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Rosemary Foccacia
Jane Question:
I attempted the Rosemary Foccacia a couple of weeks ago and ended up throwing out the mixture. When I completed Step 1, after 30 min. of mixing on my Kitchen Aid, the mix was still totally liquid. After sitting for 7 hrs, I finally tossed. What could I have done wrong?
Rose Reply:
many people have had trouble with this recipe but some have succeeded so i have to assume it's either the type of flour or the amount, i.e. if measuring instead of weighing the balance of flour to the enormous amount of water may be off. also, it may take longer than 20 minutes to form a ball but if it doesn't after 25 minutes you need to add a little more flour. For the airiest texture and largest holes, allow the dough to double instead of 1-1/2 times. i also double the yeast now as well. and most important of all, dimple the dough deeply all over before baking. i will be posting a fabulous new focaccia from primo in maine but you will need to have some sort of starter. old starter is fine--it doesn't have to be very active bc the recipe also contains instant yeast. i think this is the best flavor and texture of any focaccia i've ever tasted.
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Comments
thank you for sharing this. the cornmeal is a terrific idea as it would also add to the texture of the bottom crust!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | November 4, 2008 12:54 PM #
The Rosemary Focaccia is my favorite recipe in the book and the bread everyone asks me to bring when I'm invited to dinner. I did have to work out some kinks though:
1. I use 2 teaspoons instant yeast
2. I use an additional 35g flour
3. I butter the sheetpan and dust with a copious amount of cornmeal...and it has never stuck!
4. I take the baked bread off the pan and cool it on a wire rack...this preserves the crispness for a while.
Hope this helps, this bread is delicious and really worth working on it!
Reply to this Posted by: Simone Cromwell | November 4, 2008 12:23 PM #
I just tried this recipe. Would like to double check that we add all the water in? Or add until the dough sticks (ie less than what was stated in the recipe). I had to add q a lot more flour (used plain flour), because the dough was still soupy after 20mins. Probably the problem was also in the wrong flour used? Bread seems very hard and rubbery... Appreciate some advice. Thanks!
Reply to this Posted by: Melissa | November 4, 2008 10:55 AM #
Mari,
You're not using the dough hook are you? You need to use the paddle attachment. I made this mistake the first time I made the recipe and I also stumbled across another baker on the web who tried using the dough hook. This dough (more like batter) is too soft for the hook. You have to use the paddle to get the gluten worked up correctly to form the internal structure of the foccacia. I usually get a ball clinging to the paddle after about 16 minutes. When I stop the mixer it oozes off the paddle like melted mozarella cheese like the recipe says it should.
Using fresh yeast is important too. I use 1 teaspoon of yeast with this recipe and the dough usually triples in volume and makes nice big holes inside the bread. Don't give up yet, you can do this! :)
Reply to this Posted by: Steve Gerber | February 23, 2008 4:18 PM #
Wish I have read this thread before I attempted the Rosemary Focaccia. The first batch I made didn't form a ball after 30 minutes. The second batch I attempted didn't form a ball after 1 hour 25 minutes and got thrown away. If I'm brave I may try it again tomorrow doubling the yeast and weighing the flour with adding more flour if necessary. It just looks so delicious.
Mari
Reply to this Posted by: Mari | February 23, 2008 2:11 PM #
no--the 3rd printing still has 3/8 teaspoon yeast. but i never mentioned crispy as it is not--at least not til you cake up with the great idea to give it another 5 min. on another baking sehet!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 13, 2007 2:20 PM #
I have a few follow-ups on this. I really like this bread and have made it probably about a dozen times. I keep experimenting with different toppings (rosemary, garlic, roasted tomatoes) and different methods of cooking (oiled sheet pan, silpain, nonstick pan) to try to find the right combination for me. My questions are: 1) is the amount of yeast in the 3rd printing of the Bread Bible the right amount? As I was re-reading this thread I noticed the reference to doubling the yeast in the beginning. 2) Should this be removed from the pan right away after baking or should it set for a few minutes? 3) How crispy should this be when first baked? Mine is not crispy, it is light, airy, chewy and soft and when I remove it from the pan it is difficult since it is so "floppy" (sorry for the non-technical term). The last couple of times I've cut it into pieces with kitchen shears and transferred them to another baking sheet and popped it back into the turned-off oven for about 5 minutes. It gives the crust a bit of crispiness without drying out the moist, chewy middle.
