NONNA’S FOCACCIA
THICK AND HEFTY FOCACCIA LOAF COVERED IN SEASONINGS
Usual focaccia is just a pizza style dough that receives few (if any)
toppings; among them usually olive oil, Parmesan or Asiago cheese, and
some herbs. This is not that…This focaccia is prepared the way Nonna
Guglielma and her sister’s prepared it. As a thick and seasoned 2”-3”
thick loaf that you could eat deliciously on its own, or slice in half and
build a hefty sandwich with.
I’ve sized the recipe to fill up an 7”x10” small baking pan with tallsides, which matches my IKEA pan.
The distinctive features of this focaccia should be:
While many so called ‘secrets’ of this dough have been debated over the
years, the key is to properly leaven and fold the dough in preparation for
its glorious bulk fermentation and rise in a pool of extra virgin olive
oil.
You can get creative with toppings, vegetables, cheese, and herbs are all
good. The important thing is to keep them from being too ‘wet’ because they
will adversely affect the baking of the dough. Cook them down ahead of time
if you need to.
INGREDIENTS:
| BAKER'S RATIO: | ||
| 400 g | All Purpose Flour | | 100 |
| 312 g | Water (95-105˚ F) | | 78 |
| 6 g | Yeast | | 1.5 |
| 0.5 g | Salt | | 0.13 |
| 4 g | Sugar | | 1 |
| 1/3 cup | Extra Virgin Olive Oil | |
| 1/3 cup | Peeled Roma Tomatoes |
RISING DO'S AND DONT'S:
To ensure the dough rises properly make sure to use enough olive oil and stretch it gently with your fingers. If you break the surface of the dough it wont rise as high, and the oil ensures it wont stick to the pan in the end. The usual step following the full rise is to use the tips of your oiled fingers to punch down the dough like in the image above, This recicpe skips that step, in other words DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH. This will allow the loaf to be tall and very airy, perfect for making sandwiches or soaking in sauce.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Weigh out your flour - I recommend using unbleachedAll-Purpose King Arthur flour.
- Weigh out the water and make sure you’re within the temperature range. Microwave for 10 seconds if you need to.
- Have an approximately 7” x 10” baking pan with tall sidesavailable.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and place rack in middle of the oven.
- Take about a cup full of the water and add the dry yeast, sugar, and a pinch of flour and whisk me mixture together. This will kickstart the yeast. Let sit for approx. 5 min until covered in foam.
- Whisk the salt into the flour, then add the remaining water and yeast mixture and incorporate.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes or so until the flour hydrates.
- With a warm/wet hand, proceed to fold the dough at least twice - See ‘Folding Dough’ technique
- Allow a 5 min. interval between folds.
- While the dough relaxes, line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and cover in olive oil.
- After the dough is folded the second time and has relaxed for 5 minutes, scoop out the dough and add the dough to the baking pan.
- Cover the dough with the remaining olive oil, and use you fingers --wet with oil-- to gently stretch the dough into an even thickness in the shape of the pan. Do not tear the dough in the process, be gentle.
- Ensure olive oil has covered the entirety of the dough, as well as the entirety of the pan — sides included— and then cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough proof in the pan until the dough completely fills the pan to the brim (almost doubled in size)
- Once it is proofed use a knife, spatula, or oiled fingers to gently peel back the dough from the sides of the pan, and rub a little oil from the pan onto the area to prevent sticking while baking.
- Take small spoonfuls of the peeled tomatoes and work them into little pits on top of the dough. Keep at least 1” or 2” from the edge of the dough, and create an even array of pits filled with tomato about 1.5-2” apart.
- Sprinkle sea salt and herbs, then top off with a sprinkle of extra olive oil.
- Bake for 30 mins. or until golden brown at the top.
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