Olive Oil Focaccia
Recipe No. 40 - Sea Salt Rosemary & Sumac Chilli Oil
Hello. I’ve been lost in the world of bread. Someone get my head out of there.
People often ask what my favourite thing to bake is, and I always think about it more deeply than I probably should. Buns for the dough, the stretch, the rhythm. Cakes for the creative freedom, the chance to tell stories in layers. Close up is tarts & cookies!
But if I had to answer and I do, I bake what I love. I will always bake what I love. The idea of choosing one path and sticking to it feels like a kind of heartbreak. I could never. My nature is stubborn, and I hold fast to quality over quantity. I’ll work tirelessly to keep it that way, even as I grow.
Back to bread. I posted a story on instagram to see what breads are the greatest. The responses poured in. Now I have a very long, very beautiful list. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it through them all, maybe one day.
For now, I’m starting small. Starting where my hands want to go. I’m not thinking too far ahead, because I know I’ll fixate on the next one soon enough.
First, focaccia. I researched and trialled countless focaccia recipes. Some too dense, others too airy, some lacking that golden crust or the chew I craved. In the process, I kept coming back to the soul of Ligurian-style focaccia: its generous hydration, its rustic depth, its almost pillowy lightness when done just right. This version is my own adaptation, shaped by repetition and intuition. I’ve worked it to what I feel is the perfect fluffiness. A balance between structure and softness, with a crust that sings against the tenderness beneath.
I enjoyed reading this reddit thread: I ate a lot of mediocre focaccia so you don’t have to – my recipe and tips for springy, tasty focaccia. In particular, the My top tips for focaccia. I have found that the sweet spot for the focaccia to rise in the fridge is 48 hours. Here is my adapted recipe below. Both flavour pairings share the same dough.
Also here’s a snippet of the big list of breads :)
