Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Not really. Don't know if you've looked at Artisan Everyday, but he basically developed a technique thats a combination of minimal kneading (just really stretching and folding), long (overnight at least) rising with low yeast amounts. I love the breads - they're easy to throw together after dinner and it gives me a lot of flexibility when to bake them off (most keep happily for several days in the refrigerator).

Surprisingly, there isn't a copy in our library system. I'd love a copy of the recipe Lindsay.

Amy

Here you go:

This recipe following is the Focaccia recipe from Peter Reinhart's new book Artisan Breads Every Day, This is the baking sheet version; Reinhart includes a thicker round version. If you don’t have a mixer, the dough can be mixed by hand using a large spoon or hands.

4 1/2 cups (20 oz/567 g) unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 teaspoons regular salt or 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder (optional)
2 cups (16 oz/454 g) chilled water (about 55 degrees)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan

Optional Toppings
Whole or Coarsely Chopped Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Oregano
Kosher Salt
Cheese
Herb Oil
Tomato Sauce

One Day Ahead of Baking
Combine the flour, salt, yeast, malt powder (if using) and water in a mixing bowl. Use the paddle attachment on the mixer to mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Drizzle the olive oil over the dough, then resume mixing for 1 minute on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, reach under the front end of the dough, stretch it out then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck into a ball. The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process three more times, completing all repetitions within 30 to 40 minutes.

After the final stretch and fold, return the dough to the oiled bowl and immediately cover tightly and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.

The Day of Baking
Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 4 hours before planning to bake. Line a 12 by 16-inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Oil the paper generously, including the sides of the pan, with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then transfer the dough to the middle of the pan. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over the top of the dough, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough while spreading it to cover about half of the pan, or as far as possible until the dough tries to shrink back onto itself. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the wrap and drizzle another small amount of olive oil over the dough, and dimple it again trying to cover the pan. It should now cover about 70 percent of the pan before starting to shrink back. Cover and let rest again for 30 minutes, add a bit more oil and redimple, spreading the dough to about 90 percent of the pan (or fully in the pan if possible). If the dough doesn’t cover the full pan, repeat the rest and dimpling one more time to cover as much of the pan as possible (the corners may not be filled in).

Cover the pan with the plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it’s about 1-inch high (around 1 1/2 hours).

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. When the bread is ready to bake, add any toppings, except cheese. Place the pan in the oven and lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the top of the dough is golden brown.

To test for doneness, lift the corner of the bread with a spatula so you can see the underside; it should be a mottled golden brown in spots, not white all over. If you’re topping the focaccia with cheese, add it when the foccacia appears to be done, then bake for another 2 to 4 minutes to melt the cheese.

If the foccacia is done, run a pastry blade or metal spatula along the sides of the pan to loosen the focaccia, then carefully slide the focaccia, parchment and all, onto a wire rack. If any olive oil remains in the pan, pour it over the top of the focaccia. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Bought pizza dough and a lemon.
Do you drizzle and bake or bake and drizzle?

Mary

I drizzle oil on the dough, than lay the thinly sliced lemon on top and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. The final sprinkle all over is parm, then I bake it.
Let us know how it turns out....I am making it again for friends this Sunday.
ilene

Thanks Ilene I will. I think I will use my mandolin for the lemons, mainly because I paid a bunch for it and then lugged it all over Paris and then it sat in my basement for a year after I sliced only a couple things (including my finger when opening the bubble pack the blade was in).

Mary

Mandolin is exactly what I use....the only way to get them really thin.

One of these days, I'll find a whole bread cookbook where terms like "four hours before..." are abolished for those of us who work and don't wish to do every bit of our baking on the weekend. Even the no-knead breads typically require too many steps a few hours apart. When I get my house robot to do it, it'll be great, but until then I'll have to vent occasionally.

I had a friend who used to make the dough in the morning and bring it into the office to rise -- kept it at room temp and punched it down several times, but swore by it.

I can just see myself sitting on the bus with a bowl of dough...I get enough strange looks already due to my Hello Kitty lunch tote...

I'm with Paul. I'm away from home for 12 hours a day, so most of those recipes that involve 4, 6 or 8 hour components don't work for me.