Overnight Focaccia
A wet dough left in the fridge overnight does the work for you. In the morning it is bubbly, easy to handle and tastes faintly of the fridge — which is exactly what you want.
Ingredients
- 500 g strong white flour
- 400 g cold water
- 10 g fine salt
- 3 g instant yeast
- 40 ml olive oil, plus more for the tin
- Flaky salt and rosemary, to finish
Method
- Mix the flour, water and yeast in a bowl until no dry flour remains, then rest for 20 minutes.
- Add the salt and 20 ml of the oil and fold the dough over itself a few times until it comes together. Cover and refrigerate for 12–18 hours.
- Oil a 30 × 20 cm tin generously and tip the dough in without knocking it back. Let it come to room temperature for 2 hours, until it fills the tin.
- Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Oil your fingers and press dimples right to the bottom of the dough.
- Drizzle with the rest of the oil, scatter with rosemary and flaky salt, and bake for 22–25 minutes until deep gold.
- Lift out of the tin immediately and cool on a rack so the base stays crisp.
Notes
Cold dough is easier to handle; do not skip the fridge.
If your kitchen is cold, let it prove near the oven for the full two hours.
Best the day it is baked, but a slice revived in a hot oven is excellent the next morning.