About this recipe
by @baking - Feel free to contact me via Instagram or Facebook if you have any questions or comments.
Ingredients
- 250 g type 00 flour
- 5 g instant yeast (or 15 g fresh yeast)
- 2 g fine table salt
- 150 g lukewarm water
- high-quality olive oil
- coarse sea salt
- herbs of your choice, such as rosemary
- quality ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, olives, grilled vegetables, onion, etc.
Preparation
- Weigh out your tipo 00 flour, and add the salt and yeast to your mixing bowl. Stir briefly.
- Add the lukewarm water little by little, mixing it into the dough each time. If you are using a food processor, you can easily let it knead while adding the water at a slow pace. If you are kneading by hand, add a little water between kneading.
- Once all the ingredients have been combined, knead for 5 minutes. Then shape the dough into a nice ball with a soft and smooth surface.
- Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with the lid, a damp clean towel, or cling film. Leave to rise for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or if it is cold, in your closed oven with only the light on (so you don't accidentally turn your oven on).
- After an hour, take your dish or cast iron pan and coat it thoroughly with olive oil. Now you can also sprinkle coarse sea salt into your dish—it tastes great when there are a few grains of salt on each side after baking.
- Carefully place the dough in the oiled dish and use your fingertips to push it out in all directions. This will not be easy at this stage, so do not force the dough. Cover the dish and leave to rest and rise for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to around 230-250°C.
- After rising, remove the lid or foil and generously drizzle the dough with good olive oil. Use your fingertips to gently press the dough across the entire surface to about 1/4 of the bottom, creating the typical dimples.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary (or herbs of your choice), and gently press the halved cherry tomatoes, olives, or other ingredients into the dough, especially into the indentations. Drizzle lightly with olive oil once more.
- Cover your cast iron pan with a lid, or your dish with aluminum foil, for example, and place it in the oven. This prevents the top from cooking too quickly while the bottom still needs time.
- Bake the focaccia for about 20 to 25 minutes. The intensity of your heat will determine a lot, so as always, keep an eye on it. Feel free to turn the pan or dish every 5 minutes to prevent the side closest to the heat from burning, and remove the foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes to get a delicious, slightly crispy wood-fired finish.
- Allow to cool briefly, remove the focaccia from the pan and place on a wire rack to keep it crispy. Then enjoy it with your friends or family as soon as possible (but don't burn yourself)!