Samin Nosrat Focaccia Recipe

By The Cooking World, Editorial Staff

September 9, 2022

Samin Norsrat's Focaccia

For us, nothing beats good focaccia! In this week's recipe, we decided to share Samin Norsrat's Focaccia, one of our go-to recipes.

This focaccia recipe is from the Ligurian region in Italy. With a 2 cm thick, bright golden surface brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and scattered with salt, this is one of the crunchiest and softest focaccias you can have.

Like those living in the Ligurian region, we eat this bread at any time of the day, and you also will after you try it.

PREP TIME

25 minutes plus rest time

COOK TIME

30 to 37 minutes

serves

1 Foccacia

Ingredients

For the dough

600 g (2½ cups) lukewarm water
3 g (½ teaspoon) active dry yeast
15 g (1 tablespoon) honey
800 g (5 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
18 g (2 tablespoons) kosher salt or 15 g (1 tablespoon) fine sea salt
50 g (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan and finishing
Flaky salt for finishing

For the brine

5 g (1½ teaspoons) kosher salt
80 g (⅓ cup) lukewarm water

Special Equipment

Medium Bowl
Large Bowl
Baking Sheet
Cooling Rack
‍‍Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Digital Scale

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together water, yeast, and honey to dissolve. In a very large bowl, whisk flour and salt together to combine and then add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir with a rubber spatula until just incorporated, then scrape the sides of the bowl clean and cover with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature to ferment for 12 to 14 hours until at least doubled in volume.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons oil evenly onto a 46-by-33 cm (18-by-13 inch) rimmed baking sheet. When the dough is ready, use a spatula or your hand to release it from the sides of the bowl and fold it onto itself gently, then pour out onto the baking sheet. Pour an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough and gently spread it across. Gently stretch the dough to the edge of the sheet by placing your hands underneath and pulling outward. The dough will shrink a bit, so repeat stretching once or twice over the course of 30 minutes to ensure the dough remains stretched.
Dimple the dough by pressing the pads of your first three fingers in at an angle. Make the brine by stirring together salt and water until the salt is dissolved. Pour the brine over the dough to fill the dimples. Proof for 45 minutes until the dough is light and bubbly.
Thirty minutes into this final proof, adjust the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 235 ºC (450 °F). If you have a baking stone, place it on rack. Otherwise, invert another sturdy baking sheet and place on rack. Allow to preheat with the oven until very hot, before proceeding with baking.
Sprinkle focaccia with flaky salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes directly on top of stone or inverted sheet until bottom crust is crisp and golden brown when checked with a metal spatula. To finish browning the top crust, place focaccia on the upper rack and bake for 5 to 7 minutes more.
Remove from oven and brush or douse with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil over the whole surface (don’t worry if the olive pools in pockets, it will absorb as it sits). Let cool for 5 minutes, then release focaccia from the baking sheet with a metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Serve warm or at room temperature.