Nagi's Focaccia

 

Ingredients:

250g unbleached bakers flour

10g white sugar

6g salt

4g/1tsp instant/rapid rise yeast (the type you add straight to flour)

185mL water at 40C

22mL extra virgin olive oil

125g boiled and mashed potato, floury variety

16-18 kalamata olives, halved and patted dry

Rosemary leaves, very finely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil/garlic infused olive oil

Sea salt flakes

Method:

1. Make mashed potato: Peel potato and dice into 2.5cm chunks. Boil in unsalted water for 10-15min until fully tender. Drain and mash very well until smooth and lump free. Set aside to cool and measure 125g.

2. Mix dry ingredients; flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix with dough scraper until well incorporated.

3. Make a well in the centre and add heated water and olive oil. Mix well with dough scraper until you can't see any of the flour remaining. Dough should be sticky.

4. Add mashed potato. Fold potato into dough and then smear it along the walls of the bowl until it is totally incorporated. Shape roughly into a ball and cover with beeswax cloth/clingwrap and stand at 25C for 30minutes.

5. Get another large bowl, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and smear around edges of bowl with hands. Scrape dough in and then pull up one edge with fingertips, stretch and pull over to other side of the dough. Turn bowl 45 degrees and repeat for a total of six times. Shape into a bowl and cover with beeswax cloth/clingwrap and stand at 25C for 30minutes.

6. Prepare a 26cm x 20 x 5cm rectangular oven pan by pouring 2 tbsp olive oil and smearing it all over the surface.

7. Preheat oven to 220C for a minimum of 15min ahead of baking.

8. Scrape dough into pan and gently stretch edges out as best you can to fill tray, without tearing dough. Cover with beeswax cloth/clingwrap and stand at 25C for 40minutes.

9. Remove cloth, drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil on surface and smear it over the surface lightly with your hands.

10. Using both your hands like claws, push your fingers deep into the dough, right to the base of the pan to create the signature dimples. Do this across the entire dough surface up to six times. This will somewhat deflate the surface but that is OK.

11. Top with olives and rosemary. Lightly press olives into surface and sprinkle finely chopped rosemary ontop. Finish by drizzling 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the surface so it runs into the dimples and sprinkle dough with sea salt flakes. 

12. Bake in hot oven on middle rack for 20-25minutes until golden and crispy. 

***Nagi's RecipeTin eats: https://www.recipetineats.com/focaccia-recipe/***