Sourdough Focaccia

I have something shameful to admit. I abandoned my sourdough starter in the back of the fridge for months, forgotten and neglected. After languishing in the fridge for so long I wondered if it could have possibly survived or if could be revived. I am a firm believer that once your starter is properly established it becomes pretty hardy and almost indestructible. Pulling it from the fridge there was a thick dark layer of hooch and underneath was a very thick floury paste, it did not look healthy and it didn’t smell healthy either. I poured off the hooch and discarded all but a tablespoon of the starter that remained. From their I fed the starter as you would normally with a 50/50 mix of flour and water, leaving a day between feeds, and after three days of feeding the starter was back with a bang, it was tripling with each feed. I have made a bunch of focaccia since then and it feels safe to say that this proves even the most neglected starter can be brought back from the brink of death.

The reason I made focaccia instead of traditional country style loaf was a little laziness and a little wanting something different. Most sourdough I make is made with a no knead method, utilising stretch and folds instead of kneading but with focaccia its even easier as there isn’t really any shaping, it really is the easiest sourdough bread. 

A word advice on the pan you use for this bread, make sure it is either very good quality non stick or make sure you line it with parchment, there is nothing worse than your hard work becoming lodged in the pan.

Sourdough Focaccia
500g strong white bread flour
425ml water (25-27ºC)
150g sourdough starter (100% hydration and its peak)
10g salt
Olive oil, lots of it

Toppings
Flaked sea salt
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

To make the focaccia dough pour the water, reserving 25ml for later, into a large bowl and scrape in the starter, mixing briefly to dissolve it into the water. Pour in the flour and use your hands to form a shaggy dough. At this stage you are not looking to knead the dough, simply ensuring all the flour is hydrated. To do this I start by stirring with my hand and when it starts to form a more uniform mass I squeeze the dough between my fingers, doing so until it feels like there is no dry spots. Cover the bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes. At this stage, and until the dough goes into the fridge, I like to keep the dough somewhere warm which helps with the fermentation of the dough.

Sprinkle the salt on top of the dough and pour over the last 25ml water. Dimple the dough, squeeze it through your fingers, fold it over on itself, generally working the dough until the water and salt have been combined. During this process the dough can look separated but just keep working it until it comes back into a uniform mass. Cover and rest again for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes we now do our first set of stretch and folds, which is our alternative to kneading and builds strength into the dough. Using a wet hand go under the dough pull a portion and then stretch it up and over the dough, repeating this four times around the bowl. Cover and rest for 30 minutes, repeating this process 3 more times. At this stage I then leave the dough for about 1-2 hours until the dough has risen around 40-50% and the dough is showing signs of fermentation. The dough should have a jiggle and have lots of bubbles on the surface of the dough. Grease a non-stick 9x13 pan (or a traditional 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper) with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Carefully transfer the dough to the tin and top with a little oil to prevent it drying out. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 18-24 hours. 

To bake the focaccia the dough needs brining back to room temperature so remove the tin from the fridge and let it rest for 1-3 hours or until the dough has a jiggle to it. When almost ready preheat the oven to 240ºC (220ºC Fan)

Drizzle the focaccia generously with extra virgin olive oil and then using oiled fingers, dimple the dough all over. Sprinkle generously with flaked sea salt and chopped rosemary, if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 210ºC (190ºC Fan) and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the bread from the tin to a wire rack to cool. 

Focaccia is best on the day made but is also great for a few days after baking. As with most breads focaccia also freezes brilliantly 

No-Knead Za'atar Focaccia

Post Sponsored by AEG

If you haven’t guessed it already, I am currently a little obsessed with all things no-knead. Now look, I love sourdough but life has been a bit manic recently and my attention span is spent. No knead recipes gives you the ability to make excellent bread with almost no work. This focaccia is maybe the easiest of all no knead breads, I can’t see how you eliminate any more of the work because really there isn’t any. No knead breads work because they are risen very slowly and as they do so the gluten develops without the need for kneading. It’s an incredible technique that is widely credited to Jim Lahey a baker from NYC that help promote the technique and published the first widely popular recipe for it in the New York Times in 2006. Whilst this was the start of the techniques popularity for a new generation of bread bakers, the idea of no-knead breads actually go back much further than the early 2000’s. There is evidence that similar methods were used as far back as the 1800’s, but there is no doubt Lahey’s method brought the bread to popularity for a new generation. 

For this particular recipe I wanted to make something with za’atar, one of my favourite seasoning blends. Confusingly za’atar is both a specific herb and a herb blend, the latter being what you’re likely to have heard of before. The herb za’atar is grown across the middle east and both the herb itself and the blend are incredibly important to Levantine cooking. Traditionally the blend would be made from za’atar and mixed with sesame seeds, sumac and salt, although this blend will vary a lot depending on where it is made. These days most shop-bought blends outside of the Middle East are made with thyme, oregano and sometimes marjoram. 

