Tag: Dan Lepard

  • Simple focaccia

    Simple focaccia

    The Easter weekend arrived like a much-needed balm for our souls. A few days off with no plans; just the three of us enjoying sunny skies, walks through the snow, and, of course, good food.

    Our holiday began on skärtorsdag [Holy Thursday] with a dinner that I had had in mind for days. Nutty coppa, served alongside a creamy burrata, roasted Marcona almonds, and blanched white asparagus. The combination was wonderful, with the savory notes of the coppa balancing out the mild sweetness of the almonds and the delicate flavor of the asparagus. I couldn’t help but think something pickled would have made it even better – perhaps some tangy cornichons, capers, or pickled baby onions.

    On the side, a focaccia, which had no other choice than to be quick-to-make, as it was very much not planned.

    As with most thing bread, I turned to baker-extraordinaire Dan Lepard, of which I’ve already shared a fantastic focaccia recipe. And while it is everything I want and more, it unfortunately takes many hours to prepare. So I looked through my notebooks and found one of his recipes for a simple focaccia that happened to be gloriously pillowy, and the perfect complement to our dinner.

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    Quick and simple focaccia

    The recipe that is on its way to becoming my go-to!
    A little more hydration and yeast makes for a quick and simple focaccia- 2 hours-ish from the cupboard to the table.
    And by adding a bit of old dough or some sourdough discard, the flavour is just as wonderful!

    Notes

    – My favourite flour for focaccia comes from a Swedish mill. It is a high-protein organic flour made with a spring-wheat sort, called Quarna. A must try if you ever find your way to Sweden. You can order their flours and grains here.
    – I like to use a bit of old dough, or even some sourdough discard, when making bread that only relies on yeast as leavening agent. I find that it adds complexity to the bread, creating a unique flavor profile that is not possible with just yeast. The longer the old dough or sourdough discard has been fermenting, the more complex the flavour will be. I also think that it helps to improve the texture of the dough, making it more elastic. And of course, it is a wonderful way to use your discard and reduce waste in your kitchen.
    Author: Fanny Zanotti
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time30 minutes
    Total Time2 hours 30 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 500 g Italian 00 or strong white flour read note above
    • 400 mL warm water
    • 21 g fresh yeast or 7 g instant yeast
    • 2 tsp sea salt
    • 125 g old bread dough/starter discard optional, read note above
    • olive oil
    • flaky sea salt to sprinkle

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, stir all the ingredients to a very soft dough. I like to add a bit of old bread dough from the restaurant for added sourness, but you could leave it out or use a sourdough starter/discard.
    • Give the dough a vigorous beating with your hand for 30 seconds. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
    • Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the dough and on top of your workbench, and rub liberally.Flip the dough on to it, using a scraper to gently pull the dough away from the bowl. Pull the dough into a 30cm or so rectangle, fold in by thirds and then a second time. Return to the bowl for 30 minutes.
    • Line a baking tray with nonstick paper and rub a little olive oil over it.
    • Heat the oven to 225°C/fan 200°C.
    • Place the dough at the centre of the prepared tray, and repeat the stretch and fold of the dough. With the tips of your fingers pointing straight down, dimple the dough about a dozen times, then leave for 30 minutes.
    • Stretch out the dough again to cover the tray. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top. reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/fan 180°C and bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden.
    • Allow to cool on a wire-rack.
  • Mastering focaccia, step by step

    Mastering focaccia, step by step

    By now, you guys should be aware that to me, Dan Lepard is to bread-making what Pierre Hermé is to pastry. My icon and absolute role model.

    I never really used to make bread, except for the occasional pizza dough; but since I’ve discovered Dan’s take on bread making I’ve literally been unstoppable. Fresh yeast has become a staple in my fridge and I’m known to run to the grocery store as soon as my flour stock approaches 2kg.

    So far, I had only made white loafs or buns; to which I regularly added ingredients such as herb butter, cheese or mashed potatoes.
    However, I needed a focaccia for the Christmas Eve dinner my sister and I were hosting. And while I firstly intended to make my reliable pizza dough, only slightly wetter; I quickly moved on Dan’s recipe. And boy, I’m glad I did!

    This focaccia is the best flat bread I’ve ever had and it’s a delight to make. Still, the whole process can seem a little daunting because of the different steps and resting times.

    Given that I really want you to make this focaccia and bite into a crusty yet moist square of this fragrant bread, I thought it would be great if we made some together. Get your aprons ready!

    Again, the mise-en-place is fundamental and will make you save precious time. Here, we’ll make a ferment then add water, oil, flour and salt.

    For the ferment, you’ll need:
    200g water at 20°C
    150g flour tipo 00 (French type 45 works well too)
    7g fresh yeast, finely crumbled

    To which you’ll add:
    150g water at 20°C
    15ml olive oil, plus extra for folding
    375g flour tipo 00
    10g fine salt

    01.

    Mix together the ingredients for the ferment in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave at warm room temperature for 2 hours, giving the mixture a good stir after the first hour.
    After the resting time, the mixture should be all bubbly and have doubled in size.

    02.

    Whisk in the water and oil. Then mix in the flour and salt with a spoon, until roughly combined.
    Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

    03.

    Rub your hands, the work surface and the dough with some oil and scrape the dough onto the work surface. Work the dough by gently stretching it with your right hand, keeping it in place with your left thumb. Then fold and rotate the dough. Repeat this kneading about 10 times, but make sure to stop before it starts sticking to the work surface.
    Knead again twice at 10-minute intervals. The dough will change from lumpy to smooth and elastic.
    Cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 40 minutes.

    04.

    It’s now time to do some serious stretching and folding. This will stretch and elongate the upcoming bubbles making for big and uneven holes in the final bread.
    Stretch the dough into a rectangle then fold it into thirds first in one direction then the other. Repeat this twice with 40-minute intervals.

    05.

    Once you’ve stretched-folded three times, allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes before going on with the shaping.

    06.

    Rub a baking tray with olive oil and place the dough onto it. Lightly flatten the dough using your fingers – it’s normal if it springs back. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes.
    Preheat the oven to 220°C. Pick the corners of the dough and stretch them out until they reach the corners of the tray. Sprinkle with a little water and some oil.
    Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200°C and bake for a further 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.