ligurian focaccia

Adapted from Samin Nosrat’s recipe, this is the first time I’ve achieved any success at all making a focaccia bread. My previous attempts came out tough and though they looked photo-worthy, clung tenaciously to the bottom of the pan. This focaccia however, was soft, tender, and chewy, though a tad salty. It is the first focaccia recipe I’ve used that requires brining the dough as well as salting it. The dough was stretchy, easing itself right up to the corners, comfortably filling one 18×13 inch baking sheet pan, as promised. Like Sarah Jampel’s focaccia recipe, the title of which states it is “no knead” this focaccia also does not require kneading; and both require a long resting time, Jampel’s in the refrigerator, and Nosrat’s at room temperature. I’ve combined the two methods. I made some changes: I switched to instant yeast, reduced the salt in the brine, and made sprinkling additional salt an option.

Ligurian Focaccia

Yield: one 18×13 inch focaccia

Time: 2 hours plus 12-14 hours resting time

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups water at room temperature

2 1/2 teaspoons honey

5 1/3 cups/640g all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon fine salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan, your hands, and for finishing

Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional

For the brine:

1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/3 cup water at room temperature

Instructions

In a glass measuring cup or medium bowl, mix honey with 2 1/2 cups water. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and the instant yeast. Whisk in the salt then pour in the water, stirring with a spatula until just combined. The original recipe said to let the dough rise at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, 12-14 hours. However, I let it rise at room temperature until just one inch below the rim, or doubled in volume, 2-3 hours. Fearing the dough would exceed the bowl’s confines, I then refrigerated the bowl overnight to slow down the rising dough. By the next day, the dough had risen just a bit more and the surface looked bubbly. I took the bowl out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature on the countertop, about 1 hour.

Grease the baking sheet pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. I suggest lining it with parchment to facilitate release. Flip the parchment over. Set aside.

Lightly oil your hands. Reach into the bowl and pick up the farthest edge with both hands and fold it over. Using a plastic dough scraper, gently pour the dough into the middle of the oiled parchment. Pour over 2 tablespoons of oil on the dough and gently spread it over the surface of the dough, patting and spreading the dough from the middle outwards. If the dough shrinks, let it rest 15 minutes then try again. In 30 minutes, the dough should spread without pulling, touching the edges and corners of the pan.

Make the brine, stirring until the salt is dissolved, and set aside.

Dimple the dough using the middle three fingers of each hand, holding your hands at a 45˚ angle as if playing the piano. Pour over the brine. Put the focaccia aside and let rest, uncovered, 45 minutes, until the dough is light and bubbly.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450˚F/225˚C. If you have a baking stone, place it on the center rack. If you don’t, put another baking sheet pan upside down on the rack.

If you wish, lightly sprinkle over some sea salt on top of the dough. Remember, there is a tablespoon of salt in the dough and you’ve just brined it, so use a light hand with the sea salt. Bake 25-30 minutes on top of the stone or the inverted baking sheet pan. The bottom crust should brown and so will the top. If the top still looks anemic, remove the bottom sheet pan and move the dough pan to the upper rack. Continue to bake 5-7 minutes until golden.

Remove from oven and brush the focaccia with 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Cool 5 minutes in the pan then remove the focaccia from the pan to a cooling rack. Discard parchment. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations:

1. Use a 9×13 inch baking pan for a thicker, sandwich-style focaccia
2. Add toppings, including: rosemary, thyme, chopped garlic, olives, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to name a few!

tangerine jelly

A tangerine jelly, tart and sweet, stuffed with mandarin oranges and pomegranate seeds hidden inside the wobbly dessert. The recipe is from the USA, via the New York Times Cooking app, but made with ingredients from Thailand. Because of that, the jelly has a surprising hint of the sea, a hit of salt. It came from the fresh-squeezed tangerine juice I bought at the market. I had forgotten about the Thai practice of adding salt to orange juice to bring out the sweetness hidden within the sour. Like salted caramel, where the caramel has notes of saltiness, it complements the sweet, punctuates it. It’s delicious.

Tangerine Jelly (adapted from NY Times Cooking)

I’ve made some additions and changes to the recipe. I’ve added a spoonful of agar agar, a seaweed extract, which adds a crisper texture and thus more support for the fruit in the jelly. Because of the salt in the juice I have reduced the salt by half, but you can add more to taste. You can also add more or less pomegranate seeds to taste.

Yield: 6-8 slices

2 1/2-tablespoons powdered gelatin

1 teaspoon agar agar powder

1/2-cup mandarin orange syrup from the tin

1 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4-teaspoon salt, optional

3 cups/750ml freshly squeezed tangerine juice, strained

1/2-1 cup pomegranate seeds, thawed, if frozen, and drained on paper toweling

2 cups tinned mandarin orange segments, drained, syrup reserved

Special Equipment: 6 cup mold

Pour juice into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Lightly oil the mold, wiping out any excess oil. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add 1/2-cup syrup and the agar. Heat until boiling, stirring until dissolved, to activate the agar. Add the gelatin and the cup of water. Stir until the gelatin powder is dissolved. If it doesn’t, warm the pan and stir until smooth and free of lumps. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and salt, if using. Whisk gelatin-agar mixture into the tangerine juice, until thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into the mold then drop in the pomegranates evenly throughout, followed by the orange segments, also distributed evenly throughout. Chill until set at least 4 hours or overnight.

To unmold, Fill a large bowl one-quarter to one-third of the way with room temperature water. Don’t use hot water as it will melt the jelly. Place the mold in the water, being careful not to splash any water onto the gelatin. With moistened fingertips, lightly press the edges to release. Insert a thin blade a little deeper, being careful not to slice into the jelly. Remove from the water bath. Cover with a large plate and invert. Slightly shake the two. Thwack. The jelly drops out of the mold onto the plate. If the jelly does not fall out onto the plate, simply repeat the process.