Thank you for any input you have,
Brian
Reply to this Posted by: Brian | November 13, 2007 2:11 PM #
I've made the rosemary focaccia from the Bread Bible a few times and I never have a problem with the dough. It takes between 25 and 30 minutes to form the ball and then it really rises nicely over the next 4 hours and gets really light and bubbly.
My only question is what the moisture level should be like when it's done. If I cook it for 12-13 minutes, it's still fairly light in color and I think it's still too "moist" inside. I've cooked it for 18 minutes or so and it still seems like it may be too wet, especially in the middle. Since there's oil coating the pan, the bottom is kind of wet, so I usually take it out of the pan right away so it doesn't get soggy.
Any thoughts from those of you who have made it successfully?
Thanks,
Brian
Reply to this Posted by: Brian | May 30, 2007 1:38 AM #
deb, i've done it--using a quarter size sheet pan.
vernita, thanks for the charming bread report. always fun to prove skeptics wrong especially when it's your daughter or mother for that matter not to mention husband!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | January 14, 2007 12:55 AM #
I've been making hearth breads for years but found the Baking Bible last Winter at the Library and kept it out over due for 3 months:0. I read it and compared what I'd been doing with your recipes and sense I'd also been making a rosemary focaccia, it was the first one I tried. when i poured it out on to the pan, my daughter said it was ruined and wouldn't work. I told her it was supposed to look like melted cheese...she was very dubious. I let it rise anyway, put the garlic oil and rosemary on it with a sprinkle of Parmesan. It baked up beautiful! I diagonal cut it into diamonds, put it on a lined platter and took it for a friends husband's memorial service. Everyone loved it, were impressed and, amazed it was "homemade". I was so excited to happen on this site (from the "no knead bread" story) and have been enjoying catching up on all the tips and info. I also do Sourdough and have started adding it some to my hearth breads and I now am doing the no knead bread quite often. Thanks for all the info!
Reply to this Posted by: Vernita | January 11, 2007 12:00 AM #
I made the rosemary foccacia and it turned out great. I had none of the other problems posted here. It makes such a large amount, I am wondering if it is possible to cut the recipe in half by halving all of the ingredients?
Reply to this Posted by: Deb | January 10, 2007 6:30 PM #
i'm sorry to tell you that i have no idea bc everyone i know included the head technical advisor of the yeast co. that produces both varieties has converted to the instant variety bc we feel there is absolutely no difference in taste. i'm sure you will find it bc it is still availble and you should really do a blind taste comparison to decide for yourself.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 10, 2006 8:32 PM #
hi,
I just moved to New York from Europe and I am desprate to find fresh yeast. I live in Manhattan. Please let me know if you know of any place in Manhattan to buy fresh yeast. Everything seem to taste so much better with fresh yeast. Thank you, v
Reply to this Posted by: veronica | December 10, 2006 8:27 PM #
sure--you can give it an overnight rise in the frig.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | December 5, 2006 12:31 PM #
Hi Rose,
I just made the rosemary foccacia recipe for the first time and it worked really well. I will say that I had to add a bit of flour (per your suggestion) since I think my measuring was a bit off (for some dumb reason I was weighing my flour in ounces instead of grams and I think the fraction was off). This seems like a recipe that needs extra-precise measuring. But it turned out beautifully and I loved the feeling of the ooey, gooey dough. That said, this foccacia participated in a taste-test with the herb foccacia and lost. Everyone agreed (myself included) that the herb version has a much better flavor. Is there a way to develop the flavor more with the rosemary recipe (maybe some time in the fridge?)?
