*A Good Thing* Vol. 5
I love focaccia, especially this one.
I’ve always been into baking but it wasn’t until 2020 when I, along with thousands of others, used my Pandemic time to start a sourdough program. On my birthday that year, my starter, Mary Lou Conroy, was born. She is still alive and thriving. I love her. I love sourdough. So, when Alan asked if I’d ever made a focaccia, I immediately searched for sourdough versions. That’s when I came across this Bon Apetit recipe for Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia.
Honestly, I didn’t know focaccia is usually kneaded, so this didn’t feel wildly revolutionary. The kicker for me…yeast, glorious yeast! I’ve used both Active-Dry and Instant for this recipe and have had major success with both. Yeast is SO much fun to bake with. I love how it smells, I love how fast it grows, I love that it yields the fluffiest, cutest doughs. This focaccia is a dream. It’s thick and perfect for sandwiches or just by itself. After a few days, when it starts to dry out, toss it in a pan with some oil and garlic and salt and make croutons. I’ve added olives on top and rosemary, the key is lots of olive oil and flaky sea salt. I think the real secret to this recipe is the butter you coat the pan with, it adds this sneaky crispy crust that is to die for. I’m going to translate the recipe for you below, but please check out their version that I linked above, they also provide videos! I hope you will try it and enjoy!! Without further adieu….
Bon Apetit’s Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia
*my notes will be in bold italics*
This usually takes around 6 hours start to finish.
INGREDIENTS
1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)
2 tsp. honey
5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for pan (I only use this for buttering the pan, see recipe for their garlic butter)
Flaky sea salt
2–4 garlic cloves (I don’t add the garlic butter but it sounds great)
PREPARATION
Step 1
Whisk one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water (like around 100-110 degrees) in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).
Step 2
After it’s activated, add 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour and 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt (honestly, whatever salt you have) and mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
Step 3
Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours. (the warmer the area, the faster the rise.)
Step 4
Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan, for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches, or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet, for focaccia that's thinner, crispier, and great for snacking. (I always go for 13x9”) The butter may seem superfluous, but it’ll ensure that your focaccia doesn’t stick. Pour 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. (Go look at their recipe to see a video of this!) Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (We learned this technique from Alexandra Stafford, (WE LOVE ALEXANDRA COOKS!) who uses it to shape her no-knead bread.) Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. (usually takes a little over an hour for second rise)
Step 5
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.) Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you probably won't need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (reach your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan) (this is when I add olives or rosemary, whatever other toppings you like.) Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (I use more than a TBSP) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt (you must get flaky sea salt!). Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. (mine goes less that 20 sometimes, like 18 minutes, but I’ve also cooked it for 26…keep an eye out for golden brown.) It’s best served warm right out of the oven but it’s great cooled for sandwiches or snacking. Enjoy!!
Note:
Focaccia is best eaten the day it's made, but keeps well in the freezer. Slice it into pieces, store it in a freezer-safe container, then reheat it on a baking sheet in a 300° F oven.
Hope you enjoy this one, see you Monday!
xoxo.
So excited to have the recipe!!