FOOD: On the Rise

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FOOD / WINE / DINING OUT

OnTheRise

FOCACCIA IS HEATING UP IN THE 805 AS LOCAL BAKERS INFUSE THE TRADITIONAL DIMPLED BREAD WITH FLAVOR.

By Jaime Lewis

Made with a healthy dose of olive oil, the yeasted Italian flatbread, focaccia, is dimpled and dusted with herbs and coarse salt and baked in a low, flat tray to an irresistibly crisp and oily result. “It’s not an elegant bread,” says Sarah

Bercusson of The Tuscan Bakery (thetuscanbakery. com) in Thousand Oaks, “but it’s so flavorful you just don’t care.” Bercusson is English but spent her childhood and adolescence in Florence, where the aroma of bread lilts outside every bakery. Since moving stateside eight years ago, she has re-created the Tuscan-style focaccia of her youth, schiacciata, and now sells it at farmers’ markets and to order.

“In Italy, it’s very much the normal habit to go to the forno [bakery] to buy the bread for the day,” she says. “We often bought focaccia, because it’s so delicious: slightly less airy than a Tuscan loaf and flavorful, because it includes so much olive oil.”

At The Tuscan Bakery, Bercusson specializes in traditional savory focaccia as well as sweet focaccia, made with seasonal ingredients. Up the coast in Arroyo Grande, pastry chef Matthew Molacek makes focaccia at Ember (emberwoodfire.com) using his own levain, or natural yeast starter. Here, he and Bercusson share a few favorite focaccia recipes, including Molacek’s guide to starting your own levain at home.

OLIVE, CAPER, AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

“This is my most popular focaccia,” Bercusson says. “It sells out every time.” She credits the bread’s popularity to its Castelvetrano olives, salty capers, and rosemary-steeped oil. Bercusson suggests serving slices of it alongside cheese and charcuterie plates.

Makes an 18x13-inch flatbread DOUGH 2 sprigs rosemary ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk 3¼ cups plus 3 tablespoons 00 flour ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1¼ teaspoons brewer’s yeast (dry) 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt 1½ cups tepid water Olive oil spray

TOPPING 30 green olives (Bercusson uses Mezzetta brand)

Nonpareil capers to taste 1 rosemary sprig 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt to taste

To make dough: Place two sprigs of rosemary in a small frying pan or saucepan and cover them with olive oil. Set pan over a low heat and bring oil to a simmer. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and let oil cool in pan.

Coat large bowl lightly with olive oil spray; set aside. Using a microwaveable cup, heat milk in microwave for 10 to 12 seconds. In a large mixing bowl combine 00 and allpurpose flours, brewer’s yeast, and sugar. Stir these ingredients together, then add salt. Make a hollow in the center of mixture and pour in water and then milk. Make sure the oil is no longer hot, remove and discard rosemary, and add oil to yeast mixture. Stir to combine and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment.

Mix on low to medium speed for about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, stir by hand until the dough is smooth and soft.) Turn dough out on a floured surface. Roll dough up (use a scraper if it sticks), then roll again from the narrow end. Shape dough into a ball and place it in oiled bowl. Lightly spray top of dough with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise, ideally in the oven on proofing setting, for 3 to 4 hours, until it triples in size. (If you do not have a proofer or an oven with a proofing setting, a warm spot in your home will also work.) The ideal temperature is 82°F, but at a lower temperature, the dough will just take a little longer to rise.

When dough has tripled in size, turn it out onto a floured surface and make a letter fold: pick up one side of the dough and fold it a third of the way over the rest. Then fold over the opposite side so that it covers the first. Put dough back in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it to rise in a warm spot/proofer for 30 minutes. Turn it out again and do another letter fold, this time folding the other two sides. Put it back in the bowl, cover it with the plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 more minutes.

