Posted on
Check out our very own Kevin Campana as he whips up the perfect homemade focaccia with Giampiero Bea's ancient grain flour and Aldo Armato S-ciappa olive oil. Prior to joining the Mad Rose Foods team as our dedicated Logistics Administrator, Kevin was a star baker at New York's Saraghina Bakery; focaccia is his specialty!
His recipe is below:
Dough:
231g (1 cup) Water, room temperature
1.65g (5/8 tsp) Instant Yeast
6.6g (1 tsp) Honey
13.2g (3 1/2 tsp) Armato S-ciappa Extra Virgin Olive Oil
188g (1 1/4 cup) Giampiero Bea Ancient Grain Flour
142g (1 cup) All-Purpose Flour
7.6g (2 1/2 tsp) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Brine:
80g (5 1/2 tbsp) Warm water
5g (1 3/4 tsp) Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Tools:
Scale
Mixing bowl
Rubber spatula
Brush
9 x 13 x 1" Sheet Pan
Cooling rack
Parchment Paper
Plastic wrap or towel
Finishing salt (optional)
Mixing the Dough:
To start, mix together most of the water, yeast, and honey until everything is dissolved. Add the oil, flour, salt, and the remaining water. Combine until there are no dry spots left. Cover with a towel and rest for 30 minutes.
Performing the folds:
After the dough has rested, we must perform a series of folds to build strength in the dough. Begin by stretching one side of the dough up and over itself towards the center of the bowl. Continue working your way around the bowl until the dough begins to tighten. Then, cover and rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Repeat this folding process three more times, letting it rest for 30 minutes between folds. After the final fold, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Shape and Bake:
After the overnight fermentation, we are ready to shape and bake the focaccia. Oil a 9 x 13" sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Line the base with parchment paper and brush the pan again, making sure to coat the sides. Be generous with the oil, as it will fry the base of the dough and give it a crispy golden brown bottom. Stretch the dough evenly toward the sides of the pan. Be careful not to degas the dough too much. Don't force the dough if it does not reach the edges. Rest for 15 minutes and stretch again.
Brush the top of the dough generously with oil and stipple with your hands. As you stipple, push into the dough about halfway down, being careful not to tear into the dough. Let the dough proof, covered, until it roughly doubles in size. It is ready when the edges of the dough rise up to about halfway up the side of the pan.
Prepare the brine and pour about half of it over the focaccia. The goal is to blend the brine with the olive oil to fill all the dimples. You should not need to use all of the brine. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Serve and Enjoy:
Brush the top of the focaccia with oil as soon as it comes out of the oven, and sprinkle with finishing salt if desired. Loosen the sides of the focaccia with a knife, remove the parchment paper, and place it on a cooling rack as soon as possible to preserve the crispy crust. Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
For optimal results, use a scale and measure all ingredients in grams. There is a possibility for slight variations when following the conversions.
Shaping focaccia is a matter of personal preference. You may use a round or rectangular pan, cast iron, or aluminum. If you are using a cast iron pan, you don't need to use parchment paper. However, you should still cover the base generously with oil.
Various toppings can be added to focaccia. Cheese, chili flakes, herbs, meats, mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, peppers, and artichokes should be added before baking. You may need to lower the baking temperature so that the toppings don't burn.
