Overnight Focaccia
the recipe I'll never stop making.
This focaccia is consistently bringing joy to anyone I make it for. It’s a delight really, like the savory version of a great cookie. It’s also a great intro to bread making if you’re new and the thought intimidates you. Because it’s very forgiving, there’s no kneading and no shaping. You need to allow for, at least, 12 hours (overnight) or up to 3 nights in the refrigerator for the first rise and then 3-4 hours at room temp for the second rise. The full recipe is at the bottom of this email and visible to paid subscribers.
My tips for a HOME RUN focaccia
Use a high quality (does not mean expensive) pan. I really like this one-I own 4 of this size and 2 of the 9” x 13”. This is another option that’s great. You don’t want to be fighting to get your bread out of the pan. I do NOT recommend glass, pyrex or a disposable aluminum pan.
If you can, use INSTANT yeast. You can make this with dry active yeast if thats all you have but I’m a big fan of instant yeast. I think it gives a better result with less confusion about if the yeast if alive or not. I use this brand and I keep it in my freezer. Just make sure you bought your yeast within the last 6 months.
Use your intuition and RELAX. You probably have more cooking intuition than you think, so just relax and tap into it. A recipe is only a collection of words, and it’s impossible to pack every instinct or intuition of the writer into it, or else it would be 3 pages long. If you’re looking at your dough and it seems dry, add a little water. When you’re pouring on the olive oil, just go with your gut about how much (the right answer is go overboard with the EVOO here) I promise this is a great recipe to have a little creative freedom with.
There are recipes for two different size pans here (9” x 9” and 9” x 13”). The smaller pan is the more versatile size, it will make about 8-10 servings. The large pan makes more. The bread lasts, covered, for about 2 days. You’ll want to warm it a little in the oven to bring it back to life.