion for about 8 minutes and the dough will become smooth with a slight spring but still remain sticky. Cover and rest 30 minutes in the bowl.

Repeat the “stretch and fold” method for about 3 minutes and again cover and rest 30 minutes.

Repeat the “stretch and fold” method once more. All this stretching strengthens the gluten and gives the dough its ability to hold gas bubbles that create the cavity pockets you see in rustic breads. If the dough is not strengthened the gas is easily dispersed throughout the dough and no pockets will form.

To begin making the loaf I first lay down parchment paper in an aluminum pizza pan then I rub the parchment with olive oil. Parchment paper is very helpful in two ways; It prevents sticking and I can lift a corner of the paper to move the bread off the pan and onto a cooling rack in one easy move.

Now for the fun part! Dump the dough out of the bowl and onto the oiled parchment paper. Oil the fingers and dough then move the dough into a round shape . Sprinkle on the toppings of choice just like making a pizza only now you are going to dimple the toppings down into the dough with your oiled fingers. Do not over dimple and keep the dough in a round shape as best you can, about ¾ “ to 1” thick. You will find the dough very soft and easy to shape so don’t overdo it. * Now sprinkle on a light dusting of sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon) and a touch of salt, if you are so inclined.

Ferment the dough 3 hours at room temperature. The dough will spread out then slowly rise but stay flat looking. About an hour before the 3 hour mark get your brick oven/ceramic cooker fired up and settled in to 400° baking temp holding steady. I use a pizza stone below and a plate setter above on a raised setup with three 1” thick brick feet to support the pan above the plate setter to help prevent scorching the bottom of the bread. If you don’t have a ceramic cooker your kitchen oven will work but the flavor will not be the same. The truth be told.

Carefully set the fully fermented pan of focaccia dough into the cooker and bake for 20 minutes. It’s ok to check after 15 minutes if the pan needs a rotation. The bread might need an extra 5 or 10 minutes depending on conditions. Bread is done when internal temp at the center reads 210°, checking with a Thermapen.

Cool on a rack by pulling from a corner of the parchment paper so the bread slides off the pan and onto a rack. Remove the parchment paper. Slice a piece while still warm and… ENJOY!!!

Zippylip

now that's a bookmark, been following your focaccia trials, wondering when you were going to enlighten us, I like the "grab the wooden spoon" deal too, reminds me of when I was a kid - they all look awesome mang

2Fategghead

Thank you Tim

Ross in Ventura

Thanks Clay for the recipe

Ross

Hoss

I GOTTA give it a go!Thanks for the How To!

LoneStarEgg

This is something I'm going to have to make. Thanks for the recipe and instruction.

Clay Q

Our home, when I bring in this bread hot from the egg, fills with the aroma of an Old World kitchen. I love a good BBQ hands down but I also love flavors that are traditional and symbolic of 500 of years of food... substance of the Renaissance. Focaccia does that for me.
This martini I'm drinking, does something also.
Cheers buddy.

lowercasebill

well done looks wonderful,, , after watching warren i used the thermopen today ,, better than the old toothpick. based on what you posted and what the old italian man at bova told me i am going to experiment, whether focaccia or pizza dough ,, all the water, 1/2 the yeast and flour, mix and let sit. on baking day the rest of the yeast flour salt and sugar [if called for].
next up is pasta as i have not done that since last winter

Grandpas Grub

 
Great looking Focaccia.

Thank you for posting the details.

Kent