Rosemary focaccia on a baking steel
Makes 8 pieces · 3 hours 30 minutes · Baking steel
A free-form focaccia on a preheated baking steel gets a crisp, golden underside without a tin. The steel gives strong bottom heat from the first second, so the wet dough rises instead of spreading.
Rosemary focaccia is an airy Italian bread made with plenty of olive oil, rosemary and flaky salt, from a wet dough that is folded rather than kneaded. Here it is shaped free-form on baking paper and baked directly on a preheated baking steel, which gives a crisp base and an evenly golden top.
Ingredients
Makes 8 pieces
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 380 ml lukewarm water
- 5 g fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g salt
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- Baking paper
Method
- Mix the flour and yeast in a bowl, pour in the water and stir to a sticky dough. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Add the salt and 1 tbsp olive oil and squeeze them into the dough with your hand.
- Fold the dough three times at 30-minute intervals: with a wet hand lift one edge, fold it over the middle and turn the bowl a quarter turn, four times round. With each set the dough becomes smoother and airier.
- Put the baking steel in the middle of the oven and preheat to 240 °C for 45 minutes. Brush a sheet of baking paper the size of the steel with 2 tbsp oil.
- Tip the dough onto the paper and gently press it out with oiled fingers to about 30 x 25 cm. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 45 minutes until puffy.
- Drizzle over 2 tbsp oil and press deep dimples all over with your fingertips, right down to the paper. Scatter over rosemary needles and flaky salt.
- Slide the paper and dough onto the hot steel using a pizza peel or a rimless baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes until deep golden. Drizzle over the last tablespoon of oil, cool on a rack for 10 minutes and cut into long strips.
Why it works
A loose focaccia dough without a tin spreads if its base heats slowly. The preheated carbon steel sets the base straight away, so the dough rises and develops a crisp, golden underside, and the raised lips make the steel easy to lift out of the oven.
FAQ
Can focaccia dough prove in the fridge overnight?
Yes. After the folds, cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to a day. Shape the dough on the paper and leave it at room temperature for 1–1½ hours before baking.
Why bake focaccia on baking paper?
The dough is wet and oily and would stick before the crust sets. For an extra crisp base, slide the paper out after 10 minutes.
Can I freeze focaccia?
Yes. Freeze the pieces once completely cool and reheat from frozen at 200 °C for 5–8 minutes.
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