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June Recipes by Project July

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Double-Day Garlic & Onion Focaccia

Recipe by Felix and Gene

A naturally leavened focaccia with bread flour and sprouted spelt: bulk-fermented warm on the June’s Proof setting, cold-retarded overnight, woken up on Proof again and baked in a well-oiled 10×15-inch pan for a fried-crust crunch. Roasted garlic in the crumb, smoked cheddar and Parmigiano in the dimples, roasted onions on top and fresh negi to finish.

WarningOnly for garlic lovers ♥

We hope you love it as much as we do.

— Felix and Gene

Prep
2 days, with an overnight cold ferment
Cook
25–30 min
Double-Day Garlic & Onion Focaccia
Photo: Felix and Gene

Photos

by Felix and Gene · 7 photos, tap to enlarge · Add yours
  • Sourdough dough risen in a steel bowl

    Day 1: the dough after its bulk ferment, roasted garlic folded through

  • Proofed dough in an oiled pan, with a bowl of onions and cheese beside it

    Day 2: proofed in the oiled pan, toppings ready

  • Focaccia dough covered in sliced onions and cheese

    Loaded with the onions and cheese, ready for the oven

  • Baked focaccia with caramelized onions and green negi, cooling on a rack

    Out of the oven, deeply golden, negi on straight away

  • A slice showing the open, airy crumb under caramelized onions

    That crumb: open and airy under the roasted onions

  • A square of focaccia on a white plate, topped with negi

    A square for the plate

  • The focaccia cut into strips on a cooling rack

    Cut into strips for the table

Ingredients

  • The dough

  • For the pan

  • Toppings and mix-ins

Steps

  1. Day 1, the dough

  2. 1

    Mix the flours, warm water, starter, salt, malt powder and the 15 g of oil in a bowl until a shaggy dough forms. It’s about 80% hydration and makes 650–750 g, just right for a 10×15-inch pan.

  3. 2
    80°F
    Oven

    Proof 80°F, with the bowl inside, for the bulk ferment

    Proof 80°FBottom shelf
  4. 3

    Through the bulk ferment, do several sets of stretch-and-folds (or coil folds) 30 to 45 minutes apart. They build strength without knocking the air out.

  5. 4

    Fold the roasted garlic cloves in during your folds rather than in the first mix, so it spreads evenly through the crumb without tearing the gluten.

  6. 5

    Once the folds are done, cover the dough tightly and cold-retard it in the fridge overnight. The cold slows the yeast, firms the dough and builds the sourdough flavour.

  7. Day 2, the proof

  8. 6

    Pour a generous layer of Zero Acre cultured oil over the bottom of the pan and turn the cold dough into it. The oil is what fries the crust.

  9. 7
    80°F
    Oven

    Proof 80°F, up to 2 hours, to wake the cold dough up

    Proof 80°FTimer 2 hBottom shelf
  10. 8

    Take the pan out and finish the proof at room temperature, up to 7 hours, until the dough is bubbly, jiggles, and relaxes into the corners of the pan.

  11. The bake

  12. 9
    PREHEAT 425°F
    Oven

    Preheat on Bake, 425°F, convection on

    Bake 425°FPreheatTimer 25 min, check up to 30 minFood to 209°FMiddle shelf
  13. 10

    Oil your fingers and dimple the dough deeply. Push the cheese cubes right into the dimples rather than mixing them into the dough, so they don’t weigh the crumb down.

  14. 11

    Scatter the pre-roasted onions over the top.

  15. 12
    FOOD 209°F 425°F
    Oven

    Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Once the crust has set enough not to deflate, about halfway, put the food thermometer into the center, and take it out when it reads 209°F to 212°F

    Same cook as step 9: the timer starts once the food goes in.

  16. 13

    As soon as it comes out, top it with the sliced negi.

  17. 14

    Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Tips and notes

The pan: a Fat Daddio 10×15×1-inch jelly roll pan is the largest that fits in the June. A cast-iron skillet works too, for a round loaf.

Trust the thermometer more than the clock. At 80% hydration the center has to reach 209–212°F, or it comes out gummy.

The cheese goes in the dimples, not the dough, so the crumb stays open and airy.