I try my best to stick to a paleo-ish diet but for some reason, all I want to do is make bread and pasta. I think it has to do with Bob’s Burgers and The Great British Baking Show being the only two TV shows I ever watch.
A couple months ago, I took a sourdough baking class at The Mill in San Francisco. The ingredients are simple but the process takes forever. From growing the starter to proofing the dough, baking good bread is a waiting game.
So when I watched Salt, Fat, Acid Heat, I was amazed how easily Samin Nosrat whipped up Ligurian Focaccia. No need for a starter and the main wait can take place overnight. But even Samin’s recipe takes some babysitting, so I took bits and pieces from hers and The Cafe Sucre Farine to create a super easy focaccia.
Ingredients for the dough
4 cups of all purpose flour
2.25 teaspoons or 1 packet of yeast
2 cups of warm water
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoons of salt
1/3 cup of olive oil
Ingredients for the brine
1/3 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Add the warm water to the mix.
Cover the bowl with a dish towel for 8-24 hours (or in my case, overnight).
In the morning, drop a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a 9-inch cake pan. Make sure olive oil generously coats the bottom and sides of the pan.
Give the dough a couple more kneads and place it in the pan. Note, the dough will be really sticky but that’s okay. It’ll spread nicely in the pan if you give the pan a few shakes.
Drizzle some more olive oil over the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with a dish towel for 45 min.
Check on the dough and dimple it with your fingers.
Mix the brine ingredients together until the salt dissolves. Pour the brine over the dough to fill the dimples.
Proof for another 30-45 min.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Sprinkle the dough with salt and add whatever toppings you want: rosemary, cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, olives, etc.
Bake for 30-35 min.
