Four Hour Herb Foccacia

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Four Hour Herb Foccacia

 

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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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--Dry Ingredients--

3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 tablespoon rye flour

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons dry yeast

2 teaspoons sea salt

--Wet Ingredients--

1 1/2 cups spring water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Herb Ingredients----

2 tablespoons Roughly Chopped Fresh Sage -or- -- (not both)

3/4 tablespoon Roughly Chopped Fresh Rosemary

 

Fit your food processor with the metal chopping blade. Add all the dry

ingredients to the food processor and pulse several times to mix. Then pour in

the water and olive oil. Pulse until the flour begins to clump together. Then

run the food processor for 20 seconds, no more, to knead. Remove the dough to a

bowl over twice the size in volume.

 

Letting the dough now sit for 10 to 15 minutes will enable it to absorb the

water. This is called autolese. While the dough is sitting, roughly chop the

herbs. Then sprinkle the herbs over the dough and knead in. Cover the bowl

with plastic wrap and let the dough ferment for two hours.

 

I use a baking stone because it produces the best ovenspring and crust. I also

use a pizza peel for the second raising so I can easily place the dough in the

oven. I will give directions assuming you have this minimal bread baking

equipment. If you do not own these items, I can recommend them without

reservation.

 

Cut parchment paper to fit a pizza peel with a couple of inches excess; then cut

it in half so the cut runs the same direction as the handle and overlap it in

the middle. After two hours, the dough should have doubled in size. If so,

punch it down, and remove the dough to a floured surface. Round the dough by

rotating it clockwise with a cupping motion of the hands. Then press it out

into a 9 " circle. Place it on the parchment covered pizza peel and cover it

with a cloth. Let it rise for one hour.

 

A half hour before the dough if fully risen, place the baking stone on the

middle rack in the oven; place a sturdy stainless steel pan on the bottom rack.

Heat the oven to 450º. Just before baking, heat a cup of water for 1 minute in

the microwave. Also just before baking, using a finger, poke indentations in

the dough all the way to the bottom and then coat the dough with extra virgin

olive oil. You can also scatter some sage or rosemary leaves over the top of

the dough, for garnish.

 

When ready to bake, slide the dough on the parchment paper onto the baking stone

(I grip the parchment paper where it overlaps with tongs and pull it onto the

stone), and pour the cup of water in the pan on the lowest rack, keeping your

head back so the steam will not burn you. The steam will keep the crust soft

for the first 10 minutes of baking, enabling the bread to fully rise. Bake for

one or two minutes then turn the oven down to 400º. Now bake for 8 minutes.

Then, using tongs, remove the parchment paper pulling it out from each side, and

rotate the dough 180º. Remove the pan with water; you do not want any steam

now. Bake for another 10 minutes. Check the bread to see if the crust is

getting too brown. If it is, turn the oven down to 325º. Bake for 5 more

minutes. It should now be done. Check to see if it sounds hollow when tapped

on the center bottom. It is done when the internal temperature is 190º. When

done, remove to a rack to cool.

 

Source:

" A Cook's Wares "

 

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 455 Calories; 41g Fat (79.0% calories

from fat); 6g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol;

3765mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 8 Fat.

 

Serving Ideas : Serve with olive oil for dipping.

 

NOTES : Foccacia originated in Genoa, Italy. The bread gets its name from the

Latin word focus, which means hearth. Focaccia was traditionally baked by the

embers of the hearth. The classic version has olive oil and sea salt as

toppings, but now there are many variations found all over Liguria. The bread

is complemented by fresh herbs, vine-ripened tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes,

roasted peppers, capers, grilled eggplant, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and so

forth.

 

I use a small amount of rye and whole wheat flour in the dough because they

contain bacteria that help with flavor during the fermentation. I also give

variations to enhance the dough flavor a bit more. The bread, however, is

delicious without the optional ingredients.

Optional ingredients:

 

Dry Ingredients

3 tablespoons semolina flour

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

 

Wet Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

 

Herb Ingredients

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh chives

 

Options on yeast:

 

If you have 5 hours for the bread to ferment (the first rise), use 1 teaspoon of

yeast.

If you have all day for the bread to ferment, use 1/2 teaspoon of yeast.

If you prepare the dough the night before and put it in the refrigerator, use

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. So the dough can warm up, remove it two hours

before forming the dough into a disk and placing it on the pizza peel

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0