The Story
Focaccia rewards patience. The dough rises slowly through the night, developing flavour in the darkness while you sleep. By morning it's doubled, bubbling with life, ready to be coaxed into a baking tin and dimpled with eager fingers.
Those dimples serve a purpose beyond aesthetics—they're pools for olive oil to collect, creating pockets of richness throughout the bread. Cherry tomatoes nestle into them, their skins blistering in the oven's heat. Rosemary spikes through the surface like tiny evergreens. Flaky sea salt catches the light.
When it emerges golden-brown, the kitchen fills with that unmistakable yeast-and-olive-oil perfume. The bottom is crisp, the interior impossibly soft, the top glistening with oil. Tear it apart while it's still warm, revealing the open, airy crumb. This is bread as architecture—simple ingredients transformed through time and technique into something remarkable.
Instructions
Step 1
In a large bowl, combine bread flour, water, sourdough starter, and salt. Mix until no dry flour remains—it will look shaggy and rough. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Perform a series of stretch and folds: wet your hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 4 times. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this process 3 more times over 2 hours.
Step 3
After the final fold, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight (12-18 hours). The slow fermentation develops complex flavour.
Step 4
The next morning, remove from fridge and let come to room temperature for 1-2 hours. Generously oil a 23x33cm baking tin with olive oil.
Step 5
Turn the dough out onto the oiled tin. With oiled fingers, gently stretch and press the dough to fill the tin—don't force it. If it resists, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again. Cover and let rise for 2-3 hours until puffy and nearly doubled.
Step 6
Preheat oven to 220°C. Drizzle more olive oil over the surface. With oiled fingers, dimple the dough all over, pressing down to the bottom of the tin. Press halved cherry tomatoes into some dimples. Scatter rosemary over the top and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
Step 7
Bake for 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown on top and edges. The bottom should sound hollow when tapped.
Step 8
Remove from oven and drizzle with a final glug of olive oil. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, torn into rough pieces.
