A&D Sourdough Focaccia
Thomas J. Story
“Six years into serving food at [Napa’s] Ashes & Diamonds, we’re finding that we’re equally known for our focaccia as our stunning wines,” say chefs Ethan Speizer and Madison Gabor. “Originally developed as a recipe for a sourdough boule, we transitioned this recipe to focaccia, drenched in the best local olive oil and generously topped with flaky sea salt. It’s perfect with our wines.”
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “Pillowy Focaccia and Herby Frittata Anchor This Wine-Friendly Feast.”
How to Make It
1
In a large bowl, mix flours, salt, and yeast lightly with a whisk to combine.
2
Add the water and sourdough starter, and hand mix to combine all ingredients, pinching the dough with your thumb and index finger as you mix. This will help create a homogeneous dough.
3
Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes to allow for the dough to fully hydrate.
4
Uncover and stretch the dough, grabbing one corner at a time, stretching the dough vertically until resistance is met. Be careful not to tear the dough here. Fold the stretched corner to the opposite corner, then repeat with all four corners. Let rest 15 minutes, then repeat this 3 more times (every 15 minutes), for a total of 4 stretch-and-folds over an hour.
5
Place in a lidded container with plenty of headspace for the dough to expand. The dough will double in size! Place in the refrigerator to ferment overnight.
6
The next day, preheat oven to 450°F.
7
Generously oil the bottom of an 8-inch cast-iron pan with high-quality olive oil. Grab a large handful of the dough (about 22 oz.), and place into the pan. Brush the top with more olive oil and set in a warm place to proof for 45 minutes.
8
After 45 minutes of proofing, gently press into the dough with the tips of your fingers, creating dimples and stretching the dough to the sides of the pan. Set back in a warm place for 30 more minutes of proofing.
9
Generously sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and bake about 20 minutes, until dark golden brown.
10
Remove from the oven and, using a metal spatula, place onto a wire rack to rest for 1 hour.
11
Slice, and serve with cultured butter and sea salt.
Ingredients
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 ½ tbsp salt
½ tsp yeast
1 ¾ cups plus 1 tbsp filtered water
½ cup active sourdough starter
olive oil for baking
Directions
1
In a large bowl, mix flours, salt, and yeast lightly with a whisk to combine.
2
Add the water and sourdough starter, and hand mix to combine all ingredients, pinching the dough with your thumb and index finger as you mix. This will help create a homogeneous dough.
3
Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes to allow for the dough to fully hydrate.
4
Uncover and stretch the dough, grabbing one corner at a time, stretching the dough vertically until resistance is met. Be careful not to tear the dough here. Fold the stretched corner to the opposite corner, then repeat with all four corners. Let rest 15 minutes, then repeat this 3 more times (every 15 minutes), for a total of 4 stretch-and-folds over an hour.
5
Place in a lidded container with plenty of headspace for the dough to expand. The dough will double in size! Place in the refrigerator to ferment overnight.
6
The next day, preheat oven to 450°F.
7
Generously oil the bottom of an 8-inch cast-iron pan with high-quality olive oil. Grab a large handful of the dough (about 22 oz.), and place into the pan. Brush the top with more olive oil and set in a warm place to proof for 45 minutes.
8
After 45 minutes of proofing, gently press into the dough with the tips of your fingers, creating dimples and stretching the dough to the sides of the pan. Set back in a warm place for 30 more minutes of proofing.
9
Generously sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt and bake about 20 minutes, until dark golden brown.
10
Remove from the oven and, using a metal spatula, place onto a wire rack to rest for 1 hour.
11
Slice, and serve with cultured butter and sea salt.
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