Jananet's Focaccia

Ingredients

Method

1. 1. Get your starter ready the night before Feed your starter the evening before so it's doubled and bubbly by the morning. If it's sluggish or you've had it in the fridge, give it a couple of feeds first — a flat starter makes a flat focaccia. The full routine is in the starter feeding guide.
2. 2. Whisk the starter and water Put the starter and the water into a large bowl and whisk them together until the mixture is frothy and slightly foamy on top. You're dispersing the starter evenly so it works right through the dough instead of sitting in pockets.
3. 3. Mix to a shaggy dough Add the flour and the olive oil. Mix with your hands or a dough whisk until there's no dry flour left anywhere. It will look rough, sticky and shaggy — that's correct, and you're not trying to make it smooth yet. Sprinkle the salt over the top but leave it sitting there for now.
4. 4. Rest — the autolyse Cover with a damp tea towel and leave it for 30 minutes. During this rest the flour fully hydrates and gluten begins to form on its own, with no work from you. Holding the salt back keeps it from tightening the dough too early.
5. 5. Work in the salt Dampen your hands and mix the salt through — stretch, squeeze and fold until it's completely incorporated and you can no longer feel any grit. The dough will tighten up noticeably as the salt goes in. Cover and rest another 30 minutes.
6. 6. Stretch and folds Over roughly the next 3 hours, do a round of stretch and folds every 30 to 60 minutes. Lift the dough from one edge, stretch it upward, fold it back over itself, then turn the bowl and repeat until you've gone all the way round. Each round builds strength and traps the bubbles that become focaccia's open, airy structure. It should get visibly smoother, puffier and more elastic as you go.
7. 7. Into the dish Line your Pyrex or baking dish with baking paper and coat it generously with olive oil — more than feels sensible. That oil is what fries the base into a crisp golden bottom rather than a pale soft one. Tip the dough in and let it settle and spread on its own; don't force it into the corners yet.
8. 8. Rest at room temperature Leave it out for a couple of hours. The dough relaxes and spreads towards the edges of the dish by itself, and you'll see bubbles forming under the surface.
9. 9. Cold ferment Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 5 days — 3 days is the sweet spot. This slow cold ferment is where the flavour comes from, turning a plain bread into something tangy and complex. It's also convenient: bake it on whichever day suits you.
10. 10. Dimple and decorate On baking day, take the dish out and drizzle generously with olive oil. Press your fingertips straight down through the dough all over, right to the bottom of the dish — those dimples hold the oil and give focaccia its character, so be firm rather than shy. Then decorate: rosemary, olives, a scatter of flaky sea salt, or whatever you fancy.
11. 11. Bake Bake at 220°C for about 25 minutes, then drop the oven to 185°C for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is deeply golden, the edges are crisp and the middle is light and fluffy. Lift a corner to check the base has browned. Let it cool a little in the dish before lifting it out on the paper.