One of my favourite dishes made with za’atar is probably its most famous use, man’oushe, a thin flatbread spread with a mixture of oil and za’atar. Because I wanted to make another no knead recipe and it to be a loaf rather than individual flatbreads I settled on a focaccia, a bread made with lots of olive oil already I thought it would be the perfect pairing up, and I am thrilled with the finished recipe, its delicious. You get the wonderful flavour from the olive oil and za’atar and the chewy spongy texture of the focaccia, a match made in heaven. 

As you may also know no-knead breads are very often made inside a cast iron dutch oven, the heat of the pot helps with oven spring and crust development and a lot of this is down to steam. The pot traps the steam released from the bread which helps the bread open up fully and helps to create a light crisp crust. With focaccia a pot isn’t an option of course so instead I introduced steam using my oven. After moving in my new house and finding a disaster of an oven I needed a replacement and I settled on the AEG Steam Bake (BPS556020M), and I chose that model because of bread. The oven has all the classic functionality you’d beed but it also includes a stem bake function where water is added to a reservoir at the bottom of the oven and it creates a steamy environment which is brilliant for bread. I tested this recipe multiple times and on the occasions I used the steam function the bread rose higher and had a more crisp crust, a win-win. The oven also comes with a food sensor which you can use to check the internal temperature of your roast, or even your baked custards or breads. More importantly, because I hate cleaning my oven, it is Pyrolytic meaning it self cleans!

No Knead Za’atar Focaccia

Focaccia
500g strong white bread flour
7g fast action dried yeast
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp caster sugar
450ml cold water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Topping
2 tbsp za’atar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the tin
roasted sesame seeds (optional)

To make the dough add the flour, yeast, salt and sugar to a large bowl. Pour in the water and use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix together until everything is hydrated, just making sure there are no packets of flour. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil and mix briefly to combine, drizzle over the last of the olive oil. Thats it. Thats the entirety of the work. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. 

When you want to bake the loaf remove the dough from the fridge and generously oil a 9x13 tin. I’m not a big fan of non-stick bakeware but if you have one it can be helpful for this recipe as they dough can sometimes stick to the base of the tin. To prevent this you can also line the base with parchment paper. 

Deflate the dough by folding the edges of the dough away from the bowl and into the middle of the dough. Tip the ball of dough out into the prepared tin and gently press and stretch it out the corners, not worrying that it perfectly fills the tin, it will spread out as it rises. Cover the tin and set the focaccia aside until it has doubled and is visibly bubbly on the surface with a generous wobble, this will take about 2-3 hours at room temperature. 

Using the AEG Steam Bake oven add 200ml water to the reservoir in the bottom of the oven, set the oven to True Fan Cooking and press the Plus Steam Button. Set the temperature to 200ºC. Using a different oven preheat the oven to 220ºC (200ºC Fan).

For the topping mix together the za’atar and oil to make a thin paste. Drizzle this all over the risen dough and gently spread with your hands to cover the entire loaf. At this point your fingers should be nice and oiled up, but if not rub a little oil over your fingers to lubricate. Use your fingers to dimple the loaf all over. Finish by sprinkling the dough generously with flaked sea salt. The za’atar blend will already include sesame seeds but I like to sprinkle a little extra but this is optional.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and carefully remove from the tin, setting onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Sourdough Detroit Style Pizza

So I seem to have pizza on my mind a lot right now, and this week that obsession is in the form of Detroit style pizza. I love classic Neapolitan or New York pizzas but the shaping can be tricky, especially if you’ve never done it before and getting a great bake at home needs a couple work arounds to get something close to restaurant standard. None of that normally bothers me, I enjoy the process, but right now I want pizza but I want it with a little less effort, but i’ll get to that in a minute.

Firstly, we need to ask, what actually is Detroit pizza. It’s a type of pan pizza, very closely related to Sicilian style, and Grandma style rectangular pies, in fact they’re effectively brothers. Sicilian style pizza is a focaccia like dough that’s baked on the thicker side in large rectangular sheets, with cheese going on first, before the sauce. That sauce is also classically a cooked tomato sauce, unlike the raw tomatoes that adorn a Neapolitan pizza. As mentioned, Detroit pizza is very similar to its Sicilian sibling so its maybe not too surprising that the origins of the pizza start in, you guessed it, Sicily. The story goes that in 1946 Gus Guerra, of Buddy’s Rendevous, decided his menu needed something new so he looked to his Sicilian mothers pizza recipe. This could easily have become Sicilian style pizza, just served in Detroit, but there are a couple key differences. The biggest change is the pan. Detroit style pizzas are cooked in a ‘blue steel’ pan that was widely used in the automotive industry back in the 40’s and its use became an identifying part of this style of pizza. Thankfully a 9x13 brownie tin is similar enough in size and style so that us home bakers can make our own version at home. The second change is again all to do with location as the cheese used is Wisconsin Brick Cheese, a variant of American cheddar thats slightly higher in fat, kind of like a cross between a low moisture mozzarella and cheddar. This is close to impossible to find in the UK so instead I use a grated blend of mozzarella and cheddar, the type sold in bags at almost every supermarket. But what I consider to be the signature of a Detroit style pizza is the crisp cheese crust. The cheese is spread all over the pizza including the sides. As the pizza bakes the cheese melts and slips down the side of the dough and caramelises into the a crisp skirt of cheese surrounding the pizza, like the cheese that escapes the bread when making a grilled cheese. We all know this is the best bit.

