Slow-rise Focaccia
Bread can be a fickle thing. I've certainly turned out a dud loaf more times than I'd like to admit. But a slow-rise focaccia is a bread you knead to give a try.
It's as easy as mixing all the ingredients in a stand mixer for 15 minutes and then resting the dough in a bowl overnight to let the magic happen as it slowly doubles in size.
You can bake it on the same day, but giving the dough a slow rise overnight results in a far tastier focaccia that's covered with satisfyingly large fermentation bubbles that practically shout - I'M DELICIOUS!
Check out the recipe below, inspired by Karen Martini’s focaccia recipe in her phenomenal book, HOME.
Watch my how-to video on Instagram!
Ingredients
Bread
800g plain flour
15g fine sea salt
7g (one sachet) dried yeast
680ml warm water
100ml olive oil
15ml honey or golden syrup
Toppings
Rosemary
Sea salt flakes
Olive oil
Method
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, salt and yeast together. In a seperate jug, mix the warm water, honey and oil together.
With the dough hook attached, turn your mixer on a slow speed and slowly pour the liquid mix into the flour mix.
After a minute or two the dough will start to come together. Turn the mixer to medium speed and continue to mix for about 15 minutes.
Transfer the wet dough to a lightly-oiled large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, prepare the focaccia dough by lining a large roasting tray with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil. Pour dough onto the tray and gently stretch it out. Set aside to prove for about 1 hour, or until it looks light and puffy
Preheat oven to 240C. Once the dough is proved, lightly oil your fingers with olive oil and gently dimple the dough with your fingers and add your toppings.
Bake for 15 minutes at 240 degrees, and then lower the temperature to 200 degrees C and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
This is best eaten on the day it’s baked, but also toasts up beautifully the next day.
