ARTISAN ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

I love baking when its cold outside. The reward of something warm to be enjoyed indoors while outside the wind is blowing around the fallen leaves.

Focaccia with earthy rosemary is the perfect bread for autumn weather. It’s easy to make, but the most important ingredient you will need is time. Time is a bread bakers best friend!

Traditional focaccia needs time to reach its maximum deliciousness. I promise that if you follow this recipe using my tips you will make the best focaccia you’ve ever had with a soft inner texture and a crispy savoury rosemary crust.

Adding rosemary to the focaccia will give you the added benefit of a healing herb. Plus, the aroma of rosemary baking in the oven will lift your spirits and fill your home with warmth and joy.

JUMP TO RECIPE

HEALTH BENEFITS

Rosemary is a key ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. In antiquity, the Greeks and Romans prized rosemary because of its mystical and healing powers.

Rosemary has many health benefits. Its a source of iron, calcium and B-6. It stimulates hair growth, lowers blood pressure, aids digestion and improves memory. Even just smelling rosemary can relieve stress and improve your mood.

There is a lot of history and folklore surrounding rosemary, but today we understand why it was so adored. Adding dry or fresh healing herbs to baking is a great way to boost your recipe with extra nutrients.

FOCACCIA MAKING TIPS

This recipe calls for only a few ingredients, but the key to making this focaccia perfect is to weigh all your dry ingredients. This is when a kitchen scale can come in handy!

Another important factor is to give the dough enough time to rise. Baking is an enjoyable activity and not something to be rushed. This recipe starts the day before with the preparation of the flour and yeast. You will then leave the dough overnight in the fridge to let it rise slowly. A slow rise will ensure that your focaccia turns out fluffy and light.

This recipe is the opposite of commercial bread which leaves you feeling full and bloated right after you eat. Fast food restaurants and commercial bread makers don’t take the time to let their bread rise. Feeling tired and bloating are all common symptoms of eating fast bread. This is because the most difficult thing to digest in bread is yeast. Letting the dough rise is the solution to this problem.

In this recipe, the dough will rise twice ensuring that it has the time to create the pockets of bubbles that you see in artisan bread. This will also ensure that your tummy will be happy and you have no bloating after eating it. This is the magic ingredient for a bread that is healthy and good for your digestive system.

THE SCIENCE OF SELECTING FLOUR

Everyone has heard that saying cooking is an art and baking is a science. And anyone that has attempted to bake anything without following instructions or measurements knows this to be true.

Part of the science of bread baking is to select the best type of flour for your chosen creation. Yes, there is a science behind selecting flour. I remember when I lived in Canada I used all-purpose flour for everything. Needless to say, my creations didn’t work out the way I hoped but even worst I became discouraged and stopped baking.

That was until I faced my fear and attended a bread baking course at a culinary school here in Italy. This is where I learned about the science of flour and I no longer use all-purpose flour. The name on the package is quite misleading!

In Italy, the flours are numbered and I find it’s a great way to simplify the process of selecting the correct flour. I used a ‘0’ white wheat flour that was specific for bread and focaccia and had a protein content of 12%. The protein content affects the results of your baked goods so it is important to use the correct type of flour for what you plan to bake.

For focaccia, you will need to use a flour with a 12% to 14% protein range. You can check the side of the package to see if the flour you are considering has the correct percentage of protein.

The protein content in your flour also determines how long you will need to let your dough rise. Flour with a 12% protein range will need to rise for 16 to 20 hours. if you use 13% or 14% flour add on an extra 4 hours for each percentage.

You will also need to consider the yeast you choose. I used a lievito madre it’s a dry natural mothers yeast. Check the ingredients to make sure you are selecting a natural yeast.

HOW TO MAKE ARTISAN ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

This recipe is artisan bread at its finest! You will need two days for this recipe. So choose the day you want to eat warm focaccia and start preparing the day before.

Please don’t let this discourage you because it’s a very simple recipe. The prep work won’t take more than 30 minutes and the baking time is only 45 minutes. All the time in between is for the dough to rise and you can relax as you wait.

Baking bread is a great lesson in patience. There won’t be any instant gratification with this recipe, but I believe this is what makes it so enjoyable. That first bite of warm focaccia right out of the oven is worth waiting for.

For the equipment you can use 1 large oven size baking tray or 2 smaller ones. You can also make this in reusable aluminium baking trays just make sure that the tray you use is at least 2” deep.

This recipe contains a secret ingredient...2 mashed potatoes! The potatoes are what make this focaccia extra soft. Just make sure you let them cool off before you add them to the flour.

The exact preparation method for this recipe is in the card below. Make sure you follow the steps and I promise you will make delicious focaccia. If you make this recipe or if you have any questions please leave a comment below.

Enjoy!

Artisan Rosemary Focaccia

Author: Michelle Pedullà

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 20 HourTotal time: 21 H & 15 M

Ingredients

1000 grams of flour
2 potatoes, mashed
30 grams sea salt
20 grams dry yeast
600 ml water
60 ml olive oil
coarse sea salt
rosemary leaves

Instructions

Day #1: Prep Day

Step 1: Boil 2 potatoes and once soft peel and mash with a fork. Set aside to let cool.
Step 2: Measure out 100 ml of lukewarm water into a small bowl and add 30 grams of sea salt. Let the salt dissolve in the water.
Step 3: Measure 500 ml of lukewarm water into a large bowl and add 20 grams of dry yeast. Stir and let the yeast dissolve. Slowly add in 1000 grams of flour and stir.
Step 4: Add the salted water from the small bowl into the large bowl with flour. Also, add in 60 ml of olive oil about 3 tablespoons. Knead the dough with your hands directly inside the bowl.
Step 5: Shape the dough into a large ball and add a drizzle of olive oil into the bowl to coat the dough. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge overnight about 16 hours.

Day #2: Second Rise & Baking Day

Step 1: Remove the dough from the fridge and leave on the counter covered to bring to room temperature and for its second rise. Approximately 2 to 3 hours.
Step 2: After the dough has risen, transfer it to an oiled baking pan and gently stretch it out to fit your pan. Add olive oil on top of the dough and spread it with your fingers.
Step 3: Sprinkle rosemary and coarse sea salt on top.
Step 4: Create indentations on the dough with wet fingers. Then bake in a heated oven for 45 minutes at 220 C (425 F)

Notes:

Salt can kill yeast, weigh out and keep these ingredients separate. In order to ensure that your dough rises properly please follow the steps on this card in their exact order.