We're finally jumping on the focaccia bandwagon. What once seemed like an out-of-reach baking feat now seems achievable if you've got the time and essential ingredients.
This is our spin on Samin Nosrat’s Ligurian Focaccia recipe, taken from her cookbook, Salt Fat Acid Heat. We swapped in our Infused Rosemary Sea Salt for the Pure Kosher Sea Salt to give it a subtle, fragrant taste throughout.
Note: You can still make this focaccia using Pure Kosher Sea Salt instead of Infused Rosemary Salt. Just remember to mix together some olive oil and Infused Rosemary Salt for extra delicious bread dipping.
Original recipe from Samin Nosrat and Diego Bedin, with the help of Josey Baker.
For the dough:
- 2½ cups (600 grams) lukewarm water
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast, we used Real Good Food Active Dry Yeast
- 2½ teaspoons (15 grams) honey, we use Jacobsen Co. Raw Honey
- 5 1/3 cups (800 grams) all-purpose flour, we used Real Good Food AP Flour
- 2 tablespoons (18 grams) Jacobsen Salt Co. Infused Rosemary Salt
- ¼ cup (50 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan and finishing. Our favorite is Enzo Olive Oil
- Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Flake Finishing Sea Salt, for finishing
For the brine:
- 1½ teaspoons (5 grams) Jacobsen Salt Co. Infused Rosemary Salt
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) lukewarm water
PROCESS
In a medium bowl, stir together water, yeast, and honey to dissolve. In a very large bowl, whisk flour and salt together to combine and then add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir with a rubber spatula until just incorporated, then scrape the sides of the bowl clean and cover with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature to ferment for 12 to 14 hours until at least doubled in volume.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil evenly onto a 18-by-13 inch (46-by-33 cm) rimmed baking sheet. When dough is ready, use a spatula or your hand to release it from the sides of the bowl and fold it onto itself gently, then pour out onto pan. Pour an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil over dough and gently spread across. Gently stretch the dough to the edge of the sheet by placing your hands underneath and pulling outward. The dough will shrink a bit, so repeat stretching once or twice over the course of 30 minutes to ensure dough remains stretched.
Dimple the dough by pressing the pads of your first three fingers in at an angle. Make the brine by stirring together salt and water until salt is dissolved. Pour the brine over the dough to fill dimples. Proof focaccia for 45 minutes until the dough is light and bubbly.
Thirty minutes into this final proof, adjust rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F (235°C). If you have a baking stone, place it on rack. Otherwise, invert another sturdy baking sheet and place on rack. Allow to preheat with the oven until very hot, before proceeding with baking.
Sprinkle focaccia with flaky sea salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes directly on top of stone or inverted pan until bottom crust is crisp and golden brown when checked with a metal spatula. To finish browning top crust, place focaccia on upper rack and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more.
Remove from oven and brush or douse with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil over the whole surface (don’t worry if the olive pools in pockets, it will absorb as it sits). Let cool for 5 minutes, then release focaccia from pan with metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
To store, wrap in parchment and then keep in an airtight bag or container to preserve texture. Gently toast or reheat any leftover focaccia before serving. Alternatively, wrap tightly to freeze, then defrost and reheat before serving.