Traditional Focaccia Bread
What’s The Big Deal About Focaccia
What is a Biga and Why Use It
In the realm of baking, a biga is a pre-ferment vital for enhancing both flavor and texture. This technique leverages the natural yeasts in flour, and adding a small amount of yeast accelerates the fermentation process. This method differs from sourdough starters, where fermentation occurs naturally over time. While sourdough starters require maintenance and feeding over long periods, a biga is prepared just when needed
Uses of Focaccia Bread
I fondly recall a quaint Antica in Florence, located just before the Ponte Vecchio bridge. This establishment had an assembly-line approach to crafting sandwiches. Customers would choose a sauce—black truffle spread being the uncontested favorite—a single type of meat, and their preferred cheese. A word of advice: approach the line decisively and ready to order. Hesitation might earn you a skip in the queue, reminiscent of the infamous soup nazi scenario.
Think of focaccia as the precursor to the Roman pizza; it paved the way for the pizza we adore today. Focaccia is incredibly versatile—you can craft pockets filled with, well, whatever your heart desires. Among all its renditions, my ultimate favorite is focaccia paired with fresh Stracciatella cheese. While it’s a rarity outside of Italy, when you chance upon it, it’s a flavor to cherish.
Genovese Focaccia
For those keen on crafting the perfect Genovese focaccia, often referred to as “Fugassa”, here are some pointers:
1. When shaping your dough to fit your sheet pan, avoid pressing and pushing, which can deflate the air pockets formed during fermentation, leading to a denser focaccia. Instead, gently pull and stretch.
2. Be mindful of the olive oil quantity on your sheet pan; excessive oil can turn the base of your focaccia soggy.
3. Aim for a dough thickness of approximately 3/4″ once baked. Initially, you should be targeting about 1/3″ in raw dough thickness, though, ultimately, it’s up to your personal preference.
Traditional Focaccia Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Poolish
- 1 cup Unbleached bread flour 160g by weight
- 1 cup Water, tepid or slightly warm 200ml, 230g
- ½ tsp Active dry yeast 2g by weight
Dough
- Poolish (see above)
- 1 ½ cup Unbleached bread flour 250g by weight
- ¼ cup water 50 ml
- ½ tsp Honey
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- ¼ tsp Yeast 1g by weight
Pre-Bake Topping
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Rosemary
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Poolish Instructions
- Using a fork or wire whisk, mix flour water and yeast together until there are no lumps.
- Cover loosely with a plastic wrap and set aside on the counter overnight, 10 hours.
Focaccia Dough Instructions
- Mix poolish and dough ingredients together in a large mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid bowl, if using stand mixer.
- Knead for 15 minutes by hand or 10 minutes using stand mixer at level 2 with dough hook.
- In a large bowl, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and move dough into that bowl. Roll dough around to evenly coat it with olive oil and cover with damp kitchen towel, plastic wrap or my favorite, a shower cap.
- Rest in warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- In a 9 x 13 sheet pan, use half of the olive oil to coat the bottom and gently scrap the focaccia dough into the sheet pan. Pull the dough to stretch it to reach the edges of the pan.
- Pre-heat oven to 375°
- Pour the remainder of the olive oil on top and spread evenly. Add more if you need more but make sure to top is coated.
- Using your finger tips, press down into the dough to create dimples.
- Sprinkle with salt and rosemary
- Once, oven comes to temp, bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on the and the internal temperature is 200°F
I KNEW IT! I was watching the Great British Baking Show last night, when Focaccia was one of the challenges, and I thought, “my goodness that is basically pizza.” Great to know some of the history!
Yeah I was surprised to when I found out too! It’s the basis for Sicilian pizza.
Loved this article! Can’t wait to try it. Love the nutrition information below the recipe.
Thanks Blas! Let me know what you think when you make it!