Cast Iron Focaccia

With breadmaking, making a focacch is probably the easiest thing to do. It only takes a few ingredients and time (24+ hours). In any case, it’s still pretty cool to be able to make your own bread from scratch.

The end result is a buttery/nutty flavor with a nice crispy crust.

Make this bread and bring it to parties. I promise you everyone will get full off this appetizer (especially if paired with meat and cheese).

Ingredients

• 360g warm water (86ºF) + 20g for step 3
• 10g sugar
• 25g olive oil + ¼ cup
• 450g bread flour (12.7% protein)
• 4g yeast
• 12g kosher salt
• maldon salt
• rosemary

Steps

1. Combine water, sugar, olive oil, and flour into a bowl. Stir with a spoon until it gets sticky, then continue to lightly knead with hand
2. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
3. Add 20g of water, yeast, and salt and mix together with a really wet hand
4. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes
5. Perform four strength building folds and slap along the side of the bowl (to help shape the dough)
6. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes
7. Do the fold and slaps
8. Cover and throw it in the fridge for 4-24 hours (the longer, the better)
9. Place the dough into an oiled 12″ cast iron pan
10. With oiled fingers, stretch the dough to the edges of the pan
11. Cover and let rest for 1:15 hours
12. Drizzle oil on top of the dough and dimple with oiled fingers
13. Cover and let rest for 1 hour
14. Sprinkle maldon salt and fresh rosemary on top and bake at 500ºF for 15-18 minutes
15. Remove from cast iron and let cool on a wire rack (to prevent soggy bottoms) and then brush oil from cast iron on top of the bread
16. Boomski.

Notes

• This recipe is for a 12″ cast iron pan. If you try the exact recipe in a 10″, the center will be undercooked.
• Invest in some maldon salt for step 14. Better flavor and seeing giant crystals on the finished product is sexy
• When trying this for the first time, check the bread at 15 minutes and keep and eye on it every 1-2 minutes. You want a nice darker (read: not burnt) color
• Shoutout to Brian Lagerstrom’s recipe