Just like in my Baguette Recipe, I make focaccia WITHOUT kneading. Why? Because it creates the kind of focaccia that I like, light and fluffy instead of fine crumbed and cakey.
Focaccia is all about olive oil, on the dough, in the dough, in the topping, and finally a little drizzle when it comes out off the oven nice and hot. It may SEEM like a lot but it’s a big bread we’re making here! Really in every bite of the final bread it’s not as shocking as it seems.
Here I use half water and half milk, it’s something I’ve been doing for a while since I tried it for the first time ahead of a class I was hosting. The result was even more softness in the crumb and so delicious that I haven’t looked back since. For a vegan or dairy free version, you can substitute the milk for all water and everything will be fine.
This recipe comes from my Book Bread Every Day available here.
Have fun with it!
Jack
No Knead Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
Notes
This recipe will Makes one large focaccia in a 30cm x 40cm high sided tray
My Kitchen Temperature: 21°C/70°F
Easy but perhaps a little sticky to make, easy to bake
Start to finish: 4-4.5 hours
Ingredients
For the Dough
190g Room Temperature water
190g Room temperature milk
12g Fresh yeast or 7g dry yeast
500g Strong white bread flour
8g Salt
20g Olive oil
For the topping
3 Sprigs of Rosemary
Olive oil
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
Method
Making the dough
In a large mixing bowl mix together the milk, water and yeast until the yeast has dissolved.
Next add the flour and salt.
Mix everything with your dough scraper until it starts to come together and add the olive oil. Mix again into a dough and since we are not kneading this one, it’s really important that it comes together into a cohesive mass; no lumps, dry patches, or oily areas.
Resting
Cover the bowl and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
First Fold
Oil a patch on your work surface with olive oil. Oil the surface of your dough and turn it out of the bowl so it lands upside down on the oily patch. For this first fold we are the most thorough. Stretch and fold your dough over onto itself all the way around, about 10-12 times. Even in the short time it has rested enough to transform your raggedy dough into a nice smooth ball.
Resting
Turn it over, smooth side up, and rest your dough back in the bowl for 45 minutes.
Second Fold
Oil your work surface again, turn the dough out onto the oil so it lands upside down. Repeat the folds above only this time folding 6-8 times.
Out Now
This recipes comes straight out of my book, Bread Every Day.
JAM PACKED with bread recipes, principles and ideas as well as tons of accompanying dishes that make your bread the star of the show!
Resting
Return the dough to the bowl smooth side up and rest again for 45 minutes.
Third Fold
Repeat the second stage stretch and fold, exactly the same.
Resting
Return to the bowl for a 30 minute rest.
While you are waiting make your topping. Pick your rosemary leaves into a bowl and add 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix together and set aside.
Divide and Shape
Line a 30cm x 40cm baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle with a little olive oil and slide the whole dough pillow out of the bowl and into the tray.
Press your puffy dough with your fingertips all over, right to the bottom of the tray, to create dimples and to spread the dough out. Be careful at this stage, we want to spread the dough but we don’t want to flatten it and lose too much gas along the way. Don’t stretch your dough sideways to make it fit the tray it’ll only snap back and go crinkly! Dimple down into the tray and it will naturally spread. Pour your rosemary oil over the top and dimple the dough again with fingertips.
Resting
Rest the dough for another 45-60 minutes. During this time preheat the oven to 200°C Fan/Gas Mark 7 with a shelf in the middle for your focaccia (or two if you have 4 pie tins) and a deep tray in the bottom for your steam. Fill the kettle half way with water for later.
Baking
When it is clear your focaccia has risen and is delicate to the touch, sprinkle a little sea salt evenly over the top, and boil the kettle. Place your focaccia onto the oven shelf, pour the hot water into the tray below, close the oven door and bake it for 30-40 minutes. Slide a knife underneath the bread, lift it and take a peep. If it is golden all over the base it is ready, and if it’s still a little pale in the centre continue baking for 5 minutes more before checking again.
Drizzle once again with olive oil when still hot, remove from the tray as soon as it’s cool enough to handle, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.