Focaccia With Herbs de Provence

The delicious flat bread foccacia, is a snack food on the streets of Italy. Our version is topped with coarse gourmet salt, herbs de Provence and garlic. Although time intensive, this bread is easy to make and the addition of a poolish pre-ferment adds a richer, more developed flavor to the bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups

  high quality all purpose flour (such as King Arthur)

• 3/4 cup

  warm tap water, 90-115 degrees Fahrenheit (41-46 degrees Celcius)

• 1/8 teaspoon

  active dry yeast

• 1/2 teaspoon

  molasses

• 1/4 cup

  extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons

  herbs de provence

• 2 teaspoons

  high quality, large grain salt (like fleur de sel.)

• 1/4 teaspoon

  freshly crushed black pepper

• 2

  garlic cloves, minced

• 1 1/2 cups

  poolish

• 1 1/3 cups

  high quality all purpose flour+ extra for dusting

• 1 teaspoon

  salt

• 3/4 teaspoon

  active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons

  extra virgin olive oil+ extra for greasing

• 6 tablespoons

  warm tap water, 90-115 degrees Fahrenheit (41-46 degrees Celcius)

Directions

For the poolish: Stir the flour, water, yeast and molasses together in a large bowl until mixture takes on the appearance of a thick, sticky batter.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment for 3 1/2- 4 hours until bubbly and voluminous.

Refrigerate mixture for eight hours (or overnight) to allow flavor development to occur.

Remove poolish from fridge one hour before mixing bread.

For the Herbs de Provence oil: Place the olive oil, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper and garlic in a small pot and warm over medium- low heat until the temperature of the oil reached around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius)

Take off heat and put aside.

For the focaccia: In a large stand mixing bowl, stir flour salt and yeast together, with paddle attachment, for a few seconds on low until incorporated.

Add extra virgin olive oil, poolish and water. Mix on low speed for 3 minutes to form a wet, sticky ball.

Switch attachment to dough hook and mix for five minutes or as long as it takes to form a sticky but smooth ball of dough. Dough will stay clear of sides of bowl but still stick slightly to the bottom of it.

Generously sprinkle a clean counter top with plenty of all purpose flour. Transfer the dough to the counter top, dust with flour and pat into a small rectangle.

Allow dough to relax for 5 minutes. (This means no touching!)

With well floured hands, stretch dough to double its size on all sides. Fold stretched dough twice, lengthwise, into a rectangle, as if you were folding a letter. Place dough on a sheet pan with parchment paper, brush top with olive oil and dust with flour. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold the dough again, place on sheet pan, brush top with olive oil, dust with flour and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes stretch fold, oil, flour, and cover the dough again and allow it to ferment in a warm place for an hour.

Line a 13x18” sheet pan with parchment and oil generously. Place dough on top.

Place half of herbs de provence oil on top of dough and dimple dough with finger tips, all over top of dough, allowing it to spread.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and put in warm place for two hours, allowing the dough to expand.

Place rest of herb oil on top of dough and dimple again. Allow to rest for fifteen minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius). Place pan on center rack in oven and lower temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (323 degrees Celsius). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool focaccia on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving.