Twice baked crisp and airy focaccia

[shain]

One large focaccia, or pizza.

 

• 485g bread flour (or 470g AP flour mixed with 15 g vital wheat gluten)
• 390g tepid water
• 15g salt
• 15g sugar
• 4g dry or instant yeast

 

One to four days before baking:

• In a stand mixer bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast. Add flour and salt.
• Mix slowly until combined.
• Knead for 3-5 minutes. Let rest for 7-10 minutes. 
• Repeat kneading and resting the dough for a total of 3-4 kneading cycles.
• Cover and refrigerate.

 

Before baking:

• Knead the dough in its bowl (in a stand mixer, or with a spatula / large spoon).
• Lightly grease one large parchment paper.
• Pour the dough on the paper.
• Cover, with something that won't stick to the raising dough (I use a deep oven baking sheet).
• Let raise for 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
• ~
• Preheat the oven with a baking steel or baking stone in it, to 250 d C, at least 45 minutes before it's time to bake.
• With wet hands, poke the dough to evenly distribute air bubbles and give it a roughly rectangular or circular shape.
• Place any toppings, such as herbs (rosemary's my go to), thinly sliced vegetables, etc.
  • You can also use it to make pizza. Only put sauce at this point - cheese should be added only after the first bake.
• Place the parchment directly on the steel / stone and bake until the bread has risen, and only starts to deepen in color at spots, apx 8-10 minutes.
• Place on a cooling rack and remove parchment.
• Cool the breads at least partially, a minimum of 15 minutes.
• It can be frozen at this point.

 

When ready to serve:

• Brush the bread with olive oil, the more the merrier. For pizzas, only brush the bottom side.
• If making pizza, this is the stage to add cheese.
• Place in a hot oven, 210dC to 230dC.
• Bake until the bread is crisp and reddish-golden, 7 to 15 minutes. 
• Serve while warm, with olive oil for dipping, cheeses or as a sandwich.

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by shain (log)

[Martin Fisher]

44 minutes ago, shain said:

One large focaccia, or pizza.

 

• 485g bread flour (or 470g AP flour mixed with 15 g vital wheat gluten)
• 390g tepid water
• 15g salt
• 15g sugar
• 4g dry or instant yeast

 

One to four days before baking:

• In a stand mixer bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast. Add flour and salt.
• Mix slowly until combined.
• Knead for 3-5 minutes. Let rest for 7-10 minutes. 
• Repeat kneading and resting the dough for a total of 3-4 kneading cycles.
• Cover and refrigerate.

 

Before baking:

• Knead the dough in it's bowl (in stand mixer, or with a spatula / large spoon).
• Lightly grease one large parchment paper.
• Pour the dough on the paper.
• Cover, with something that won't stick to the raising dough (I use a deep oven baking sheet).
• Let raise for 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
• ~
• Preheat the oven with a baking steel or baking stone in it, to 250 d C, at least 45 minutes before it's time to bake.
• With wet hands, poke the dough to evenly distribute air bubbles and give it a roughly rectangular or circular shape.
• Place any toppings, such as herbs (rosemary's my go to), thinly sliced vegetables, etc.
  • You can also use it to make pizza. Only put sauce at this point - cheese should be added after the first bake.
• Place the parchment directly on the steel / stone and bake until the bread has risen, and only starts to deepen in color at spots, apx 8-10 minutes.
• Place on a cooling rack and remove parchment.
• Cool the breads at least partially, a minimum of 15 minutes.
• It can be frozen at this point.

 

When ready to serve:

• Brush the breads with olive oil, the more the merrier. For pizzas, only brush the bottom side.
• If making pizza, this is the stage to add cheese.
• Place in a hot oven, 210dC to 230dC.
• Bake until the the bread is crisp and reddish-golden, 7 to 15 minutes. 
• Serve while warm, with olive oil for dipping, cheeses or as a sandwich.

 

 

 

 

That looks excellent, shain! 

[Barb Bowers]

Really a great and easy focaccia, ty shain  

[TdeV]

On 9/14/2020 at 4:54 AM, shain said:

Knead for 3-5 minutes. Let rest for 7-10 minutes. 

Repeat kneading and resting the dough for a total of 3-4 kneading cycles.

 

Shai,

 

Could you please explain what exactly is going on with this strategy for 3-4 kneading cycles?

 

I use a Zojirushi bread machine which has two options:

• Regular dough: 23 minute rest, 20 minute knead, 45 minute rise, punch down and rise 2 (22 minute total) for a total time 1.5 hours.
• Quick dough: 10 minute rest, 20 minute knead, 10 minute rise, punch down and rise 2 (10 minute total) for a total time 50 minutes.

Should I run the dough through one of those cycles for a second time?

 

Your dough looks very, very airy and I would like to capture that, but I'm not sure how.

 

Thanks.

[shain]

2 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

Shai,

 

Could you please explain what exactly is going on with this strategy for 3-4 kneading cycles?

 

I use a Zojirushi bread machine which has two options:

• Regular dough: 23 minute rest, 20 minute knead, 45 minute rise, punch down and rise 2 (22 minute total) for a total time 1.5 hours.
• Quick dough: 10 minute rest, 20 minute knead, 10 minute rise, punch down and rise 2 (10 minute total) for a total time 50 minutes.

Should I run the dough through one of those cycles for a second time?

 

Your dough looks very, very airy and I would like to capture that, but I'm not sure how.

 

Thanks.

 

 

As far as I understand, the resting allows the gluten to relax and form stronger bonds. It's as if the kneading puta the gluten chains in place and resting allows them to strengthen.

This dough is overall pretty forgiving. One important things are overnight refrigeration (between kneading and proofing), which also substitute for the initial rise.  Can you get the container out of the machine to be placed in the fridge?
Another is that you need the kneading process to be slow enough for the starch to absorb water while it's going - I think the 23 minute rest at the beginning of your "regular" mode should work, assuming the dough is first mixed well. You could also try and run the quick mode kneading cycle twice.