For the dough the recipe is very similar to my Neapolitan recipe although with a couple small changes. Because we want a more bread like chew, I’ve used regular white bread flour, I’ve also upped the hydration to 70%. To make things move along a little quicker I have also included slightly more sourdough starter. The method is the same up until shaping and the good news, there really isn’t any shaping to do, this is pretty hands off pizza making.

Sourdough Detroit Style Pizza Dough
Makes enough for one pizza 

Cooked Pizza Sauce
Makes enough for x2 pizzas

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Toppings
250g grated cheese (I use the bagged blends of cheddar and mozzarella sold in most supermarkets)
150g pepperoni, cut into rounds
Parmesan or Grana Padano

Detroit Style Pizza Dough
500g White Bread Flour (100%)
15g fine sea salt (3%)
350ml water, 28-30C (70%)
100g mature sourdough starter*, 100% hydration (20%)
10ml extra virgin olive oil (2%)

DONT FORGET MY NEW BOOK ONE TIN BAKES (WHICH USES THE SAME TIN USED IN THIS RECIPE IS OUT JUNE 25TH YOU CAN FIND MORE DETAILS HERE WWW.THEBOYWHOBAKES.CO.UK/ONETINBAKES

*If when you want to start making the dough your starter has fallen and is no longer at its peak (this is what you call mature starter) you can make a levin by simply mixing together 35g of the starter, 35g water at 28-30C and 35g bread flour, covering and setting in a warm spot, oven with the light on is ideal, and leaving until doubled in size. Using the above ratios and temperatures this should take 2-3 hours.

To make the dough pour the water into a large bowl and scrape in the mature starter/levain and mix briefly to break up a little. Add in the flour, salt and olive oil and mix briefly to form a shaggy dough. Pop the mixture into you’re stand mixer and knead, with the dough hook attached, for about 8-10 minutes on low/medium speed. 

Once the dough is smooth and elastic tip out onto the worksurface and use a bench scraper to help you form the dough into a ball and place into a bowl very lightly greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl and set aside somewhere warm (26-27C is perfect) for the moment. After 30 minutes, using the techniques we learnt making our first loaf of sourdough bread, were going to preform a set of stretch and folds to build in more strength. If the dough feels strong and resisted stretching you can leave the dough to rise but if it feels a little slack you can do a second set of stretch and folds in another 30 minutes. Once your folds are done let the dough rest for another 30 minutes to relax. Meanwhile pour in a couple tbsp of olive oil to your 9x13 tin and spread all over, making sure to rub it up the sides as well. Once the dough is rested carefully transfer to the pan and gently stretch it out a little. Dont worry about getting it to the edges of the pan just yet, but give it a little push on its way (you don’t want to de-gas the dough just gently tease it towards the edges). Cover the pan and set aside to proof. This dough, kept in an area around 26-27C, should take about 7 hours in total to proof, this window of time starts when you’ve taken the dough off the mixer.

Whilst the dough is proving make the sauce. Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat over low/medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant and the garlic is just taking on the barest of colour. Add the chilli flakes and oregano and stir to combine. Tip in the tomatoes and stir to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper (at this point I like to puree the sauce with an immersion blender but that is optional). Gently simmer for about 15 minutes or until reduced by about a third to a thick tomato sauce. Remove and chill until needed. The sauce can be refrigerated for a couple days or even frozen for up to a couple months. 

After a total of 7 hours you should see the dough has expanded, pushing to the sides of the tin, and it should have nice signs of fermentation on the top of the dough. Using lightly oiled hands gently press the dough into the corners if it hasn’t already reached them. Cover the tin with clingfilm and refrigerate for anything up to 24 hours. 

A few hours before you make the pizza you need to get it out of the fridge and allow to to come to room temperature, this should take about 2 hours. You know it’s ready to bake when the dough has a nice jiggle when you rock the tin. 30 minutes before you bake the pizza place a baking stone or pizza steel into the oven and preheat to 230ºC (210ºC Fan). 

To assemble the pizza sprinkle over the cheese, making sure there is plenty all around the edges. Spoon 1/2 of the sauce onto the pizza, either in random dollops or in a few strips. Add any extra toppings. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, there should also be lots of bubbling around the edges from the combination of melted cheese and olive oil. As soon as the pizza is out of the oven use a round-bladed knife to separate the pizza from the sides of the tin, as it cools it will glue itself to the tin. Carefully remove the pizza from the tin, grate over some parmesan or grana padano and serve.