Reply to this Posted by: Procrastibaker | December 5, 2006 12:09 PM #
Ok, I've now made this foccacia recipe without it sticking to the pan. I went out and bought a brand new nonstick pan and coated it with olive oil. I let the dough rise about an hour on the oiled pan and then baked the foccacia at 475 degrees for 12 minutes. I preheated the oven to 475 with unglazed tiles on the bottom rack. Unfortunately when I went to pop the 12x16 inch pan into the oven I discovered that it was really 19 inches long (including the handles) so it wouldn't fit side ways in my oven. :( It did fit if I put the long side straight in, but it didn't sit flat on the tiles due to the 'lip' on the oven rack. Maybe I'll have to bend the flat 'handles' up out of the way. Or else turn my bottom oven rack around backward so the lip is in the front. Or bend the oven rack flat. So my advice to Simone is, go buy a new Teflon pan.
Reply to this Posted by: Steve Gerber | November 14, 2006 5:30 PM #
i hate to suggest this but if all else fails, a non-stick sheet pan or even foil's the answer. the non-stick foil is really terrific.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 14, 2006 1:21 PM #
I, too, have had trouble with this recipe sticking!!! I've tried it three times and twice it's stuck badly to the pan, even though it's been thoroughly coated with oil. The flavor is well worth the trouble and remains one of my favorite recipes!
Reply to this Posted by: Simone | November 14, 2006 12:30 PM #
steven, forgot to answer your first question. i only use the airbake type pans for egg and butter rich breads such as challah or brioche that might burn on the bottom. i use a half sheet pan well coated with olive oil and it is not a non-stick surface.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 3, 2006 6:26 AM #
thanks steve! just want to add that yeast won't foam unless you add a little sugar to the water for proofing.
i use only instant yeast aka bread machine, or instant active dry (acdtive dry alone is not instant) in my recipes. (for other recipes calling for active dry you need to use about 3/4 the volume in instant dry. it is more reliable. the moment i get it home i put it in an airight container in the freezer where it stays fresh for at least years!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | November 3, 2006 6:24 AM #
I also want to respond to Jane's original question. I had the same experience the very first time I tried the recipe but it didn't take long to discover that the culprit was old yeast. When the dough didn't behave properly I tried proofing a teaspoon of yeast and it didn't foam at all so I went out and bought good fresh yeast and all was well. :)
Reply to this Posted by: Steve Gerber | November 2, 2006 8:48 PM #
I think the Rosemary Foccacia recipe is great! I've made it twice and both times it turned out nice and light and stretchy. Mine forms a ball after about 16 minutes using Gold Medal Harvest King unbleached white flour. My only problem is that it sticks to my pan really badly. It's not burnt at all, it's more like the bottom is carmelized. I baked it on a 9x13 inch double walled aluminum airbake type pan coated with olive oil at 475 degrees for 12 minutes. Anyone have an idea how I can keep it from sticking? Would a nonstick coated pan work better?
Reply to this Posted by: Steve Gerber | November 2, 2006 8:35 PM #
thanks betty. every time someone reports that this recipe worked for them i breath a sigh of relief and feel vindicated for having included it in the book!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | April 8, 2006 10:11 PM #
I loved this recipe. It stays very liquid, so you pour it into a high-sided baking sheet for the second rise. It will still rise, and then you bake it. It comes out light and lacy and crisp on top. You're right, though. You can't possibly shape it.
Reply to this Posted by: Betty Jackson | April 5, 2006 11:32 AM #
This bread was one of the biggest baking disasters I've ever had. Fortunately, I didn't plan to serve it to guests. After 35 minutes of mixing in my Kitchen Aid, the mixture was still soup. I added another 1/4 cup of flour and mixed for another 5 minutes. It doubled in size nicely, but it was still soup, and couldn't possibly be shaped. I've never had bad luck with a Beranbaum recipe before, and I think this recipe should be removed from the cookbook in the next edition.
Reply to this Posted by: Marie Wolf | January 2, 2006 8:23 PM #