2021 has been a stressful year with a thrice postponed wedding, a job change and a pretty radical relocation. Can't say I am sad to see the back of it (wedding aside!) as I don't feel I have had any time to dedicate to my passion for homemade cooking and baking. Here's to 2022 being a stunner of a year, please!
This year we managed to jet to Italy and spend Christmas with my family (Mike's first Italian Christmas!) - so we decided to spend NYE with Mike's family in Edinburgh and take charge of the cooking. I was excited to make use of on of my Christmas gifts - Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love. Absolutely love the book and can't wait to be able to host friends soon to get yet another chance at testing out more recipes from it. I also wanted to make some snacks and bread to use with dips, so I scourged my Insta saved links and decided to give Alexandra's Kitchen's Overnight Refrigerator Focaccia a go. What I really liked about this recipe is that it required no kneading at all, making it an extremely fuss-free option, by comparison to my go-to Focaccia Barese recipe. Requires a little pre-planning to really get the most of the slow cold rise int he fridge, but trust me it is totally worth it!
Yields 1 focaccia (9X13 inches)
Ingredients:
- 512g all-purpose flour (or bread flour, but I tested my recipe with all-purpose)
- 2 tsp of fine table salt
- 2 tsp of instant yeast
- 455g of lukewarm water
- 4 tbsp of olive oil + extra for greasing
- flaky sea salt (I used Maldon)
- some rosemary leaves (this is optional but I recommend using rosemary, even if just dried rosemary for the top of the focaccia)
Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap. I actually used a large plastic clip top container and worked very well for me without the risk of the dough sticking to film or cloth. Place the dough in the fridge - the recipe recommends for at least 12 hours or for as long as three days; my dough stayed in the fridge for 24 hours.
Line 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. The original recipe also gives the option to grease with butter or coat with nonstick cooking spray, however I went down this route and found it extremely difficult to detach the focaccia for the pan - probably not enough grease, so to avoid the issue I would suggest to just opt to the parchment paper instead.
Pour 2 tablespoons of oil in the centre of pan. Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the centre. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball. Place the ball into the prepared pan and roll it in the oil to coat it all over, forming a rough ball. Let the dough rest for 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 220 C. If using the rosemary, sprinkle it over the dough. Pour the remaining oil over the dough. Rub your hands lightly in the oil to coat, then, using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over.
Transfer the pans or pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Some extra tips
This focaccia is wonderful to use instead of sliced bread for sandwiches! And also perfect to dip in freshly made hummus.
Buon appetito!
If you end up giving this recipe a go, I would love to see a snap of it.
Simply tag @giadasplate on Instagram or send me a DM.