Focaccia

Focaccia is a soft and airy Italian flatbread with a crisp, golden crust, often topped with olive oil, sea salt, and herbs like rosemary. It's perfect as a side, for sandwiches, or enjoyed on its own.

Ingredients

Steps

To make garlic confit:-
Submerge garlic cloves in olive oil and cook under low heat for 30 minutes
Cook garlic until golden
To make the dough
Mix flour and yeast in a bowl. Leave a well in the middle
Add salt to the warm water and stir to dissolve
Pour warm salted water to flour and yeast mixture and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Stir the mixture together. After few minutes mixing with hand, it will come together to form a wet dough
Transfer the dough to another greased bowl. In lieu of kneading, use a series of folds to introduce air into the dough. Grab a quarter to one third of the dough from underneath, lift up and stretch until dough resist and fold over onto itself and press. Do it over 3 to 4 times until complete a full turn. Cover and rest for 20 minutes
Do the folding process 4 more times. Resting 20 minutes between each fold
Cover the dough and leave it in the fridge for overnight fermentation
Pull the dough from the fridge. It should double in size.
Grease a baking pan (9 by 13 inches) with one tablespoon of olive oil
Transfer the dough into pan and gently press the dough to spread to four corners
Cover with film to leave to rise for second time for an hour. (Oven with light turn on between 26-32 degrees Celsius would be perfect temperature)
Have a bowl of water next to the pan
Dip fingers into water
Dip wet fingers into the dough and press straight down to the bottom of the pan
Cover the dough and continue to proof for 45 minutes to an hour on kitchen counter. Pre heat oven to 230 degrees Celsius
Dough should rise and bubbles visible on the surface and if shaken , it should jiggle
Top with rosemary leaves, garlic confits and anchovies if using. Drizzle garlic infused olive oil and sprinkle some salt over
Place baking pan in middle rack and bake for 20 minutes
Pop bread out of baking pan onto wire rack to cook off
Slice to serve. Enjoy