After the first try, I wanted to increase the bulk ferment and final proofing times to see what the ciabatta dough would look like if I used this for focaccia, as Mr. Hamelman suggests in his “BREAD” book. The result can be seen here.

Big air bubbles after proofing

Bulk fermentation time: three hours. Final proofing: one hour. Since the dough is very wet, some stretch & folds are required to hold it’s shape. I think I did too many of those, since it rose dramatically in the oven, resulting in a bit too high dough for focaccia. You could slice it and put on toppings like a ciabatta!

Who says focaccia can’t be eaten as a sandwich?
Lot’s of nice holes!
Even more toppings could be added.

You might notice I’ve added some toppings:

  • Dried and fresh oregano
  • Plenty of olive oil creating “holes” with your fingertips
  • black olives
  • cherry tomatoes
  • buffalo mozzarella
  • fresh basil leaves

I thought I added too much olives but as it rose that much in the oven (baked at 250°C and lowered after 15 minutes), there was even room for more. I also used italian “00” flour instead of my generic all purpose pastry-ish white flour. This resulted in less chewyness but alas after one or two days it lost it’s light texture again.

This dough was also made using a poolish as a preferement (100% hydratation) with commercial yeast. Next up for adventure issue three: sourdough, finally!

 

Geschreven voor Red Zuurdesem door Wouter .