Made this today but used a dark 9 inch cake pan. I think that contributed to the overdone-ness of the bottom of my focaccia. It still tastes good but it is definitely approaching burnt on the bottom. It really seemed like 450 was a little too hot so maybe I need to check my oven calibration. I did get a big air bubble in the center. I baked it straight from the fridge after eight hours of proofing. Suggestions for a different outcome next time?
Perhaps. Dark vs light can make a big difference. Maybe try 425 next time. As for the air bubble, I'm not sure. Could you see it when you pulled it from the fridge?
No, there wasn’t a bubble when I pulled it from the fridge. It just appeared as the loaf baked. When I flipped it out of course the bubble kind of collapsed. Other than that one big air pocket the rest of it looks really good. I’ll try the lower temp next time
I successfully made this recipe twice while in Seattle. I returned home to Salt Lake City and failed miserably. I have had success with other sour dough breads. Any ideas? Is altitude (4600 ft) an issue?
I baked this today and it turned out wonderfully. An easy recipe and the seasoning was perfect. I also liked the size. I did not have a nonstick pan, so rubbed a bit of cooking spray on the bottom of the pan first, I don’t know if this mattered. The focaccia did not stick to the bottom at all. One question: though this was really good made upside down, the dough on top did not rise evenly, and was a bit domed shape (though the rise itself was really good throughout). So it didn’t sit flat once I turned it over. Is there any special advantage to baking it upside down? And I missed the traditional dimples once the bottom became the top. Still, this will be my go to focaccia recipe from now on (other than probably baking it right side up). It’s perfect! Thanks, Andrew, for sharing.
This recipe is delicious but it stuck to my pan pretty badly. I used plenty of olive oil and let it rest 5 minutes before removing it from the pan, then when it seemed stuck gave it another 5, but it still had to be pried off. Any ideas for avoiding this in the future? Would love to avoid cutting parchment if I can help it.
Did you use nonstick spray first? That helps the olive oil stick to the pan more, minimizing sticking. I don't like all the waste involved in using it, so I use a homemade version that I am going to share here very soon.
No, I did not--the idea of using nonstick spray on top of all that oil never occurred to me. I now see the bullet recommending it, but I probably would have ignored it anyway since I was just using salt and pepper and not any wet toppings. Will try next time. And looking forward to the recipe--I do hate to buy aerosol cans. Thanks!
I'll say more about the science with the recipe, but the trick is that nonstick spray helps the oil stick to the pan so that it creates an even barrier. Oil doesn't want to stick to metal naturally.
Got it. I wasn't using a stone, and I just wanted a rectangular instead of round focaccia (not sure why--the heart wants what the heart wants!). Not sure why I didn't use my metal square pan in that case... but will try that next time!
This recipe is a little old, but I wanted to share how much I love doing this recipe. What I did recently was scale it based on the pan size to fit into a 13x9 pan. Then when I'm baking sourdough bread I feed my (refrigerated) starter in the morning and then make this focaccia overnight (and feed my starter a second time). The next day I make the sourdough bread. To me what's great about these recipes is they scale so easily so I could make the amount I wanted. We actually have the best fancy sandwiches on this wonderful focaccia (caramelized onions for the win!). For Andrew: As you are thinking about your book, I feel my story may spark some thoughts for you. It could serve as an example for how scaling recipes work. Just a thought! Thanks for all the great recipes.
Can’t wait to try this!
Focaccia is now my go-to item to bring to gatherings. Can't wait to try the upside down style. I love the crusty herb effect!
Made this today but used a dark 9 inch cake pan. I think that contributed to the overdone-ness of the bottom of my focaccia. It still tastes good but it is definitely approaching burnt on the bottom. It really seemed like 450 was a little too hot so maybe I need to check my oven calibration. I did get a big air bubble in the center. I baked it straight from the fridge after eight hours of proofing. Suggestions for a different outcome next time?
Perhaps. Dark vs light can make a big difference. Maybe try 425 next time. As for the air bubble, I'm not sure. Could you see it when you pulled it from the fridge?
No, there wasn’t a bubble when I pulled it from the fridge. It just appeared as the loaf baked. When I flipped it out of course the bubble kind of collapsed. Other than that one big air pocket the rest of it looks really good. I’ll try the lower temp next time
This was delicious and very easy. Like the smaller size as well. Next time will try 425, as my “toppings” were starting to burn at 35 minutes
I successfully made this recipe twice while in Seattle. I returned home to Salt Lake City and failed miserably. I have had success with other sour dough breads. Any ideas? Is altitude (4600 ft) an issue?
Andrew, can you tell me why I need to pre-heat the oven for an hour when I'm only baking on a rack and not a stone?
Dana - good point! You only need to turn the oven on as long as it needs to preheat. Will correct that, thanks.
I baked this today and it turned out wonderfully. An easy recipe and the seasoning was perfect. I also liked the size. I did not have a nonstick pan, so rubbed a bit of cooking spray on the bottom of the pan first, I don’t know if this mattered. The focaccia did not stick to the bottom at all. One question: though this was really good made upside down, the dough on top did not rise evenly, and was a bit domed shape (though the rise itself was really good throughout). So it didn’t sit flat once I turned it over. Is there any special advantage to baking it upside down? And I missed the traditional dimples once the bottom became the top. Still, this will be my go to focaccia recipe from now on (other than probably baking it right side up). It’s perfect! Thanks, Andrew, for sharing.
Oh boy oh boy
This recipe is delicious but it stuck to my pan pretty badly. I used plenty of olive oil and let it rest 5 minutes before removing it from the pan, then when it seemed stuck gave it another 5, but it still had to be pried off. Any ideas for avoiding this in the future? Would love to avoid cutting parchment if I can help it.
Did you use nonstick spray first? That helps the olive oil stick to the pan more, minimizing sticking. I don't like all the waste involved in using it, so I use a homemade version that I am going to share here very soon.
No, I did not--the idea of using nonstick spray on top of all that oil never occurred to me. I now see the bullet recommending it, but I probably would have ignored it anyway since I was just using salt and pepper and not any wet toppings. Will try next time. And looking forward to the recipe--I do hate to buy aerosol cans. Thanks!
I'll say more about the science with the recipe, but the trick is that nonstick spray helps the oil stick to the pan so that it creates an even barrier. Oil doesn't want to stick to metal naturally.
Oh darn, this is relevant information I left out initially--I used a square glass baking dish!
also more apt to sticking! I don't bake bread in glass ever, mostly because it transmits heat slowly (plus it could crack on a baking stone)
Got it. I wasn't using a stone, and I just wanted a rectangular instead of round focaccia (not sure why--the heart wants what the heart wants!). Not sure why I didn't use my metal square pan in that case... but will try that next time!
This recipe is a little old, but I wanted to share how much I love doing this recipe. What I did recently was scale it based on the pan size to fit into a 13x9 pan. Then when I'm baking sourdough bread I feed my (refrigerated) starter in the morning and then make this focaccia overnight (and feed my starter a second time). The next day I make the sourdough bread. To me what's great about these recipes is they scale so easily so I could make the amount I wanted. We actually have the best fancy sandwiches on this wonderful focaccia (caramelized onions for the win!). For Andrew: As you are thinking about your book, I feel my story may spark some thoughts for you. It could serve as an example for how scaling recipes work. Just a thought! Thanks for all the great recipes.