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Focaccia Bread

Bread

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A pillowy and airy Italian flat bread that was a staple growing up. Dont be scared, its a lot easier than you think

Temp

450 F

Time

20 Minutes

Ingredients

500 ml Water

550 g Bread Flour

1 tbsp Sea Salt

2 tbsp Instant Dry Yeast

1 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps

Adding Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water ( luke warm ) with the salt, sugar, yeast and olive oil. Wisk together to incorporate and for the sugar and salt to dissolve.

Add Flour

Add in your flour and using the handle of a wooden spoon or a danish dough hook, mix until the dough is wet and sticky.

10 Minute Rest

Cover with a tea towel and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes

Folding the dough

Wet your hands. We are going to perform 4 folds. Grab the edge of the dough ( about a hand full ), lift it up to stretch shaking gently. Fold it over the top of the dough and tuck it in. Rotate the bowl 90deg and repeat until 4 folds are complete.

Rest and Repeat

Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Then repeat the folding step above a total of 4 times. You should have folded the dough a total of 16 times.

Proof the Dough

Coat the dough in olive oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a tea towel. Let the dough rise for 1.5 hours at room temperature until it doubles in size.

Prepare Dough to Bake

Remove the plastic wrap and gently move the bowl back and forth on the counter allowing the dough to breath and bubbles to form. This is where you get that light airy pocket filled dough from

Add to Baking Pan

In a 9x13 baking pan, you want to generously add in some olive oil and rub/coat the entire pan including the sides. Pour in the dough and flip it over so that the top of the dough that was in the bowl is also the top of the dough in the pan. Gently spread the dough into the corners but do not force it.

Final Rest

Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes in the pan. It will continue to rise and stretch.

Preheat Oven

Preheat your over to 450F

Prep for Baking

Lightly drizzle some olive oil on top of the dough. Using your finger tips, dimple the dough by pressing down firmly till you touch the bottom and gently wiggle your hands back and forth. You will see air bubbles form, DO NOT POP THEM!

Bake

Bake the bread for 20 minutes or until the desired golden brown color is achieved

Cooling

Remove the bread from the tray and place it onto a cooling rack. This will prevent the bottom of the focaccia from becoming soggy. After 10 minutes, slice in and enjoy!