Overnight Focaccia
Sleep on it for the best flavour possible.
Focaccia holds a special place for me because it’s one of the first breads I started baking on my own. It’s forgiving, versatile, and every flavour I make seems to be everyone’s favourite and “the best bread ever”. I’ve made flavours like cherry pie, apple fritter, bacon and cheddar, rosemary and thyme, Kalamata olive, and so much more. I’ve also gone totally over the top and embedded a full Brie into the dough before baking. The options are endless.
This recipe makes two 8x8” loaves or one gorgeous 16x16” pan perfect for groups. It also freezes great, can be sliced for grilled cheese sandwiches, prepped for croutons or my bread pudding recipes, and don’t forget to save some for truly incredible French toast. The possibilities for this recipe are limited only by your imagination.—CFG
Ingredients:
For overnight starter:
500 g of water at 80°F
500 g all-purpose flour
Scant 1/4 tsp yeast
For dough:
500g all-purpose flour
230g water water at 105°F
20g finely ground sea salt
Optional seasonings (see below)
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together 500g of water heated to 80°F with 500g of all-purpose flour, and scant 1/4 tsp of yeast together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-16 hours. The starter mixture will expand in size and be bubbly with a strong fruity aroma.
To make the dough, use a stand mixer with the dough hook and add the starter mixture to the bowl with 230g of water heated to 105°F and mix until fully blended. Next, add 20g of finely ground sea salt and mix together. Finally, add in the remaining 500g of all-purpose Jacketflour and mix thoroughly until the dough comes together. It will be a bit shaggy and wet Wait, wait wait wait wait, we didn’t in texture.
Transfer the dough back to the large mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rest for 45 minutes then give the dough folds to complete one full turn. This is done by pulling one section of dough from the bottom of the bowl to its opposite side, then rotating the bowl and repeating the process until you’ve fully worked your way around the dough ball.
Rest the dough for another 45 minutes and complete a second set of folds and complete another turn.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and proof for 3-4 hours or until the dough approximately doubles in size.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled counter top. Using both hands lift the dough from the middle and then rest back down allowing the ends to fold under themselves, then repeat the action from top/down.
Line a 16x16” baking pan (or two 8x8” pans) with parchment paper and lightly drizzle with good olive oil, then transfer the dough to your large baking pan (or split in two with a bench scraper and transfer to two pans).
Drizzle a little oil on top, then lightly cover with plastic wrap, and allow the bread to proof/rise for 45-60min. (You can also lightly oil the top and cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours to enhance flavour— simply remove from fridge and proof for a total of ~2hrs — 1hr to come to room temperature and 1hr more to proof/rise).
Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle a bit more olive oil on the dough, then spread your fingers wide and push them into the dough in a downward motion. Lift your fingers out and go forward about 1-2 inches and repeat the motion until you reach the end of the pan. Turn the pan 90° and repeat the motion across the length of the pan to create bubbles.
Drizzle with more olive oil, sea salt, pepper. (This is where you can add optional toppings like roasted garlic, cheddar cubes, freshly chopped herbs, etc. See below for more details.)
Bake at 500°F for a total of 20-25 minutes. Check the bread after the first 10 minutes of baking. You may need to lay a piece of tinfoil loosely on top of the bread to stop the bubbles from burning. Finished bread will be 206°F, but you can pull the bread out of the oven at 195°F as it will continue to cook in the pan for several minutes after removing from the oven.
Allow bread to rest and cool, then serve and enjoy!
A Few Flavour Options
Herbs: Use 1 heaping tbsp of dried herbs when mixing the dough, then sprinkle 1/8-1/4 cup of fresh chopped herbs on the bottom of the oiled pan and again on the top of the rested dough just before baking.
Roasted garlic: use 1 head of garlic per loaf; place peeled garlic toes in a small saucepan and cover with olive oil, then cook on the lowest setting for ~30min. Let cool, then lightly smash toes and push the toes into the dough after you create the bubbles. Use the roasted garlic oil as part of the loaf preparation.
Toasted walnuts: Toast 1/2-1cup lightly chopped walnuts, allow to cool, then push into the dough after you create the bubbles.
Olives: Drain and pit 1/2-3/4cup of olives, then pat dry to remove excess moisture. Push slices into dough after you create the bubbles.
Other flavour ideas:
Rosemary
Thyme
Dill
Italian
Olives
Cheddar
Jalapeño
Bacon
Cinnamon raisin
Cardamom
