Hannah's Focaccia

Focaccia is possibly the most perfect bread! Have you ever thought about it? Perfect for eating as the main thing because it is really flavorful and versatile (change up the toppings however you like!) But also… it’s magnificent sandwich bread. Enough folks have asked me about my focaccia recipe, and you know what? I’m happy to share.

Yield: Two 9x13” loaves of focaccia, or one entire half-sheet pan of focaccia.

As a side note, this is leavened with my sourdough starter! If you haven’t created a starter during this quarantine/global pandemic, what are you even doing? There’s still time. I recommend this article by the Kitchn all about making a sourdough starter. If you’re nervous about using a starter, and MUST use dry yeast or cake yeast, send me an email hannah.marie.nelson@gmail.com and we can discuss the conversion.

Ingredients: okay all I’m going to say here is that focaccia is a really simple bread, and if you want it to taste great, USE GREAT INGREDIENTS PLEASE.

Levain Build:

50g 100% hydration Sourdough Starter

150g bread flour

150g water

Final Dough Mix:

900g water

350g Levain

1000g Bread Flour

24g kosher salt

Finishing Salt

75g Olive Oil, Plus More for Baking

Toppings: I like to use whatever I have on hand. So, basically, every time I make focaccia, I top it with Maldon Salt, cloves of garlic and rosemary from the garden. But some of my favorite toppings include: cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, shallots… the list goes on, really. But the rosemary and garlic is exquisite, and that’s why I make it at home almost every week.

STEP ONE: Feed the Levain. Make sure you’re using active, happy starter (I usually feed my starter twice at 12 hour intervals before using it for levain.)

STEP TWO: Mix the Dough. After the Levain has doubled in size, or floats in water (between 4-10 hours usually depending on many variables) then it is ready to use for the dough. Fill a bowl with 900g warm water, and add the levain. Break apart with spoon, spatula, or use your hands to swirl it around (the levain does not need to completely dissolve. After the levain is in the water, add all 1000g of bread flour and stir to combine (I use my hands for this, but it will work with a spatula or wooden spoon.)

STEP THREE: Autolyse. The autolyse is a resting period after all of the flour and water for the dough have been combined. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. You don’t want to see the dough rising just yet, but what you’re looking for is for the lumps in the mixture to start to smooth out.

STEP FOUR: Add Salt and Oil. Add kosher salt and Olive Oil to the dough. Fold to incorporate. I normally grab the dough by one side of the bowl and fold it over the center. Then I’ll do the same across the opposite side of the bowl, and fold over the top of my previous fold. Then, I’ll do the same with the remaining two corners of the dough, and repeat just a couple of times until the salt and oil seem somewhat incorporated (it doesn’t need to be thorough.)

STEP FIVE: Bulk Fermentation. Now you have entered the period of bulk fermentation. Fold each corner of the dough every 30 minutes or so for about 3 hours. You can also fold by picking up the entire ball of dough and allowing the top and bottom flaps to fold underneath, and then repeat with other corners. After a couple of hours, evaluate and see if the dough seems to be really perky and elastic and read to rest. If the dough is starting to rise quite a lot, shorten this period or work quickly to get dough into the refrigerator. Every kitchen is different, so this is something that you learn by doing. Reference the Kitchn Article for a great visual aid on bulk fermenting sourdough breads.

STEP SIX: Rest. After Bulk Fermentation, let the dough rest untouched for about 10-15 minutes.

STEP SEVEN: Divide and Prepare Pans. Divide the dough in half, if using 9x13 pans, and place on an oiled surface. If you are baking on a sheet pan, skip this step. Pick up the entire piece(s) of dough, and let the ends at the top and bottom roll and fold underneath. Do this same action for the other corners of the dough. Prepare the pan(s) that you will bake in by drizzling them generously with olive oil.

STEP EIGHT: Proof the dough. Stretch and place the dough in the oiled baking pans to proof. Then, drizzle the top with a bit of olive oil. Cover with bread towel and proof at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or proof in the fridge for 8-12 hours.

STEP NINE: Heat Oven. About 30 minutes before baking, turn on the oven and preheat oven to 450.

STEP TEN: Dimple and Add Toppings. Make sure the dough reaches each corner of the baking pan, and add extra olive oil anywhere that the dough seems to be sticking. Coat the top with Olive Oil. Fill a small bowl with water to dip your fingers in before dimpling the dough. Dip your hands into the water, and then sink your fingers into the dough. Alternate between water bowl and dimpling dough, working from the top down. Add toppings, and really sink them into the dough. Feel free to dimple entire dough again after adding toppings. After dimpling, top with Coarse Sea salt.

STEP ELEVEN: BAKE. Bake loave(s) at 450 fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake for another 15-40 minutes, until the bread is a deep golden brown and registers and internal temperature of at least 200 degrees fahrenheit.

Pretzels

If there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s my pretzel recipe. I’ve made a lot of pretzels in my time and have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to these wonderful treats.

