Poolish Focaccia

  1. Remove the poolish from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.
  2. Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer).
  3. Add the oil, poolish, and water and mix with a large metal spoon until the ingredients form a wet, sticky ball (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment).
  4. If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon in cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand (see page 56).
  5. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further.
  6. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  7. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough.
  8. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl.
  9. You may need to add additional flour to firm up the dough enough to clear the sides of the bowl, but the dough should still be quite soft and sticky.
  10. Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed about 6 inches square.
  11. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour, patting the dough into a rectangle.
  12. Wait 5 minutes for the dough to relax.
  13. Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size and fold it, letter style, over itself to return it to a rectangular shape, as shown on page 138.
  14. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
  15. Let rest for 30 minutes.
  16. Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover.
  17. After 30 minutes, repeat this one more time.
  18. Allow the covered dough to ferment on the counter for 1 hour.
  19. It should swell but not necessarily double in size.
  20. Line a 17 by 12-inch sheet pan with baking parchment and proceed with the foccacia shaping and panning instructions on page 162, adding any pre-proof toppings at this time (see page 167).
  21. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap.
  22. Proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough fills the pan.
  23. About 15 minutes before baking, drizzle on more herb oil, if desired (you can use all of it; the dough will absorb it even though it seems like a lot), and dimple it in, as well as any pre-bake toppings (page 167).
  24. This should allow you to fill the pan completely with the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
  25. Let the dough relax for 15 to 30 minutes before baking to allow the gas to build back up.
  26. It will rise to almost 1 inch in thickness.
  27. Preheat the oven to 500F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
  28. Place the pan in the oven and lower the oven setting to 450F.
  29. Bake for 10 minutes.
  30. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough begins to turn a light golden brown.
  31. If using any during-bake toppings (see page 167), sprinkle them on at this point and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes or so.
  32. The internal temperature of the dough should register above 200F (measured in the center) and the cheese, if using, should melt but not burn.
  33. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
  34. If the parchment is still stuck on the bottom, carefully remove it by lifting the corner of the focaccia and peeling if off the bottom with a gentle tug.
  35. Allow the focaccia to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing or serving.
  36. Poolish Focaccia %
  37. Poolish: 167%
  38. High-gluten flour: 100%
  39. Salt: 4.2%
  40. Instant yeast: 1.4%
  41. Olive oil: 25%
  42. Water: 50%
  43. Total: 347.6%

poolish, bread flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, water, oil

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/poolish-focaccia-392140 (may not work)

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