Oh my God, I found myself muttering over and over and over again to the focaccia that came out of my oven. Cutting another slice, and another, and just one last one and that’s it. Trying to figure out what I had done differently this time to have it come out so great.
And then I realized that the small changes are what turned a simple dough into a real work of art. A bite with a golden crunch and soft bubbles.
Flour, water, yeast and you have a dough. The question is how it turns out so delicious.
Drizzle generously with olive oil, making sure it is well-incorporate into the dimples.
So here are some important things I learned:
It must rise overnight in the refrigerator. I know that means you need to be patient and wait to eat it, but please don’t skip this step; it strengthens the dough, produces and develops bubbles and gluten, making the dough pliable and easy to work with. In short, don’t skip it.
After the dough comes out of the refrigerator, allow it to rest and return to room temperature for one to two hours. Otherwise it will be hard, and not nice and soft, and then it won’t stretch into a focaccia. Prepare your toppings while you wait.
By the way, when opening the dough, don’t roll it out, stretch it with your hands so you don’t remove the fabulous air bubbles inside.
Be sure to let the focaccia rest for 15 minutes before putting it in the oven. After stretching, the dough shrinks back a bit and so it is important to give it a second to rest.
Be generous with the onion, it’s incredibly tasty.
Based on a recipe by the world-famous Bat-chen Diamant with alterations and adjustments.
- Please note! Start the preparation the day before. - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the yeast, maple syrup, and water and mix lightly with a spoon. Let stand and ferment for 10-20 minutes. - Add flour and olive oil and knead with the dough hook for 3 minutes. Add the salt and knead for another 7-8 minutes or until the dough is soft and pliable. - Lightly grease the sides and bottom of the bowl, simply move the dough aside for a moment, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator overnight. - Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for an hour. - Want focaccia with caramelized onions? Slice the onions and fry in oil until lightly golden (don't skimp on the oil so that they properly soften). Season with salt and pepper. Allow the onions to cool before topping the dough. - Place an inverted baking sheet or baking stone in the center of the oven and turn to 425F (220C) degrees. Allow the baking sheet/stone to heat up completely before you put the focaccia on it. At least half an hour. That's about the time it will take you from this moment until they are ready to go into the oven. - Divide the dough into balls according to your preferred size. I like them quite large so I divide into 6, and roll each one into a ball. The dough tends to be a little sticky, so grease your hands a bit. Don't be tempted to add flour. - Stretch each ball of dough out with oiled hands (into an oval shape) and place on lightly floured parchment paper. I bake on a hot stone with parchment paper so, in my opinion, you don’t have to put them directly on the surface, but do it however you want. You can also transfer them directly to the hot surface, but then you must flour the bottom of the focaccias so that they can be easily moved from the parchment paper to your sheet in the oven. - After all the focaccias are opened and placed on parchment, make indentations in the dough with your fingers and sprinkle with your toppings: halved cherry tomatoes, coarse salt, ground black pepper, thyme/rosemary, fried onions, etc. - Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over each focaccia and allow them to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. - Carefully transfer the focaccias to the preheated baking sheet in the oven, with or without the parchment paper, and bake until golden brown. Note, if you transfer the focaccia to the baking sheet without the parchment paper, do it very gently so that you don’t lose any volume.
Look at those bubbles on the inside!
Notes
- Possible additions: roasted peppers, sliced zucchini rounds, sauteed zucchini cubes, sauteed or roasted eggplant, garlic confit, etc. Please note: since the baking time is short, it is important to add toppings that will not take long to cook. - Don't skimp on the olive oil here, neither for the onions nor when drizzling the focaccia. And if you have any oil left in the pan from the carmelized onions, put that on the focaccia too. - It's really important to let the focaccia rest before putting it in the oven, after you've applied your toppings. - You can use spelt flour. Yes, even whole. In the case of 100%, it is recommended to add a few more tablespoons of water until the dough is soft and slightly sticky (before leaving it to rise in the refrigerator). - It's really, really important to let it rise overnight in the refrigerator, don't skip this step.
