Focaccia
A soft Italian flatbread proved overnight in the fridge and baked in a tray with olive oil.
Ingredients
- For the dough
- 500 g strong white bread flour (or plain flour)
- 460 ml lukewarm water
- 10 g fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- For the tray and topping
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) flaky sea salt
Method
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm water and stir to a sticky, lump-free dough, then cover the bowl and leave for 30 minutes.
- With a wet hand, lift one edge of the dough and fold it over into the middle; turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat for all four sides. After another 30 minutes, fold the dough again in the same way.
- Cover the bowl tightly and leave the dough in the fridge overnight (8-12 hours).
- The next morning, grease a 30 x 40 cm tray with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Tip the dough into the tray and stretch it out with oiled fingers; if it springs back, rest it for 10 minutes and stretch again.
- Cover the tray and leave the dough at room temperature for 1 hour, until puffy and bubbly.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (conventional) in good time. Press deep dimples into the dough with your fingertips, drizzle over the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the flaky salt.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until golden on top and around the edges. Rest in the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack and slice.
Note: In summer, press halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves into the dough in the tray before its final rise.
From Chef Fatma's notebook. Where the notebook listed only the ingredients, we wrote out the method for a home kitchen. Measures: 1 cup = 200 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml. Oven temperatures are for a conventional oven without a fan. If you have an allergy, please read the ingredients carefully.