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SIMPLE · HAND MIXING

Sourdough focaccia

A soft tray bread with olive oil, mixed by hand.

Formula for 1,000 g raw dough. Mature rye starter at 100% hydration. Room and flour at 22 °C, starter at 18 °C, proof at 24 °C, fridge measured at 4 °C: starting conditions to verify, not a universal optimum. T80 is a French flour classification; do not automatically substitute a local grade.

Proposed process, not presented as production-validated. Times and temperatures do not scale with batch weight. Starter water and flour are included; soaking water is separate. Tray oil, dusting flour and toppings are extra.

Contains gluten. Also check allergens in seeds and all other ingredients.

Hydration excluding soaking water: 77.3%

Process

  1. Prepare the starter

    SIMPLE reference: at least 12 h at 18 °C

    Prepare the mature starter weight shown in the table, plus a separate mother-starter reserve. Use a marked jar and record time, temperature and starting height. Hold at 18 °C. The 12-hour reference must be adjusted to the feeding ratio and observed peak.

    Move on when: Steady rise, distributed bubbles and a supported top. Do not treat an already collapsed starter as if it were at its peak.

  2. Mix flour and water; rest

    60 min; extend towards 90 min only while the dough holds

    Mix all added flours with the dough water, retaining the separately displayed reserve from that same water allowance. Do not add starter or salt yet. Cover. The autolyse concerns fresh flour; the rye flour in the starter has already fermented.

    Move on when: All flour is hydrated; extensibility improves without liquefaction.

  3. Add salt and starter by hand

    3–5 min as an initial estimate

    After the flour–water rest, add salt with some reserved water, then starter. Gently pinch and fold to distribute. Keep remaining water aside. Use a scraper and lightly damp hands; avoid unweighed flour additions.

    Move on when: No starter streaks or dry patches; a homogeneous dough.

  4. Rest before hand kneading

    5 min, covered

    Cover and let the dough relax. This rest is part of the manual working sequence, before the 30-minute bulk rest. Measure temperature.

    Move on when: The dough extends more easily. If it is above the target, pause somewhere cooler and remeasure.

  5. Knead without tearing

    Two 2-minute sequences separated by 5 min rest

    In the bowl, slide a damp hand under one edge, lift until resistance and fold to the centre; turn the bowl. Work gently without tearing. Rest and repeat only if strength improves. Add reserved water gradually if retained. Add oil after development begins and work until absorbed. Weigh unused water and record final temperature.

    Move on when: Cohesion, a smoothing surface and better strength after resting. Stop if tearing increases or structure breaks down.

  6. Initial bulk rest

    30 min

    Place in a marked tub, cover and record temperature and height. Aim around 24 °C if possible.

    Move on when: The dough begins to relax; follow volume as well as time.

  7. Develop structure with folds

    2–4 possible sets; observe every 30 min

    Lift one side until resistance, fold and turn the tub. Work around without tearing. For very supple but cohesive dough, lift the centre so the ends fold underneath. Cover and reassess after about 30 min; repeat only if strength benefits. Stop when sufficiently structured or already well aerated.

    Move on when: Better strength after resting without increasing tears. The number of folds is not a target.

  8. Mature in the tub

    6 h in a refrigerator measured at 4 °C

    Refrigerate after fermentation has begun, in a shallow covered tub. Check core temperature: a large mass cools slowly. Do not automatically add a long warm rise to this cold process.

    Move on when: Aerated but still cohesive and extensible. Stop before collapse. Refrigeration slows fermentation but does not stop it instantly.

  9. Transfer to trays

    20–30 min rest, then gradual spreading

    Oil the tray with an extra quantity recorded separately. Add dough, rest covered, then gently spread towards the edges without tearing. Match tray area to dough weight.

    Move on when: Even thickness, relaxed dough and no torn patches.

  10. Proof and dimple

    First check at 60 min

    Cover without touching the surface. Allow to rise, then lightly oil your fingers and dimple without expelling all the gas. Weigh any toppings separately.

    Move on when: Aerated, trembling dough and soft indentations; bake before collapse.

  11. Bake

    20–30 min, depending on thickness

    Preheat and start around 220–230 °C, adjusting for fan, tray and thickness. Bake on a tray without scoring. Use steam only through an approved method and vent towards the end. In a Rofco, record each level and recovery between batches.

    Move on when: Coloured crust and baked base. A core around 96–98 °C is an initial reference; validate using cooled crumb.

  12. Cool and assess

    At least 2 h; longer for rye

    Cool on a rack without stacking. Wait before slicing and packaging. Weigh when cool and record mass loss, crumb and flavour.

    Move on when: No packaging condensation; settled crumb. Measured mass loss will later relate raw dough weight to sale weight.

Record final temperature, actual timings, starter at use, shaping, cooled weight, crumb and flavour. Raw weight does not guarantee baked weight: measure the loss.