David Lebovitz 3-Day Focaccia

I haven't made bread since moving to Barcelona -- heat, higher energy costs -- but I've got the bug to make a focaccia after having an excellet one from Origo bakery here. David Lebovitz has an excellent blog, and posted adaptation of a recipe from Nicola Lamb's SIFT book. I'm waiting for cooler weather to make this, but wanted to save the recipe before I forgot where I put it. Everything below is Lebovitz's writing.

I made this recipe twice. The first time I used the roasted tomatoes that Nicola called for in her original recipe, and the second time, with a higher hydration dough, I simply drizzled olive oil over the top of the focaccia, sprinkled it with flaky sea salt, and pressed some lightly oiled sprigs of fresh rosemary over the top before baking. I used the metrics for this recipe, weighing everything, which makes it easier and more accurate. I also recommend lining the baking sheet across the bottom and up the sides, to ensure the bread won’t stick to it. You may need to use two sheets of parchment to get full coverage. Nicola recommends making bread in a ceramic bowl, which retains warmth better. If you have one, feel free to use it here.

Poolish (starter)

110g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) bread flour

110g (7 tablespoons) water

Pinch of instant dry yeast

Dough, Part 1

550g (4 1/2 cups) bread flour

460g (about 2 cups) water

2g (2/3 teaspoon) instant dry yeast

Dough, Part 2

50g (3 tablespoons) water

13g (2 1/2 teaspoons) fine table salt, or 15g (1 tablespoon) grey sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional olive oil for handling the dough, preparing the bowl and baking pan, and baking the focaccia

Roasted Tomatoes (optional)

450g (1 pound) cherry tomatoes

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel or Maldon

Part 1 (Day 1)

In a large bowl, make the poolish, a pre-ferment, by mixing together the bread flour, water, and pinch of yeast. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm, draft-free place for 12 hours.

Part 2 (Day 2)

Add the flour, water, and yeast to the bowl and stir until it’s well incorporated. The dough will look a bit dry, which is fine. You may need to use your hands to get everything well mixed together. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

Mix the water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Add the salted water to the dough and mix the dough with your hands, squeezing it to incorporate the salted water. The dough will be somewhat lumpy and clay-like. Cover and let rest another 30 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the dough and incorporate it into the dough by lifting the edges of the dough up and folding it over the olive oil. Repeat, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lifting and folding the dough over the oil five or six times, until it’s mostly incorporated, although the dough will still be a bit lumpy. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Again, lift and fold the dough over itself a few times, as in the previous step, until it’s smooth. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

After an hour, check the dough by pulling a wad (about the size of an unshelled walnut) from the top, stretching it. If it tears easily, let the dough rest another 30 minutes. If it’s nice and stretchy and doesn’t break, transfer the dough to a larger bowl, one that’s big enough for the dough to double in, and place it in the refrigerator, covered with an oiled sheet of plastic wrap or an eco-friendly alternative, oiled side down.

Check the dough after about an hour. If it’s really active and puffed up, punch it down. 

Cover and leave in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. (I left mine in the refrigerator about 24 hours, to fit my schedule.) Check the dough while it’s in the refrigerator to make sure it’s not coming out of the bowl. Okay to pat it down if it’s getting too high.

If using the roasted tomatoes, you can make them a day ahead or the day of baking. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place them on a small baking sheet and toss them with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper. Bake them until they’re completely wilted and cooked through, but not browned, about 40-50 minutes.

Part 3 (Day 3)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line a baking sheet (one that’s approximately 18 by 13 inches/46 by 33cm, but if you have one that’s smaller, okay to use that) across the bottom and up the sides with parchment paper (see headnote) and spread olive oil over the bottom and sides.

With oiled hands, lift the dough from the bowl and place it in the center of the pan.

Spread the dough so it’s covering a little more than three-quarters of the pan, and use your fingers to coax and stretch the dough so it fits and fills the pan. You can gently slide your hands under the dough to help it fit into the pan. Let rise, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Use your fingers to dimple the dough and let it rest another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 475ºF (245ºC).

After 30 minutes, use your fingers to dimple the dough again. If using cherry tomatoes, press them very deeply into the dough, all the way to the bottom of the pan. Toss the rosemary sprigs in any oil left over from the cherry tomatoes, then press the rosemary sprigs lightly into the top of the dough and sprinkle with a not-stingy amount of flaky sea salt.

If you’re just using rosemary, toss some rosemary leaves in a little bit of olive oil. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the dough, filling in some of the dimples. Sprinkle the dough with a not-stingy amount of flaky sea salt and press the rosemary leaves and sprigs into the top of the dough.

Bake the focaccia for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425ºF (220ºC) and bake until the top of the focaccia is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.