Focaccia

FOCACCIA from BAKING WITH JULIA
 
  *  Exported from  MasterCook  *
 
FOCACCIA
 
Recipe By    : Baking With Julia/Julia Child
Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Breads
Italian Bread  Julia Child
 
2 1/4  cups tepid water (abt.100F) -- (2 1/4 to 2 1/2)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4  cup olive oil
6 1/2  cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons salt
 
THE TOPPING
Herb-infused or other olive oil
Chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary and/or thyme (2 to 3 tablespoons) coarse sea salt
 
Makes 3 focaccias . The dough for these
focaccias is so active and bubbly it squeaks.
Indeed. Every  step in working with this
dough is designed to keep the bubbles that
will give the breads their beautiful inner
open weave and speckled oil-glistened crust.
 
This dough is mixed quicklv in a heavy duty
mixer allowed to rise and then refrigerated
for at least twenty-four hours, the time it
needs to set that bubblv structure in place.
once developed it can be used to make a plain
herb-topped focaccia , this recipe) a sweet
fougasse (page 194) topped with streusel or a
savory fougasse (page 146). you can use
the full recipe to make any of these shapes
and flavors or vou can divide this recipe in
thirds and make all three kinds of bread.
 
Mixing the Dough Whisk  1/2 cup of the water
and the yeast together in the bowl of a
mixer. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes
until the yeast dissolves and turns creamy.
 
Meanwhile pour 1 3/4 cups warm water into a
large measuring cup. add the olive oil. and
whisk to blend; set aside. Whisk the flour
and salt together in a large bowl and set
this aside as well.
 
Pour the water-oil mixture over the yeast and
stir with the whisk to blend. Add about half
of the flour and stir with a rubber spatula
just to mix. Attach the dough hook, add the
remaining flour. and mix on low speed for
about 3 min-utes. or until the dough just
starts to come together. If the dough appears
dry and a little stiff, add a few drops of
warm water, scraping the bowl and hook if
necessary to incorporate the water and create
a soft dough. Increase the mixer speed to
medium-high and continue to mix for about 10
minutes, scraping, down the hook and sides of
the bowl as needed until you have a soft.
slightly moist, extremely elastic dough that
cleans the sides Of the bowl.  You will know
that the dough is properly mixed when a piece
can be stretched, without tearing, to create
a "window", an almost transparent patch of
dough.
 
First Rise: Transfer the dough to a work
surface and form it into a ball. Place the
dough in an oiled bowl, turn it around to
cover it with oil, and cover the bowl tightly
with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise at
room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to
1-1/2 hours.
 
Second Rise:Fold the dough down on itself to
deflate it and let it rise again until
doubled  in bulk 45 minutes to 1 hour.
 
Shaping and Resting:  Fold the dough over on
itself again to deflate it (as you do this,
youu can hear the bubbles squeak and pop) and
turn it out onto a work surface. Using a
metal dough scraper or a knife. cut the
dough into 3 equal pieces. shape each piece
into a ball.
 
The dough needs to be refrigerated for
between 24 and 36 hours. (it is this long
refrigerated rest that gives the focaccia its
characteristic chewv texture and surface
bubbles.) Place each ball in an oiled
gallon-size lock-top plastic bag and
refrigerate.
 
About 1 1/2 hours before you plan to bake,
remove the dough from the refrigerator and
gently take the balls out of the oiled bags.
(If you have a problem cut the bags open with
scissors to release the dough.) Place the
dough on a lightly floured surface, dust the
tops of the balls with flour, and cover
looselv but completely with plastic (to avoid
having the tops go crusty). Let rest for 1
hour, until the dough reaches a cool room
temperature and feels spongy when prodded.
 
THE TOPPING
Herb-infused or other olive oil
Chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary and/or
thyme (2 to 3 tablespoons),
and coarse sea salt
 
Position an oven rack in the lower third of
the oven and preheat the oven to 450F if you
have a baking stone, place it in the oven and
preheat it too, dust a peel with cornmeal. or
line two baking sheets with parchment paper
and dust the paper with cornmeal; set the
baking sheets aside. Fill a spray bottle with
water and set it aside as well.
 
Shaping the Dough Use your palm to press down
gently on each piece of dough causing bubbles
to appear on the sides, then slit the bubbles
with a single-edge razor blade to release the
gases. Gently pull and stretch each piece of
dough into a square about 10 inches across,
taking care not to overwork the dough or
handle it too roughly - you don't want
to knock out the bubbles you've worked so
hard to create. Let the dough relax, covered,
for about 10 minutes, then tidy up the edges
with your hands.
 
Baking the Bread: Transfer the foccacias to
the cornmeal-dusted peel or the parchment
lined baking sheets. Use a single-edge razor
blade to slash each square, cutting a
tic-tac-toe pattern, or making 3 slashes in
the center of the dough and enclosing them in
4 slashes to form a square with open corners.
Brush the foccacias with olive oil. sprinkle
with fresh herbs and coarse sea salt, and put
them into the oven.
 
Bake the breads for 15 to 20 minutes, or
until they are golden with a heavy speckling
Of small surface bubbles spraying the oven
with water three times during the first 8
minutes of baking. As soon as vou remove
the focaccias from the oven, brush them with
a little.additional olive oil and transfer
them to a rack to cool before serving.
 
Storing: The focaccias are best the day they
are baked, but once cooled, they can be
wrapped airtight and frozen For up to 2
weeks. Thaw the breads, still wrapped, at
room temperature and warm them in a 350f oven
before serving.

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