Lightly coat a half-sheet pan with olive oil spray; set aside. If not using your oven to proof the dough, then set it to 485°F. Otherwise, wait to do this until the dough is ready to come out. When 30 minutes has elapsed, turn dough out onto the lightly oiled half-sheet pan and gently spread it, using your fingers. It may not spread all the way to the edges at first. You may need to stretch it, then

Sarah Bercusson, owner of The Tuscan Bakery in Thousand Oaks, nestles Castelvetrano olives into the customary depressions in her Olive, Caper, and Rosemary Focaccia.

wait a few minutes, then stretch it again. Once the dough reaches the edges of the tray, press four fingers of both hands firmly into dough to make dimples all over its surface. Sprinkle as many capers as you like onto dough and press olives into dimples. Remove leaves from rosemary sprig and scatter them over dough (discard stems). Drizzle olive oil over dough and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake focaccia on bottom shelf of oven for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to center shelf and bake for 8 to 10 more minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush edges with a little more olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Alternatively, after the dough has risen for the third time, make individual-size focaccia by dividing dough into eight equal pieces. Spread each piece of dough into the bottom of a 3x5-inch mini loaf pan lightly coated with oilve oil spray, stretching dough to the edges of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes on the bottom shelf of the oven. Move pans to top shelf and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

STRAWBERRY FOCACCIA WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR GLAZE

“My recipes are based on Tuscan focaccia, also known as schiacciata, which is a little thinner than other types of focaccia,” says The Tuscan Bakery’s Sarah Bercusson. She likes to serve and eat this slightly sweet focaccia for breakfast or with a cup of afternoon tea.

For optimal texture and flavor, Bercusson prefers to order Paneangeli Lievito di Birra Mastro Fornaio, an Italian brewer’s yeast, online, rather than use standard active dry yeast for this recipe. She also notes that because the dough is somewhat loose, when moving and working with it, a lightly oiled plastic dough scraper is helpful. “You may need to stretch the dough, then wait a few minutes, then stretch it again,” Bercusson says. “It will get there!”

Makes an 18x13-inch flatbread LEAVENING ¼ cup whole milk ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup tepid water 1¼ teaspoons brewer’s yeast (available at amazon.com) 1 teaspoon sugar

DOUGH 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ cups 00 flour (available in most grocery stores) ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ cup whole milk 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Olive oil spray

GLAZE ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon honey

TOPPING 2¾ cups fresh strawberries, hulled, washed, and sliced vertically 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons sugar

To make leavening: Pour milk into a small cup and heat in a microwave for about 10 to 12 seconds. Place flour, milk, water, brewer’s yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until mixture becomes almost paste-like. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour at about 82°F until leavening doubles in volume. (You can use your oven’s proofing setting if available; a warm or sunny spot in your house will also work.) If the temperature isn’t quite right, you may need to wait a little longer for the leavening to double in size.

To make dough: Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with olive oil spray; set aside. Transfer leavening to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and add all-purpose and 00 flours, water, sugar, and whole milk. (Alternatively, mix by hand.) Start mixing at low to medium speed, and then add olive oil and, last, salt. Continue mixing for 3 to 4 minutes until dough is soft and smooth. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Roll dough up (use scraper if it sticks), then roll it again from the narrow end. Shape dough into a ball and place it into a large, lightly oiled bowl. Lightly spray top of dough with oil and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise, ideally in the oven on proofing setting, for about 4 hours, until it triples in size.

Lightly coat a half-sheet pan with olive oil spray; set aside. Put a pot of water on the stove to boil. When dough has risen sufficiently, turn it out onto the oiled half-

A Natural High

Making and maintaining a homegrown levain—a bread-leavening agent—may feel like a daunting process, but for Ember’s Matthew Molacek, it is the key to flavor in his focaccia, among other breads. “It could be a deterrent for some people, but it’s really worth trying,” he says. “It brings its own unique flavor that can’t be replicated by someone else’s levain.

Molacek’s is 10 years old, and he calls it his first child. “I bring my levain everywhere with me so I can feed it,” he says, chuckling. “It’s been to Disneyland. It’s been to Tahoe.” Here, he provides details on how to develop your own starter at home. Who knows? Maybe yours will visit the Grand Canyon or Times Square.

LEVAIN

To start: 1 cup bread flour 1 cup lukewarm water

Mix together flour and water in a clear container to create a thick batter. Cover it with a tea towel and leave it at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or until tiny air bubbles have developed under a naturally formed crust. Remove the crust and discard it along with about 80 percent of the mixture, about ¼ cup.

For regular feedings: ¼ cup reserved levain (i.e. the remainder after discarding 80 percent) 1 cup bread flour 1 cup cold water

In a clear container, combine the reserved levain, flour, and water. Cover the mixture with a tea towel and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Throughout the day, you will notice changes in the levain. It will start as a sweet-smelling, thick batter; ferment into a risen, aerated, acidicsmelling, “ripe” mass reminiscent of bread dough; and then collapse into a thinner paste, smelling more like vinegar.

