focaccia by heart . your next chapter

Cooking by heart. Off by heart. And more chapters of The Blue Castle.

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This Focaccia recipe is inspired by the book In Search of the Perfect Loaf by Sam Fromartz.

I chatted with Sam on the phone once or twice when I was working in the field of wheat and stone-ground flour. And beginning my own journey towards to perfect focaccia. His little book is one of the books I carry from country to country.

It is a treasure. He is a treasure and wonderful bread baker.

This was in the days of the pandemic with all hands on deck getting flour milled and shipped out across the US. I taught literally hundreds of people (over the phone) how to bake bread with locally grown stone milled flour.

I have made this focaccia so often now that I know the recipe off by heart. Which meant I had to bake it a number of times to get the heart recipe onto paper for you so let me know how it bakes up for you.

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Making focaccia is a practice in patience – a gentle stretch, a quiet rest, a slow rise. The kind of bread that reminds you to take your time. In fact not to even worry about time.

Focaccia

Ingredients

• 500 grams bread flour

• 400 grams water

• 11 grams salt

• 2 teaspoons warm water

• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast

• ¼ cup good extra virgin olive oil

• Flaky sea salt

• Fresh rosemary

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Method

1. Activate the Yeast
   In a small cup, mix 2 teaspoons of warm water with ½ teaspoon of yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until it dissolves.

2. Mix the Dough
   In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, and salt. Stir together until it forms a shaggy dough. It won’t be pretty, and it doesn’t need to be. At this stage we are just roughly mixing.

3. Incorporate the Yeast
   Make a small well in the centre of your shaggy dough and pour the yeast mixture in. Don’t mix it together yet. Let it rest for 15 minutes – the yeast is getting comfortable, and the flour needs some extra time to hydrate.

4. Mix
   After the 15-minute rest, mix the dough thoroughly with wet hands until it comes together. It might still feel sticky – that’s just fine.

5. Stretch and Fold
   Now for the stretch-and-fold. Every 25 minutes, give the dough a gentle stretch and fold. Just lift one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat until you’ve stretched and folded all four sides. Do this at least ten times. Repeat this process a few times over the next couple of hours until the dough becomes smooth and silky. This stretches and strengthens the gluten strands so be careful not to tear the dough.

   (In between stretches, go about your day. This bread doesn’t mind being left alone.)

6. Rest
   Place the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 6 hours at room temperature (about 70°F). Leave it until it has more than doubled in size and there are bubbles rising in the surface.

7. Prepare for Baking
   When you’re ready to bake, gently tip the dough out into a baking sheet that has been generously smeared with ¼ cup of good extra virgin olive oil. With your fingertips spread the dough to the corners of the baking dish/sheet. Be gentle – you don’t want to knock out all those beautiful bubbles. Listen to your dough. If it is bouncing back from the corners. Then that is your final shape. The bubbles matter more than the shape.

8. Shape and Decorate
   Use your fingers to gently press dimples into the dough – let your fingertips go all the way down to the bottom of the dish. This creates the iconic focaccia look and little wells where the olive oil and salt can settle. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and a scattering of fresh rosemary.

9. Final Rest
   Let the dough sit, covered, for 30 minutes while your oven preheats to 450°F

   

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10. Bake
    Bake the focaccia for 22 to 25 minutes. For the first 10 minutes, steam the oven – I throw a couple of ice cubes into a hot pan in the bottom of the oven. This helps the dough rise before baking the crust. Take the water out at the 10 minute mark. (I also quickly turn the pan at this point - for an even bake). Every oven is different!

11. Cool (Just a Bit)
    When browned on top and singing it is cooked. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Focaccia tastes best warm but needs a little rest after baking.

When creating any dish that only has a few ingredients make sure to use the very best you can find. To my mind focaccia is all about the salt and the oil. Use a good sea salt and your best local extra virgin (first press) olive oil. Be generous with the oil.

If you have kids lolling about let them decorate the focaccia with anything super thin and edible: thin lemon slices, or sage or edible flowers. The best time to decorate is towards the end of the last 30 minute rise.

I also add rosemary to the steam tray with the ice cubes to fill the oven with fragrant steam.

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BedTime Stories

You will remember that our current book is all in one place now. So you can easily keep up. Or start from the beginning.

I update this page every few days with two or three new chapters. It is all ready for you. Today Valancy has finally left her childhood home and is making her own way out into the world. Just three miles up the road but a world away from her overbearing mother and aunt.

See you over there!

Bedtime stories are an easy way to relax after a day. Kids do it. Why not us adults too.

Make sure to balance the fraughtness of a day with some intentional down time. We have a long way to go. Be kind to yourself.

Love Celi