VeggieMeatLicious: Basic Focaccia

Yeast product

In its simplest form, bread is nothing more than a dough of flour and water, leavened by yeast then baked. In fact, some hard-crusted French bread contains only these ingredients, plus salt. Other kinds of bread contain additional ingredients, such as sugar , oil, milk, eggs, and herbs or spices. However, flour, water, and yeast are still the basic build of all bread.

Yet for something that seems so simple, bread can be one of the most complex products to make. Success in bread-making depends on the understanding of two basic principles: gluten development, and the yeast fermentation.

Steps in yeast dough production.

The production of yeast bread involves in 12 basic steps. These steps are applied to yeast production in general, with variations depending on the particular product, and of course the state of the product.

Scaling ingredient.
Mixing.
Fermentation.
Punching.
Scaling.
Rounding.
Benching.
Makeup and panning.
Proofing.
Baking.
Cooling.
Storing.

As you can see, mixing of ingredients into a dough is only one part of a complex procedure.

Scaling ingredients.

All ingredients must be weighed exactly to the recipe, as the recipe is going to introduce the product.

Mixing.

The first two purpose of mixing is combining the ingredients to form a dough and distribute the yeast, are accomplishes during the first part of mixing, the remaining time is to form a gluten in the dough. overmixed or undermixed doughs have poor volume and texture.

It is necessary to learn to tell by sight and feel when a dough is thoroughly mixed. This can be done only through experience and with the guidance of the instructor. A properly developed dough feels smooth and elastic.

Fermentation.

Fermentation is mean the yeast acts on the sugars and starches in the dough to produce carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. An underfermented dough is called a young dough. An over fermented dough is called an old dough.

Gluten becomes smoother and more elastic during fermentation. An underfermented dough does not develop proper volume, and the texture will be coarse. A dough that ferments too long or at too high temperature becomes sticky, hard to handling and slightly sour.

Punching.

Punching is not really mean to punch the dough hard, but is a method of deflating the dough that expels carbon dioxide, redistributes the yeast for further growth, relax the gluten, and balance the temperature throughout the dough.

Scaling

Dividing the dough into pieces of uniform weight by using a scale, according to the product being made, especially for the roll or bread which are going to stuff into a pan later.

Rounding (especially for bun and rolls)

After scaling, the pieces of dough are shaped into smooth, round balls, this procedure forms a kind of skin by stretching the gluten inside out from the dough to form a smooth layer on the dough. Rounding simplifies later shaping of the dough and also helps retain gasses produced by the yeast.

Benching

Rounded portions of dough are allowed to rest on the bench for 10 to 15 minutes. This relaxes the gluten to make shaping the dough easier, Also fermentation continues during this time.

Makeup and panning.

The dough is shaped into loaves or rolls and placed in pans or on baking sheets. For all loaves and rolls, the seam must be centered on the bottom to avoid splitting during baking.

Proofing.

Proofing is a continuation of the process of yeast fermentation, which increases the volume of the shaped dough. Some product or recipe may skip this steps, but it is best to check the dough whether it is ready for the baking or not. Simply press the dough by the finger tips, poke gently on the puffy dough, if the indentation remains, then the dough is ready to bake, proofing needed if the pressed dough is bouncing back.

Baking.

Loading the dough into the oven, bake time varies to the recipe and product, sizes, lean types or rich dough. Hard crusted bread are baked with steam injected into the oven during the first part of the baking period. This aids the formation of a thin crisp crust. Rye breads also benefit from baking with steam for the first ten minutes.

Although baking times vary considerably, depending on the product. A golden brown crust color is the normal indication of doneness. Loaves that are done sound hollow when thumped.

Cooling.

After baking, bread must be removed from pans immediately and cooled rapidly on racks to allow the escape of excess moisture and alcohol created during fermentation.

Rolls bake apart from each other on sheets may be left on them because they will get adequate air circulation. If soft crusts are desired, bread may be brushed with melted shortening before cooling. Do not cool in a draft, or crusts may crack.

Storing.

Bread to be served within eight hours may be left on racks. For longer storage, wrap cooled bread in cling film to retard staling. Bread must be thoroughly cooled before wrapping, or moisture will collect inside the film.

Focaccia bread recipe.

Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread product which is similar to pizza dough, topped with herb, olive oil, salt, and other ingredients, sometimes, onion, cheese, or meat, it might also be flavored with a number of vegetables. Focaccia can be used as a side to many meals, as a pizza dough, or as a sandwich bread. Focaccia with rosemary is a common focaccia style in Italian cuisine that may be served as an appetizer, table bread, or a snack.

Focaccia

Source

Cook Time

Prep time: 40 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: six people

Ingredients

400 grams Strong flour / Bread Flour, sieved
4 grams Dried Yeast, For the dough
8 grams Salt, For the dough
1 cup Warm water (For winter season), For the dough
1 teaspoon Honey, For the dough
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For the dough
As need Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For panning
1 sprig Rosemary, For panning
As need Salt, For panning

Let's bake

Mix the Group (A) and (B) ingredients in a bowl, then mix them well in the bowl with a scraper.
Knead the dough on the table about 10~15 minutes until the gluten is formed, evidently, the dough is smooth and silky. Check the gluten of the dough by gently pulling it to two different way, the gluten is firm when the skin is hardly torn apart.
Leave the well-kneaded dough back into the bowl and cover with cling film, leaving in the room temperature to ferment for 1 ~ 1 1/2 hour.
Arrange a piece of baking paper on the baking pan, sit the fermented dough on it and gently press and pull the dough wider. Cover with a cling film and let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.
dip the olive oil with fingertips, then poke on the dough to make some holes all over the surface of the dough.
Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with the rosemary leaves and sprinkle some salt.
Set the focaccia bread into the 200°C preheated oven to bake for 15~20 minutes, remove the bread from the oven when satisfied brown. Remove the bread from the hot pan immediately to avoid rough heat, cool on a rack.