The next day, discard about 80 percent of the levain before adding flour and water, also called “feeding.” Repeat these steps for several days. It is important to consistently feed your levain at the same time daily to encourage development of an active, lively, wild yeast culture that will yield uniquely delicious bread. After seven to 14 days of consistent discards and feedings, feed the levain in preparation for making bread. Once a feeding schedule is established, a levain is easy to maintain.

When making bread, it’s best to use levain at its “ripe” stage, between 10 to 12 hours after a feeding, so plan your baking schedule accordingly. For example, if you plan to make bread dough in the morning, feed your levain the night before. After you remove some levain to bake bread, feed the remaining levain immediately.

sheet pan and gently spread it, using your fingers. Place half-sheet pan on the center shelf in oven or proofer. (In ovens with no proofing setting, just place pan of focaccia in oven without turning it on.) Fill a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with boiling water and carefully place it in the oven on the shelf below the halfsheet pan. Close the oven door and let dough rise for 1 to 1½ hours, or until it swells and becomes spongy.

Meanwhile, make glaze: In a saucepan over high heat, combine brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey and whisk together. Bring mixture to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes until glaze thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

When dough has completed its final rise, remove it from oven and set oven temperature to 360°F. Press all four of your fingers on both hands firmly into dough to make dimples all over its surface.

Add topping: Arrange strawberries on top of dough and use a spoon or fork to drizzle over dough the amount of glaze you prefer. (Be careful not to overdo it; err on the side of too little glaze.) Also drizzle olive oil over dough and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake focaccia for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve straight from the oven or just warm.

ROASTED PASILLA PEPPER AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA FOCACCIA

At Ember in Arroyo Grande, pastry chef Matthew Molacek makes desserts, flatbread dough, and the focaccia served at the start of every meal. “Focaccia was the first thing I learned to make in a professional kitchen,” he says. “It’s a workable, forgiving dough that’s great for beginners. And, as far as shaping the bread, that’s simple, too.” Aside from using a levain as a leavening agent in addition to active dry yeast, his best tip for baking the perfect focaccia is keeping the dough well oiled as it rises.

Makes a 9x13-inch focaccia 1 pasilla pepper ½ teaspoon active dry yeast ⅓ cup warm (90°F to 110°F) water 4¼ cups bread flour, divided 1¼ cups water, room temperature ¾ cup levain (see “A Natural High,” opposite) 1½ teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more, as needed 1 cup grated mozzarella Coarse salt, optional, as needed

Lightly char the pepper on a stovetop burner over high heat until it is black and blistery but still has some green skin. Let it cool completely. Then split it down the side and open it up to form one flat surface, charred skin–side down. Scrape out the seeds, flip the pepper over, and lightly scrape the skin to remove excess char. Cut pepper into a medium dice and set aside. Lightly oil a large bowl; set aside.

In a clear, small cup, mix together yeast and warm water. Cover surface with ½ cup bread flour, but do not mix. Set aside for 10 minutes at room temperature. The yeast will activate, creating foamy bubbles that cause the surface of the flour to crack and split. This is a great indicator that the yeast is viable and you’re ready to make bread.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine yeast mixture, room-temperature water, remaining bread flour, and levain. Mix on low speed for about 8 minutes, or until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl. Add salt, 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, and diced pasilla pepper. Increase speed slightly and continue mixing for about 3 to 5 minutes or until dough once again starts to pull away from sides of bowl.

Transfer dough to oiled bowl. Lightly coat top of dough with olive oil, and loosely cover with a tea towel. Let dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Invert dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using both hands, roll dough into a ball, creating tension on the surface. Use enough flour so dough does not stick to your hands but won’t slide around the table as you roll the dough into a ball, creating a shiny, elastic surface. Once ball is formed, place dough seam side-down in an oiled 9x13-inch baking pan. Lightly oil top of ball.

Set dough aside, uncovered, to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour. Keep dough oiled and slick as it rises so that no dry spots develop on the surface.

When 1 hour has passed, gently press dough down to level it out and form it to the shape of the pan. Press your fingertips into dough to create dimples all over the surface. Set it aside again and keep the surface oiled as the dough rises for 2 more hours or until it doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 400°F and bake focaccia for 10 minutes. Remove par-baked bread from oven, and lower oven temperature to 350°F. Spread grated mozzarella over parbaked bread and sprinkle it with coarse salt, if desired. Continue baking at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until cheese melts and is lightly browned. Remove focaccia from oven and cool before cutting and serving. 

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