Bakeries and some sandwich shops here sell Focaccia-based "sandwiches", but not just the bread, so I've gotta make it myself. I no longer I have a big KitchenAid stand mixer, so I wanted to try making the dough in my Bosch Multitalent 8 food processor. After one false start, this came out quite well: crunchy with a reasonably soft crumb, rich with oil, and versatile for making (say) tostadas con anchoas the next day.
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| Much easier on the second attempt |
In the US, I made Focaccia bread in US "half sheet" pans, but our oven in Barcelona is much smaller. Even the built-in tray is smaller, so I scaled my recipe by 77% to fit the reduced size:
Half-Sheet: 33x18 inch = 45x33 cm = 1485 cm^2 area
Oven tray: 38x30 cm = 1140 cm^2 area -- 77% of a half sheet pan
690 g Flour [100%], regular (9% protein)
514 g Water [74.5% hydration]
9 g Yeast
12 g Salt
104 g Olive Oil, extra virgin (115 ml) [15%]
12 g Rosemary, fresh, chopped fine, for topping
7 g Salt, coarse, for topping
Add the Water and Flour to the processor and whiz on slowest speed to combine.
Let rest 30 minutes to autolize (allow enzymes to convert starch to sugar, develop gluten, and slacken dough).
Add Yeast and whiz at lowest speed for 1 minute.
Add Salt and whiz at lowest speed for 2 minutes; the motor started smelling hot, and after a minute it shutdown due to thermal overload. Worse, the dough had escaped down the drive tube into the drive shaft. I scooped out all the dough into a bowl, covered, and let rise 45 minutes until about doubled.
Cover oven tray with foil and pour in all the oil.
Spread the dough as much as you can, but it will spring back.
Refrigerate 10 minutes and spread again, ensuring you get oil under all the dough.
Repeat twice.
Top with chopped Rosemary and coarse Salt, dimple, and let rise an hour.
Bake 45 minutes at 180C.
Before and after:
Despite the trauma with the dough and the food processor, it turned out OK: a little more chewy than I'd like, perhaps a bit under risen and bubbly.
Next time:
I'd like to make this again, avoiding problems and with some improvements.
The Manual for the MC812M844 on Page 9 shows a maximum of 750 g Flour and 2 minutes low speed for the dough hook; I was under both of those.
Try adding the Flour first, then while spinning (on slowest setting) drizzle in the Water, and stop when combined. I probably do not need the 1 and 2 minute whiz after adding Yeast and Salt, especially since it's a high-hydration dough; perhaps just spin to combine. Add Yeast and spin briefly, then Salt and spin again -- don't add at same time or the Salt will kill the Yeast (this discussion of the autolyse technique includes the Yeast in that step, delaying only the addition of Salt).
Use higher hydration percentage to encourage more bubbles and lighter texture. The ratio here is already high at 74%, how much higher can we push it?
In the USA, I used no/low-knead techniques with very little yeast and multi-day refrigerated ferments. Could I do the same here? Would it help? This no-knead recipe uses a first cold ferment then second room temperature rise in the pan; she uses 89% (!) hydration, and a higher temperature which might improve oven spring.
While pushing the oil under the dough, the foil tore -- irritating. I used foil in my sheet pans because the bread stuck fiercely, but maybe I can get away without it in this oven tray.
Consider using cold water to offset heat from the food processor.
If I have to reduce the volume of Flour, consider getting a new sheet pan to fit our small oven; the ones I have are dinky and really dinky. Size it for the maximum dough I can get in the food processor.
2025-11-13 Same recipe, no overflow
Since my food processor claimed it could handle the amount of flour, I use the same recipe. But this time, I added the Flour to the machine, and -- while running -- drizzled in the water until just combined. It did NOT run into the tube and drive shaft. After the same 30 minute autolysis, I briefly whizzed in the Yeast, then whizzed in the Salt and let it spin for a minute.
The rest was largely identical to the previous attempt. This time I did NOT line the oven tray with foil, but ensured I pushed the oil under the dough on each chill and stretch step. I let it rise a bit longer in the final stage.
Finally, I started the oven higher, 225C, to get some oven spring for the first 15 minutes, then dropped back down to 180C for the final 30 minutes.
It came out better than before, with crisp top and bottom, and a softer interior.
However, the inside had a fairly consistent fine crumb, rather than large holes I'd prefer. My hydration here is 74.4%, and I've seen recipes use around 80-85%, so I should try a wetter dough to see if it give me a more hole-y texture.
Irene thinks it has too much oil on the bottom. Many recipes just add Oil to the dough, which obviates the chill and stretch steps, but would require foil or paper in the baking sheet or oven tray.
2025-11-22 Same, with High Hydration
I'm looking for a more open whole texture, a little lighter. My recipe has been 74.5% hydration, but I saw other recipes with 79% and 84%, so I'll try that high end, otherwise all the same:
690 g Flour [100%]
580 g Water [84% hydration]
Spin the Flour and pour in the Water, and let it run until a fairly even consistency. This is quite wet so the motor didn't struggle.
Proceed as before: 30 minute autolysis, spin with Yeast, spin with Salt for 90 seconds or so.
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| So wet, it pours almost like batter |
Rise covered 90 minutes, fill oiled tray, 1 refrigerated rest (didn't need more to relax the dough), final 90-minute rise, bake starting at 225C then 180C.
It did not turn out as bubbly as I had hoped. However, the bottom was not as oily as the previous batches, and it wasn't as crispy. Perhaps I didn't let it rise long enough. It was easier to pour out of the food processor and relaxed more easily, but I need to try something else.
Perhaps repeat, with middling hydration of 80% and incorporate the oil (possibly reducing the volume) directly in the dough -- but how would that turn out differently than my fine-crumb sandwich bread that also incorporates oil in the dough?
Future...
This bubbly no-knead recipe is 84% hydration and uses a paltry 1 Tbs (15 ml) Oil to 560g Flour, plus 4 Tbs in the pan. She uses a cold secondary ferment in the fridge overnight.
King Arthur's bubbly recipe (also no-knead) is 79% hydration with a low 5% Oil, a third of mine. Serious Eats has a similar 80% hydration no-knead recipe, 13% Oil, with a 3-day refrigerated rise.
The Kitchn gushes about Samin Nosrat's recipe which curiously douses the dough with Salt Water; unfortunately, they don't use weights so check the comments for the bakers percentages: 75% hydration (plus later brine!) and 8% Oil. A follow-up article recommends replacing the recipe's Honey with Barley Malt Syrup. I'm generally not fond of adding sweeteners to my bread, but I like Nosrat's book and show, and trust her: 2% isn't that much.
If high-hydration works well, consider adding oil directly to the dough, and spread on a foil- or parchment-lined tray to avoid the oily bottom Irene objects to.
Try using higher-protein strong / bread flour like this 12.9% "fuerza" flour.
