Ingredients

Day before: preferment

50g strong white bread flour
10g rye flour
Pinch of active dried yeast
Pinch of fine sea salt
40g cold water

Bake day

270g strong white bread flour
5g fine sea salt
230g water
5g active dried yeast
50g extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
Fresh rosemary tips
Pitted black olives

Method

The night before, mix the ingredients together for the preferment. Cover and leave at room temperature.

The next day, weigh the flour and salt into a bowl. Weigh the water, holding back 30g. Add 100g of the preferment and the yeast to the main water, stirring to dissolve.

Add the liquid to the flour and use a dough scraper to fold and chop the dough until no dry flour lumps remain. Trickle half the olive oil down the inside of the bowl and under the dough, encouraging the dough to lift from the bottom of the bowl and ‘float’. Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes, maintaining the dough temperature at 26°C.

After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough in the bowl for a minute until it feels strong, then gradually add the reserved water – squeezing and folding it into the dough until incorporated. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes, then use the remaining oil to coat a shallow tray large enough to hold the dough and tip the dough onto it.

With oiled/wetted hands, use the stretch and fold technique to strengthen the dough. Turn the dough, taking hold of each side of the dough and folding it into the centre.

Place the dough back into the oiled bowl and continue to bulk ferment for another 1½ hours. Maintain the dough temperature at 26°C and ‘s’ fold the dough every 30 minutes (twice more).

At the end of the bulk fermentation, pour the dough onto a rimmed baking tray or tin lined with baking parchment. The size will dictate the thickness of your baked focaccia.

Wet or oil your hands and dimple the dough firmly all over with braced fingertips, pressing it out to the corners of the tray/tin. This will take several attempts as the gluten will resist, so allow the dough to relax for a couple of minutes before stretching again.

When the dough has filled the tray/tin, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and push the rosemary tips and pitted olives into it. Leave the dough to prove for 1–2 hours until bubbly on top and risen.

Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9, placing a heavy baking tray on the middle shelf and a small deep roasting tin in the bottom of the oven (see page 116).

Bake for 15 minutes, creating some steam if possible by turning off the oven fan and throwing some water into the tin at the bottom of the oven. After 15 minutes, release the steam and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Upgrade your bread basket with 3 tasty recipes from Two Magpies Bakery