This bread slaps. IT IS SO GOOD. I dressed mine up with all the things, but even on it's own the flavor of this salty focaccia is just incredible. My family actually preferred the basic toppings of garlic and parmesan, but seriously make this your own! This recipe uses gram measurements, if that stresses you out, or you don't have a baking scale, you can use this converter. I use my baking scale on a weekly basis and absolutely love it, so if you can, you should go ahead and invest in one.
Ingredients:
600g warm water
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
15g honey (about 2 & 1/2 tsp)
800g All purpose flour (about 5 & 1/3 cup)
18g Salt (about 2 Tbs)
50g High end EVOO (1/4 cup) (you can use regular EVOO but I promise this is where you use the fancy stuff that's been hiding in the back of your pantry for years, the flavor comes through beautifully in the final product)
2-3 Tbs regular EVOO
Brine solution of 80g warm water (about 1/3 cup) and 5g salt (1 & 1/2 tsp)
How To:
1. Gently mix yeast, water, and honey together and allow to bloom until frothy (for about 10 min).
2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. I prefer to use my hands but a whisk will work just fine. Once combined mix in the yeast and honey until combined. Then mix in the high end EVOO.
3. Cover and allow to rise overnight. (I let mine rise accidentally for 24 hrs so don't stress about the time as long as it gets at least 12hrs)
4. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with 2- 3 Tbs regular EVOO (you don't need to use the fancy stuff here).
5. Gently scrape the dough onto the oiled baking sheet and stretch towards the edges. Let sit for 30 minutes, and then stretch again. At this point the dough should completely fill the baking sheet.
6. Oil your hands, then using your middle three fingers, create rows of indentions along the dough.
7. Create the brine by mixing 80g warm water and 5g salt together till dissolved. Pour all over the dough.
8. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a large baking sheet or even better if you have a baking stone use that.
9. Let rise for 30-45 minutes. This is the perfect time to prep your toppings, I used minced garlic, small diced white onions, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, freshly grated parmesan regiano (there is no other parmesan in my opinion), dried basil, flakey salt and freshly ground pepper.
10. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. You can check that the bottom is cooked by gently lifting up a corner with a spatula. I suggest baking for 20 minutes then gently covering the top with aluminum foil for the remainder to avoid burning your toppings.
11. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy this magical bread.
Love, Elsa
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