Easy Focaccia

Think you can’t make bread?  Think again.  Focaccia is a flat, oven-baked Italian bread that is so mouth watering good, you may eat the whole thing in one sitting!  I make mine with my sourdough starter, named “Yeasty Boyz”.  The health benefits of baking breads with a sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast are plentiful.  A sourdough starter uses the process of fermentation and simply flour and water.  The process of fermentation has been proven to improve overall gut health.  Breads and baked goods made with a sourdough starter are more nutritious and easier to digest; they are less likely to spike your blood sugar levels.  And…they taste better!  My go-to book on all things related to sourdough is Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffa.  You can purchase the book on Amazon using this link.

Her book will teach you everything you need to know on how to keep a healthy starter!  I feed mine daily with 60 grams of King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat Flour and 60 grams of filtered water.  

Ingredients

• 50 grams Active Sourdough Starter

• 20 grams Honey

• 9 grams Fine Sea Salt

• 375 grams cool water

• 500 grams All Purpose Flour (I use King Arthur)

• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the good stuff)

Using a baker’s scale, measure out starter, Honey, and Salt in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Whisk together. Add water and flour.  Combine with a spatula or wooden spoon until and finish with by hand.  It will be sticky!  Remove excess dough from hands into bowl.  Cover with a warm, damp towel for 12-14 hours.  In a 9 x13 non-stick pan (think the pan you bake brownies in), coat the bottom with 3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Coax dough into the pan.  Flip the dough over to coat both sides in oil as you gently stretch the dough.  It will not fit the pan yet.  Cover with a dish towel and let sit for 1-3 more hours.  It will look puffy!  Gently stretch the dough to fit the pan (does not have to be perfect).  Now for the best part, use your fingertips to dimple the dough all over.  You can press all the way down to the bottom of the pan.  Press any toppings in you like-I use a dash of Himalayan Sea Salt.  Rosemary, tomatoes, garlic, these are all good ideas!  Bake for 15 minutes at 425, rotate pan ¼ and bake another 12-13 minutes.  Cool in pan for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.  Best if eaten the day of baking, or simple freeze in big pieces or small!  It makes great croutons, sandwiches, pizza, etc!