Cookbook Recipes

Cookbook Bread

Pesto garlic butter focaccia

A small loaf pan focaccia made with 00 flour, an 18 hour cold ferment, pesto folded through the crumb and a garlic butter finish.

Prep
45 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 h 15
Yield
Makes 1 small loaf
Going in
Easy but long, needs overnight planning
Steps
16

This is a focaccia shaped for a standard loaf tin rather than a sheet pan, so it bakes up tall and pillowy instead of wide and flat.

The dough rests in the fridge for 18 hours, which builds flavour without any extra hands-on work.

Method 16 steps

  1. Bloom the yeast 10 min

    Warm 65g of the water to 100-110F, warm to the touch but not hot. Stir in the active dry yeast and sugar. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy on top.

    This confirms the yeast is alive before committing to an 18 hour ferment. If it does not foam after 10 minutes, start again with a fresh packet.

  2. Mix the dough 5 min

    Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the bloomed yeast mixture and the remaining 135g of water. Mix with a spatula or your hand until no dry flour remains.

    The dough will be shaggy, sticky and quite wet. That is expected for this hydration.

  3. Short rest

    Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes to let the flour hydrate.

  4. First fold 2 min

    Wet your hand, reach under the dough and fold it over itself 4 to 6 times around the bowl. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

  5. Second fold 2 min

    Wet your hand again and repeat the fold: reach under the dough and fold it over itself 4 to 6 times around the bowl. The dough should feel noticeably tighter and stronger than after the first fold, even if still sticky.

    If the dough still feels very slack, rest for 20 more minutes and do a third fold.

  6. Cold ferment

    Cover tightly and refrigerate for 18 hours. The dough will roughly double and become bubbly.

  7. Oil the pan 2 min

    Pour half the olive oil into the loaf tin, using it to coat the bottom and sides generously.

  8. Transfer and stretch 3 min

    Gently pour or scrape the cold dough into the oiled pan. Do not punch it down. Turn it once to coat in oil, then gently stretch it toward the corners. It will not fill the pan yet.

  9. Fold in the pesto 3 min

    Dollop the pesto over the surface of the dough. With oiled fingers, fold the dough over itself a few times to swirl the pesto through. Do not fully mix it in, streaks are good. Gently re-stretch the dough toward the corners.

    Folding the pesto in now marbles it through the crumb rather than leaving it sitting on top.

  10. Second rise

    Cover loosely and leave at room temperature until puffy and nearly filling the pan, about 2 to 3 hours depending on the room temperature.

  11. Make the garlic butter 3 min

    Mash together the butter and garlic in a small bowl until well combined.

  12. Preheat the oven

    About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 220C, 425F.

  13. Dimple and top 3 min

    Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of the dough. Using oiled fingertips, press deep dimples all over the dough down to the pan. Sprinkle with the flaky salt.

  14. First bake 15 min

    Bake for 15 minutes, until just starting to set and turn golden at the edges.

  15. Add the garlic butter and finish baking 2 min

    Remove from the oven and dot or spread the garlic butter over the top. Return to the oven and bake until deep golden and crisp at the edges, 10 to 15 minutes more.

    Adding the butter partway through the bake keeps it from scorching before the crumb is fully baked.

  16. Cool

    Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and slice.