Focaccina-making question for bread experts
Curly Sue
I'd saved a while ago. It sounds like panini bread. I cut the
recipe by 4 (8 cups flour down to 2) and have a question because the
recipe is strange.
The recipe (original) calls for 8 c flour to 4 c water, i.e. 2 c flour
per cup water. I predicted that it would be too much water but
decided to give it a go and it was, in fact, soup. Not just a sticky
dough, you could drink it. So I added enough flour to make a very
sticky dough and will continue with that.
Now, I admit that I didn't follow the mixing directions exactly, I
don't have a stand mixer and didn't feel like mixing oil and water for
6-8 min. Nonetheless, I find it hard to believe that the method would
make such a difference in proportion of water to flour.
Specifically, from the recipe below:
1. Place the salt, crumbled yeast, water and extra-virgin olive oil in
a mixer, and let it mix for 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the flour and mix for 10 minutes, until the dough no longer
sticks to the machine or your fingers.
So we have 2 T oil, 1 c water, some salt and yeast mixed for 6-8 min.
I can only guess that they are expecting an emulsion (2 T oil to 1 c
water???), but there is no emulsifier (though perhaps the yeast does
it somehow???).
What does this first mixing without flour do and could it possibly
make a difference?
She also recommends "00" flour. Trying to spare my dwindling supply I
used half "00" flour and half all-purpose.
I am going to assume that the amount of flour (or water) is a typo
unless someone has any other ideas.
It sounds like a lovely recipe. The chef suggests using a filling of
pureed, sauteed spinach + robiola cheese, or roasted tomatoes + shaved
pecorino cheese or fontina + ham.
******************************************************
New York Post
<http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/nycuisine/cheftells/121601.htm>
ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT, THIS IS ONE FILLING APPETIZER
By PIA NORDLINGER
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 16, 2001 -- Chef Margherita Aloi of Arezzo has a terrific
hors d'oeuvre for your holiday party: focaccina with robiola cheese
and spinach purée.
Though "focaccina" sounds like "focaccia," the two are very different.
"Focaccia is a bread that is fluffy and tall," explained the chef. "It
needs a totally different dough, rising ingredients and more olive oil
than focaccina, which is a just a light shell that we fill."
When making the dough for focaccina, Aloi uses fresh yeast, but active
dry yeast, the kind sold in small packages, will work well, too. The
dough is shaped into fist-size balls, refrigerated, then pushed by
handinto flat circles. Don't use a rolling pin, which will make the
dough
too thin to slice when baked.
Aloi suggests keeping a close eye on the bread while it bakes.
"You don't want the crust to color," she says.
The bread should be an even, golden color and should be slightly
doughy
on the inside.
<snip>
I consider this recipe a gem. It's straightforward and incredibly
versatile. It makes for wonderful bite-size party food, but it could
also work as a first course, a light lunch or a bread to accompany a
main course.
And as Aloi points out, you can change the fillings.
<snip>
Focaccina
4 cups warm water
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 oz. fresh yeast or 1 package dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
8 cups flour ("00" flour preferred)
3 oz. robiola cheese
4 cups spinach
1/2 cup grated parmesan
4 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
truffle oil (optional)
1. Place the salt, crumbled yeast, water and extra-virgin olive oil in
a
mixer, and let it mix for 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the flour and mix for 10 minutes, until the dough no longer
sticks to the machine or your fingers.
3. Remove dough from machine and make 5-oz. balls (about fist-size).
4. Place the balls on a tray and let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, saute spinach with 4 Tbsp. olive oil and garlic. Add
grated parmesan cheese and puree briefly in food processor.
6. Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees.
7. Flatten the dough with the tips of your fingers (not a rolling
pin).
Use flour to prevent sticking.
8. Using a brush, drizzle the top of the flattened focaccia with
extra-virgin olive oil.
9 Place in oven for 4-6 minutes. Turn over after 2 minutes.
10. Using a serrated knife, slice the focaccina through the middle, so
that there is a top half and a bottom half (as you would slice a
bagel).
Smear with the bottom with the robiola cheese and the spinach puree.
Place the top half over the spinach.
11. Return it to the oven for another 2 minutes, then remove and cut.
Serve hot.
****************************************************************
Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
sue at interport dot net
Reg
>
> So we have 2 T oil, 1 c water, some salt and yeast mixed for 6-8 min.
> I can only guess that they are expecting an emulsion (2 T oil to 1 c
> water???), but there is no emulsifier (though perhaps the yeast does
> it somehow???).
>
> What does this first mixing without flour do and could it possibly
> make a difference?
>
The initial 6 - 8 minute mix is for yeast activation. Why they want you
to mix for that long is a mystery to me as a little bit of stirring is
all that's required. I've also never heard of emulsifying the oil/water
parts of a bread dough before adding the flour, so I don't think that's
what it's for. These steps described are odd, but I don't think they'll
hurt any.
As for as the hydration level, it could be that the flour is too low
in protein so it isn't absorbing enough water.
Please do post the results.
--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com
Curly Sue
I had to add about another cup of flour (I used all purpose), it was
still sticky but I didn't want to keep adding flour.
I decided to bag it for the evening so I let the dough rise overnight
in the refrigerator, which it did very well.
This morning I formed the dough (I got about 8 balls from the 3 c of
flour) but didn't flatten them enough so after rising they looked like
hamburger buns and took longer to bake. In addition to brushing the
tops with olive oil I sprinkled on various herbs.
They took about 20 min to bake; the bottoms were brown (I used a
Silpat mat) but the tops were still pale. The crust is smooth and
crispy/crunchy, which I like, but the herbs fall off :< Flavor-wise,
despite the overnight rise in the refrigerator, they are kind of
bland. They'll do fine for this week's sandwiches, though I expect
the crust will soften.
I will try this again sometime, with the assumption that the
flour/water ratio stated is a mistake. I'll try it both with all "00"
flour and another batch with all all-purpose flour.