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Can't find Sriracha? Bake Focaccia!

Writer's picture: JulietJuliet

I'm not sure why I'm just not feeling the 4th of July standard food this weekend. I am making ribs tomorrow, but for the past few weeks, all I've wanted is hot focaccia. The idea for making fresh focaccia and a pan full of saucy meatballs came to me in one of my 4am 'break down the world's problems' sessions so, of course, it made it into my meal planning for this weekend!

 

Ingredients:

500g bread flour

420g lukewarm water

1 tsp instant yeast (quick or fast-acting)*

1 tsp honey

2 tsp fine sea salt

1 TB olive oil [Plus more for drizzling throughout the process]

Topping Options: flaky sea salt, rosemary (tossed lightly with oil), olives, shallots, really, just go crazy


*If using “dry active” yeast, you add an extra ¼ tsp of yeast and mix with lukewarm water and honey, let it sit until frothy (5-10 minutes) before adding to rest of the ingredients

 

A note on timing: This recipe rests/rises for a long time to get the craggy bubbles. It's not really difficult, but you have to allot the following: 30 minutes to get the dough started, then 24-48 hours for the fridge rise, then 1:45 hours for the counter rise then 20-25 min baking then 15 min to cool. So Friday at 2pm start = finished Sunday at 5pm. I was cutting it close for dinnertime so didn't allow much of a cooling period...oops!


Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, stir together the lukewarm water, instant yeast, honey, olive oil, and sea salt until evenly combined. Tip your bread flour into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix with a spoon until there are no dry patches remaining. Place a cloth on top of the bowl, let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2: After 10 minutes, you will stretch & fold the dough. Wet your hands (this prevents the dough from sticking to you), grab a handful of dough from the 12 o’clock position, pull it up slightly, then pull it all the way up and over the bulk of the dough to the 6 o’clock position. Repeat this action on all sides of the dough until it feels like you’ve created tension and you can’t stretch the dough up and over - it should have tightened to a rough ball. Let rest for 10 minutes and then repeat the stretch & fold one more time.

Step 3: After the second stretch & fold, wet your hands, gather your dough and place it seam side down into the bowl so the top is quite smooth. Top the dough with a good drizzle of olive oil (~1 TB) and rub it over the the dough so entire top surface is covered. Cover bowl with a shower cap, a lid, or plastic wrap - you want a tight seal. The dough will rise in the fridge so make sure that there’s room in the bowl for growth. Let it rest 24-48 hours. Longer rest time = more bubbles.

Step 4: Prepare your 9x13” baking tray. Put a tiny bit of oil on the tray, rub it all over, then place a sheet of parchment paper on top and press down. The oil helps the paper stay in place. Then drizzle about 2-3 TB of olive oil on the parchment paper and spread it evenly across the base and sides of the paper lining the tray.

Remove your dough from the fridge and, using a curved dough scraper, gently release the dough from the sides of the bowl and tip the dough into your oiled and lined tray.


Oil your hands and fold one side of the dough towards the middle of the blob of dough. Repeat with the other side, a bit like folding a piece of paper into thirds. Then, flip the dough so the seams from the folding are at the bottom and the smooth side is on top.

Cover using another tray flipped upside down and balanced on top of the tray with the dough - do not use plastic wrap or a towel as it will stick.

Let sit for about 1:45 - 2:25 hours (the dough should mostly fill the space in the tray). If it’s not filling the space after this time, oil your hands and pull the dough from the underside toward the edges of the tray. The timing of the rise will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.

Step 5: Preheat the oven to 220C/430F


When you think the dough is ready (it will be fluffy and jiggly when you shake the tray), drizzle the top with a little more olive oil, then oil your hands. Using both hands, press your fingers into the dough, gently touching the bottom of the tray. Repeat until the whole tray of dough is dimpled. Don’t dimple too crazily though, you can lose some of the bubbles. This was utterly satisfying and fun for my daughter too.

Top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and add any other toppings you like (olives, rosemary (coated in a bit of olive oil so it doesn’t burn), cherry tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cheese).


Step 6: Bake for 18-22 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven. Remove from oven when it’s a deep golden brown. Let it cool for a couple of minutes then, if you like, you can do another light drizzle/brush down with olive oil (it will soak right in). Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting.


I made these meatballs (some in sauce and some not for the non-tomato sauce peeps) to top this and some sauteed spinach. You can layer meatballs, spinach, and goat cheese if you don't like saucy balls.

Notes for next time: I'd bake the bread another 3-5 minutes until deeper gold then do the full rest period. I added a half tsp of dried oregano and a big pinch of thyme to the sauce.

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