Using Lye: Lye is a corrosive chemical base, and it increases the maillard reaction (browning effect) of your bread. We love that! Use a 5% lye solution to dip your pretzels in after proofing and before baking. BE CAREFUL WITH LYE and always use glass containers instead of plastic or metal, wear gloves, shoes, and protective eyewear when working with lye. Sprinkle lye into room temperature or cold water, never add water to lye. The liquid will heat as a part of the chemical reaction, so do not use hot water for your lye solution. Rinse all equipment thoroughly after use.

Secret Ingredients: Malt syrup, beer, and unsalted European butter. Barley Malt Syrup is a traditional sweetener which is made from a concentration of malted barley. It will give your pretzels authentic and delicious flavor, so I highly recommend picking some up at your local grocer or online. If you don’t have malt syrup, use molasses instead. Beer makes this dough wonderful! I like to use light, German beers because it makes the pretzels feel even more Bavarian. Ayinger is one of my favorites, but Bitburger works great too. European butter! Use high quality unsalted butter (I like to use Kerrygold unsalted butter) because it will not only change the flavor of your baked goods for the better, but the European or high-fat butters have different chemical composition than the cheaper brands produced in the US.

Pretzel Salt: Buy pretzel salt online (I like the one from King Arthur flour.) Using pretzel salt will make a difference because the crystals won’t dissolve into the top of the dough as the pretzels bake.

Ingredients: (Yields 15 pretzels) Time: 5 hours

900g bread flour

90g unsalted butter directly from refrigerator

13g kosher salt

400mL whole milk

40g (2 tbsp) malt extract

10g instant dry yeast (1.5 envelopes) or 1.5 packs of fresh/cake yeast

Lye Solution (100g water + 5g Lye)

Step 1: Activate Yeast

Dissolve Barley Malt syrup into 100g warm water. Add yeast and stir. Wait a few minutes until yeast is bubbly and active.

Step 2: Prep and Combine Dough Components

Whisk flour and salt in a bowl, set aside. Remove butter from fridge and slice into 1/2” cubes. In mixing bowl, add flour mixture and milk, start to mix together. Then add yeast mixture and stir to combine. After the dough starts mixing, add beer and then mix dough until no dry parts remain. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Add Butter

Add your butter, just a couple of cubes at a time, until it mixes into the dough. I like to do this by hand because the warmth of my hands will make the butter malleable and easily capable of incorporating into the dough.

Step 4: Knead Dough

Once you have incorporated the butter, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface (the less flour on your surface the better; just use in order to prevent sticking.) Knead until dough seems soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Step 5: Rest

Put your dough into an oiled/sprayed bowl and let rest, covered, for 1.5-2 hours, or until dough almost doubles in size.

Step 6: Retard or Move On

Punch the dough down and form it into a round ball. If you want to split up the tasks over two days, which really makes workflow easier, go ahead and wrap up the dough for later. Now your dough is ready to pop in the fridge or freezer. Keep dough in refrigerator for up to 2 days before using, freeze for up to 3 weeks. The final steps will be shaping, proofing, and then baking.

*aside* Always use baking spray with pretzel dough to prevent sticking. Spray dough before wrapping it, spray parchment paper where you will put your shaped pretzels, and spray pretzels after they are shaped.

Step 7: Portion and Shape

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut dough with bench scraper and weigh into 120 gram portions. Move quickly, as your dough will start to get dry with air exposure. Roll each pretzel into a snake, with a thicker middle section and skinnier ends. Make a fish shape, then twist again before placing your ends over the top. Learn how to shape pretzels here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFFTyyQwVNs. Place each shaped pretzel onto sprayed parchment paper on baking sheets.

Step 8: Proof

Let shaped pretzels rise for about 30 minutes, or until slightly puffy.

Step 9: Lye

BEFORE FOLLOWING THESE STEPS, PLEASE READ NOTES ABOUT USING LYE AT THE TOP OF THIS RECIPE.

My setup is normally shaped/sprayed pretzels on the left, lye bowl in the middle, and clean sheet pan with parchment and spray on the right. Dip each pretzel in the lye solution, top down. Let sit for 10-15 seconds (pretzel should float.) Flip pretzel over before taking it out and moving it to the empty sheet pan with clean parchment and spray on it. Continue with all pretzels until there are none remaining.

Step 10: Score and Salt

Score each pretzel with a lame at the bottom and then add pretzel salt to each pretzel before baking.

Step 11: Bake

Bake the pretzels at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until dark golden brown. Make sure baked pretzels register an internal temperature of at least 200 degrees. Cool on cooling rack. (But also, eat some while they are still warm.)

Storage: Make sure pretzels are cooled COMPLETELY before wrapping them or storing them. Let them sit out for at least 2 hours. If you try to store a pretzel that is not cooled properly, it will get soggy.

ENJOY and eat your pretzels with butter. That is the best way to enjoy them. (And maybe some beer too, who cares if it’s morning?)