Recipe: Delicious Focaccia

So I made a focaccia this weekend that was utterly delicious and a lovely chewy texture, so I thought I'd share the recipe. It is based on this one by Kitchen and Craft on Youtube, but I changed is up a little, so here is my version. This vid is very good for technique though, very, very useful for all new to making focaccia, so definitely watch it. You may also prefer their recipe.

Ingredients

600g/4.5cups Strong Bread Flour
1 sachet of fast action yeast (7g)
450g warm water (38-39C / 100-105F this is approx blood temp, so if you don't have a thermometer, check it with your little finger, if it feels hot, it's too warm, if it feel cool it's too cold)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

toppings - dried rosemary, garlic granules, sea salt granules

Equipment

2 large bowls
1 med bowl
large 35x26cm baking pan (~14x10 inches)

Method

Put the flour in one of the large bowls and add the yeast and mix through, making a well in the centre.
Put the warm water in the med bowl and add the salt, making sure it dissolves fully.
Add the salt water to the well in the flour, then add the olive oil as well.
Bring the flour and liquid together (I put a little bit of oil on my fingers so the dough doesn't cling completely to them) until it's homogenised.
Grease the second large bowl and transfer the dough to it (a bench scraper/dough scraper is really useful for this, but use a spatula if you don't have one - best not to use a hand since the dough will be very sticky).
For this bit, it is definitely a good idea to lightly grease our fingers with oil as well. Grab a chunk of dough (about a third) from the side and drag it up and over the top, tucking it onto the other side of the dough. Turn the bowl 1 quarter and do the same again. Repeat two or three more times.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film and leave for 20 mins.
Repeat 6 and 7 four more times, or until the dough is smooth and shows resistance to touch.
Cover the bowl tightly with cling film or something equivalent so that there is an air tight seal and put the dough in the fridge for a slow prove. Overnight is easiest. This is to develop extra flavour and gluten in the flour, since we aren't doing a big knead.
In the morning, grease the baking pan and transfer the dough to it. Push it out to the edges of the pan with finger tips. Sometime the dough will resist because it is cold, cover it and leave it for 10 minutes if it won't stretch, then try again.
Cover with cling film or a damp cloth and place in a warm place to prove for about an hour. (I put my oven on its lowest setting in advance and then turned it off when I placed the pan in it).
Take the pan out and with wet fingers put dimples all down the dough, but be careful not to knock out all the air.
Put the dough back in the warm place and let rise for another 45 mins or so before bringing it out. The dough should fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the tin and should look a little bubbly and wobbly. If the dough has not risen enough, find a slightly warmer place - my oven was too cool at the end and I heated it up a little bit, then put the dough back in for another 15 mins, which did the trick.
Pre-heat the oven to 230C/450F.
Now add the toppings - you can add what you like, I went with dried rosemary, and garlic granules with some sea salt, but go with whatever flavours you fancy. Just add a drizzle of extra virgin oil over the top.
Bake the bread for 15-20 mins until golden. If you have a baking thermometer the internal temp of the bread should be ~88C/190°F.
Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool.

The bread is very nice dipped in oil or slathered in butter 😋.