Peter Reinharts Focaccia Recipes

PETER REINHART'S FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Measure flour into mixing bowl of an electric stand mixer. Measure salt onto one side of flour, and yeast onto the other side (if the two touch now, the salt will kill the yeast). Mix on low speed with paddle attachment, adding the water and the olive oil, for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it comes together in a smooth, sticky dough.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment, and knead on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough forms a smooth, sticky ball which clears the sides of the bowl, but sticks to the bottom. You may need to lighlty add additional flour to make the dough firm enough to form a ball, but it should be very soft and sticky.
• Sprinkle a 6x6-inch square of flour on your countertop, and using a bowl scraper, remove the dough to the floured counter. Dust liberally with bread flour, and pat into a rectangle. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Coat your hands in flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold each end over itself, like folding a letter and give it a quarter turn (90-degree turn). Dust with flour, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Repeat Step 3 two more times, the last time allowing the covered dough to ferment on the counter for 1 hour. The dough will swell, but not double in size.
• Line a 17x12-inch sheet pan with parchment paper, and drizzle about 1/4 cup of olive oil onto the paper, and spread it around with your hands or a pastry brush. With oiled hands, gently lift the dough onto the parchment, maintaining the rectangular shape.
• Use your fingertips to simultaneously dimple the dough and spread it to fill the pan. Use ONLY your fingertips! Keep the thickness as uniform as possible, for even baking. If dough springs back too much, allow to rest for 15 minutes, then continue. Don't worry too much about filling the pan entirely - when the dough proofs, it will naturally fill out the pan. Loosely cover the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or up to 3 days).
• Remove the pan from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking. Drizzle additional olive oil over the dough surface and dimple it in. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary over the entire surface of the bread. Cover with the pan with plastic again and proof the dough at room temperature for 3 hours or until the dough doubles in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place a rack on the middle shelf.
• Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the focaccia becomes a light golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment from the bottom of the focaccia, if it sticks.
• Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Wrap any extra slices in individual packages of plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

PAIN à L'ANCIENNE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse and wet. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the dough, then resume mixing on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment, or by hand using a large wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute. The dough should become smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, reach under the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process three more times, completing all repetitions within 30 to 40 minutes. (You can also do the stretch and folds in the bowl, as shown on page 17.)
• After the final stretch and fold, return the dough to the oiled bowl and immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days, or pan it immediately (as described below).
• To make 1 large focaccia, line a 12 by 16-inch sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Oil it generously, including the sides, with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then transfer the dough to the pan. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over the top of the dough, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it to cover about half of the pan. Make sure the top of the dough is coated with oil, then cover the pan (not the dough) tightly with plastic wrap and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 4 days.
• For round focaccia, cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit inside an 8- or 9-inch round pan. Oil both the parchment and the sides of the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then transfer the dough to the pan. For an 8-inch pan, use 8 ounces (227 g) of dough; for a 9-inch pan, use 12 ounces (340 g) of dough. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the top of the dough, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it as far as it will allow. Don't force the dough when it starts to spring back. Cover the pan (not the dough) tightly with plastic wrap and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 4 days.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 1/2 hours before you plan to bake, and if you haven't already panned it, follow the instructions above to do so, spreading it to cover a portion of the pan.
• Warm the oven for just a few minutes, then turn it off; or, if you have a gas oven with a pilot light, it's warm enough without any heating. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the surface of the dough and, beginning in the center and working toward the sides, dimple the dough with your fingertips to spread it over more of the pan. The dough will start resisting and sliding back toward the center after a minute of this; stop dimpling at that point. It should now be covering 70 to 80 percent of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the warm oven (with the heat off!). For a gas oven with a pilot light, leave the focaccia in for just 5 minutes. Otherwise, leave it in for about 8 minutes. (If you have plenty of time, you can simply let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes between dimplings, which will require a total of about 4 hours prior to baking.)
• After the focaccia has been out of the oven for 10 minutes, remove the plastic wrap, drizzle another small amount of olive oil over the dough, and dimple it again. This time it should cover about 90 percent of the pan. Cover it again and return it to the warm oven for 5 minutes in a gas oven with a pilot light or 10 to 20 minutes for any other type of oven. On the third dimpling (if not the second), the dough should evenly fill the entire pan. If it creeps in from the corners because of the oil, don't worry; it will fill the corners as it rises. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and proof the dough in the slightly warm oven as before, removing it after 5 to 10 minutes and completing the rise at room temperature. It should be about 1 inch high in 1 to 1 1/2 hours (longer if not using the oven).
• Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). (You don't need a baking stone, but if you'd like to use one, allow 45 minutes for it to preheat.) Top the focaccia with your choice of toppings (see page 70 for topping ideas), but wait until the end of the baking time to add any cheese.
• Place the pan in the oven. For large focaccia, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the top of the dough is golden brown. For round focaccia, keep the oven temperature at 500°F (260°C) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. If you use moist toppings, such as fresh tomatoes or sauce, the focaccia will take longer to bake. To test for doneness, use a metal spatula to lift the edge of the focaccia so you can see the underside; it should be a mottled golden brown in spots, not white all over. If you're topping the focaccia with cheese, add it when the focaccia appears to be done, then bake for another 2 to 4 minutes to melt the cheese.
• When you remove the focaccia from the oven, run a pastry blade or metal spatula along the sides of the pan to loosen the focaccia, then carefully slide the focaccia, parchment and all, onto a wire rack. If any olive oil remains in the pan, pour it over the top of the focaccia. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

