Spices has always intrigue me when making savoury bread. I think they add a depth of flavour that can otherwise be too plain for the palette. This is one of my preferred Focaccia and is simple to make if you follow the schedule accordingly.
This recipe requires that you have some basic knowledge on working with sourdough starter.
RECIPE
Levain
30 g Mature Starter
60 g Water at 24°C
15 g Rye Flour
45 g White Baker's Flour
Final Focaccia Dough
175 g 50% Tipo OO Flour
175 g 50% White Baker's Flour (11.5% Protein)
280 g 80% Water
88 g 25% Active Levain
7 g 2% Fine Salt
7 g 2% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 unit Potatoes - Diced and boiled until just tender
Qs. Pink sea salt flakes for sprinkling
Curry Paste
16 g Olive Oil
2 tbsp Curry Powder
4 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Mustard seeds
Mix all the ingredients together into a paste. You will use half of this paste for sautéeing the onion. to prepare the onions, slice the onion in to thin strips over a frying pan and sautée with the curry paste until just soft. Leave aside until fully cooled. The remaining curry paste will be used to spread over the dough during Lamination.
Workflow Plan
Before or in the middle of preparing the dough, you can prepare the curry paste and diced potatoes ahead.
The below time schedule is a time frame that works for my schedule. You will need to organize you work flow according to the time that best suits you. The workflow plan is a brief guideline on how long each process will take in preparation of the Focaccia.
10 pm - The night before, build the Levain and leave it at room temperature overnight. The Levain will take around 12 to 14 hours to reach its peak. If you are living in an area that is remotely humid, fermentation time may be shorter and vice versa.
9:30 am - The next morning, mix all the ingredients for the Focaccia together, adding the oil last until the ingredients have come together. At this point, the dough should look a little shaggy. Cover the dough and let it rest in the bowl for 30 minutes.
10 am- Spray the work bench with some water ensuring that you do not over do it otherwise the dough will slide around too much. Transfer the dough over and starting from the centre stretch the dough out in to a square or rectangle. The dough do not need to be stretched out too thinly.
Starting from the top end, fold over to the centre then fold the opposite ends closer to you over to fully cover the top. You will now have a dough that is a strip. Fold from one open end lengthwise so the the end meets the centre and then fold the opposite open ends over to cover the top of the dough.
Lightly grease a container with oil then transfer the dough over. Cover with a lid and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
10:30 am- Perform the first coil fold. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes again.
11 am- Perform the Second Coil Fold. cover and rest for 30 minutes.
11:30am- Perform the Third and Last Coil Fold. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
12 pm - Generously brush olive oil on a deep baking tray. Transfer the dough over and sprinkle more oil on top and tub the dough with your hand to cover. With the help of your finger tip, gently press the dough down while stretching it until it fits half of the tray. Cover the dough for 20 minutes then proceed to pressing and stretching the dough again until it fully fits the baking tray.
Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place for 4 to 5 hours or until the dough starts to increase in volume and feels light and airy.
4 pm- An hour prior to the estimated time that the dough will be ready, pre heat the oven to 200 °C.
5 pm- When the Focaccia is ready, place it in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until it reaches the desired crust colour.
Remove the baked Focaccia from the oven and leave it to cool slightly then transfer over to the wire rack to fully cool. Serve!
