Signature Prize Winning Focaccia Bread: A Warm and Inviting Delight

At Wray Valley B&B, we take pride in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for our guests, and our signature focaccia bread is just one of the ways we make you feel at home. This delectable focaccia has been a favorite among our guests and is the perfect addition to our evening meals, whether dipped in tangy balsamic vinegar and extra virgen olive oil or enjoyed with our scrumptious pasta bake.

We’re excited to share our favourite focaccia recipe with you so that you can experience a taste of Wray Valley’s hospitality in your own kitchen. With its enticing aroma, crispy outer crust, and soft, fluffy interior, this focaccia is sure to bring back fond memories of your stay at our B&B. Get ready to recreate the magic of Wray Valley’s focaccia in your own home and delight your family and friends with this heartwarming treat.

This recipe is enough to fill a large roasting tin. It does freeze well or you could halve the quantities. Prior to serving just pop it in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.

The quality of the flour is key to the taste, so we use unbleached stoneground organic strong white flour from Stoates at Cann Mills in Dorset for all our bread products as it tastes fantastic. Have you tried our Cinnamon Rolls recipe? Each batch of flour is different in the way it absorbs water so you may need to play with the quantities a little.

Our focaccia recipe employs a no-knead technique that relies on cold fermentation and a series of folds to create its distinctive texture. By allowing the dough to ferment in the refrigerator, it develops a rich, complex flavor and a soft, fluffy interior. Once the dough is removed from the refrigerator, you’ll need to allow 4-6 hours for folding and the second rise. This will further enhance the texture and create the characteristic airy pockets that make focaccia so irresistible.

This process may take a bit longer than kneading methods, but the results are well worth the wait. Your patience will be rewarded with a truly exceptional focaccia that’s perfect for sharing with your guests or enjoying as a delightful treat at home.

Ingredients

• 750g strong white bread flour, plus more as needed
• 3 tsp active dry yeast 
• 3 tsp salt
• up to 650 ml warm water
• 6 tbsp of olive oil

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast: Add the yeast to 150 ml of luke warm water and leave for 5-10 minutes or until foamy on the surface.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
3. Prepare the dough:
   • Add the activated yeast and water.
   • Gradually add the remaining water and mix it in. This can be done by hand or using a mixer on a slow setting. The dough will be very soft.
4. Cold fermentation: Cover the dough in the bowl and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours. The longer you leave it the bigger the bubbles.
5. Release the dough from the sides of the bowl by easing away with a spatula and dribbling some oilve oil down the gap. Repeat all round the bowl working your way down to the bottom.
6. Fold the dough: This may seem impossible but be brave.
   • Oil your hands
   • Grab the opposite side of the dough from you and lift it up, let the dough dangle a bit to stretch and then fold it towards you. An alternative technique is to grab the centre, lift that up, let the two ends dangle and then lie the dough back flat in the bowl.
   • Rotate the bowl through 90 degrees.
   • Repeat the folding and rotating process 3 more times.
   • Leave at room temperature to rest for 30 minutes and then repeat the 4-step folding sequence.
   • Do the whole folding process with the 30 minute rest in between a total of 3 or 4 times. You will notice that the dough “tightens” with each folding sequence. If you wish you can incorporate fillings such as olives, sundried tomatoes, cheese etc in the last fold. You are only limited by your imagination.
7. Line your baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Its much easier than oiling it!
8. Transfer the dough to the lined tray and leave for 3-4 hours to get to room temperature and to rise. It should at least double in size.
9. Heat oven to 220°C. I put a small bowl of water in the bottom to create some steam.
10. Decorate the dough: If necessary stretch the dough with oily fingers to fill the tray. Add your chosen topping(s) and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Push your fingers into the top to create the characteristic dimples and drizzle with olive oil.
11. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, the bread should pull away slightly from the side of the tray.
12. Once cool enough to handle carefully lift the bread out of the tray using the parchment (or just tip it out upside down and flip it) and leave it on a rack to cool. I take the parchment off at this point.
13. Cut it into your required portion sizes before freezing. Then you only need to take out what you need. Its best if you pop it into the oven for a couple of minutes to make it warm and crispy again before serving.