Overnight Focaccia
A high level of hydration paired with a 24 hour cold proof in the fridge produces a focaccia that is light & fluffy on the inside & crispy on the outside. Great eaten as is or used for a sandwich.
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- 9" x 13" Baking Tin
- Large Glass Bowl
Ingredients
- 550 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 495 g Water - 100°f/38°c 90%
- 5 g Dried Active Yeast 1%
- 11 g Maldon Salt 2%
- 25 g Olive Oil - Plus extra for finishing & greasing the tin 4.5%
Instructions
- In a jug, whisk together the water & yeast then leave to go frothy, 5-10 minutes.
- Give the activated yeast another whisk then add into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the flour. Mix with the dough hook until just combined then cover & leave to autolyse for 30 minutes.
- Next, add in the salt & olive oil & mix on a medium speed until the dough passes the windowpane test. This will take around 15 minutes.To perform the window pane test, stretch a small amount of dough between your fingers. If the dough stretches thin enough so that you can see your fingers through it without tearing, it's ready.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled glass bowl & leave at room temperature for 1 hour. During this hour, coil fold the dough every 15 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm & place in the fridge for at least 24 hours (no more than 48).
- Grease & line a 9”x13” baking tin then pour in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Tip the dough into the tin then gently stretch towards each corner, but don’t worry if the dough doesn’t completely fill the tin at this point. Cover loosely with clingfilm & leave to rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in size, around 2-3 hours.
- Preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f) around 30 minutes before you cook the focaccia.
- Once the dough has risen, pour a good amount (around 2 tbsp) of olive oil over the focaccia & use your fingers to dimple the dough all over, making sure that the dough reaches all corners of the tin.
- Sprinkle the focaccia with a generous amount of sea salt then bake until a deep golden brown. This will take 25-30 minutes.
- Once baked, brush the focaccia with 2 tbsp of olive oil, leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
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Notes
1. Cooking In An Aga - Bake the bread on the grid shelf which is placed on the floor of the roasting oven. The bread will take 25-30 minutes to cook.
2. Hydration - This dough has a high level of hydration which means that it will seem very sticky. This is normal & the dough will get easier to work with as it is kneaded. - I recommend using a stand mixer.
3. Cold Prove -For the best flavour, make sure to give the dough at least 24 hours in the fridge, but no more than 48.
4. Yeast - You can use either fast action yeast or dried active yeast for this recipe, the amounts are the same for both. I’ve found that dried active yeast produces a more active/bubbly dough.
5. Flour - For most of my bread recipes, I use a Canadian strong white bread flour from Shipton Mill. You can use any bread flour, as long as it has a protein content of 12-15%.
6. Tin - The tin I use to cook the bread in, is a 9”x13” Nordic Ware tin. Any tin of this size will work, it’s best to use one that is at least 2.5” deep.
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