BLUE CHEESE, BALSAMIC ONION MARMALADE AND WALNUT FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Five hours before baking the focaccia, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and oil the bottom and interior sides with the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Begin panning and dimpling the dough, at 20-minute intervals, dipping your fingers in olive oil to keep them from sticking to the dough as you work. After three to four rounds of dimpling and resting, the dough will have relaxed enough to cover the whole pan. At this point, rub the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil over the dough and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap. Then allow 4 hours for the final rise.
• When the dough reaches the rim of the pan, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (425 degrees F for convection). Carefully peel off the plastic wrap and top the dough with the walnuts, pressing them into the dough. Spread the onion marmalade over the dough. Then top with the blue cheese, spacing the crumbles evenly so that every piece of the focaccia will include a pocket of blue cheese as well as walnuts and onions.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until the edge of the focaccia is golden brown and the dough is springy when poked in the center. The undercrust of the focaccia as well as the onions should be caramelized to a golden brown.
• Transfer the baked focaccia to the stovetop or to a heatproof counter. Using an offset spatula or bench blade, carefully slide it around the edge, between the crust and the side of the pan, and then lift the focaccia out of the pan and slide it onto a cutting board. If the parchment paper or baking mat is still clinging to the focaccia, remove it. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 3- or 4-inch squares and serve.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Add all of the water and mix on slow speed for 30 seconds or stir with a large spoon to form a coarse, shaggy dough. Add the 2 tablespoons of oil, increase the speed to medium (or continue mixing with the spoon or with wet hands), and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a wet, coarse, sticky dough. It may seem too wet to form a cohesive dough at this stage. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high (or continue mixing by hand) and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a smooth, sticky dough. It should be soft, supple and sticky to the touch, and offer a little resistance when pressed with a wet finger.
• Use 1 teaspoon of the extra oil to make a 15-inch-diameter oil slick on the work surface. Rub some oil on a plastic bowl scraper and on your hands and use the scraper to transfer the dough to the oil slick. Stretch and fold the dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold (rub more oil on the work surface as needed), cover the dough, and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Then repeat the stretch and fold, cover with the bowl, and again let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Perform a fourth and final stretch and fold to make a smooth ball of dough. The dough will have firmed up after each stretch and fold and will now be soft, smooth, supple, and somewhat sticky but firm enough to hold together when lifted. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.
• In a large frying pan or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, lower the heat to medium-low, and saute, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Do not cook over high heat, as the outside of the onions will char before the interior has softened and sweetened. Continue stirring for another few minutes, until the onions have softened and begin to turn a light amber color. Add the sugar and continue stirring until the sugar melts and begins to bubble. Clear a space in the center of the pan, pour the balsamic vinegar directly into the hot pan, and then stir the onions into the vinegar. Continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, until all the onions are coated, and then remove the pan from the heat.
• In a mesh strainer set over a clean saucepan, strain the onions, pressing them with a large spoon to release their juice, and wait a few minutes until they stop dripping. Return the strained onions to the saucepan in which they were cooked and set them aside.
• Bring the juice to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until thickened. This should take only a few minutes, so don't leave the pan unattended. As soon as the juice thickens into a honeylike syrup, remove it from the heat, pour it all back over the onions, and stir with a rubber spatula until they are coated with the syrup. Stir in the salt and pepper and let the onions cool.
• Transfer the mixture to a container, seal tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or transfer to sandwich-size resealable freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost at room temperature before using.
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups.