Lacey’s Hot Chocolate Focaccia

The Method

Makes one slab of Focaccia (12 servings)

Ingredients

1 batch of Same-day Focaccia dough* (see below)
75 g (5 tablespoons) hot chocolate powder mix
165 g (5 ¾ oz/1 cup) chocolate chips
15 ml (1 tablespoon) extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 tablespoons Demerara (turbinado) sugar

Method

1. Mix the Same-day Focaccia dough as instructed. Then, before the first stretch and fold, evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the hot chocolate powder and a third of the chocolate chips over the dough. Perform the stretch and fold as normal, then cover the bowl and leave to proof for 15 minutes.
2. Now sprinkle another tablespoon of the chocolate powder and another third of the chocolate chips over the dough and perform a second stretch and fold to incorporate the chocolate into the dough. Cover the bowl once more and proof for about 1–1 ½ hours.
3. Line the baking tray with non-stick baking parchment, and evenly spread the extra virgin olive oil all over the parchment. Tip the dough into the tray and gently spread it out so there is plenty of surface area. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of chocolate powder over the dough, then oil your hands and fold one side of the dough towards the middle. Repeat with the other side, folding it over the top of the folded dough. Rotate the dough so its long side aligns with the long side of the tray, then flip it over so the seams are at the bottom. Cover and proof at room temperature for 1–1 ½ hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 215°C (420°F) and move the oven rack to the lowest position.
5. Evenly drizzle the melted butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle over the sugar and remaining chocolate chips. Dimple the dough using your fingers, then bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the
focaccia is golden brown.
6. Allow to cool in the baking tray for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

3 Doughs, 60 Recipes by Lacey Ostermann (Hardie Grant, £24), photography © Steven Joyce

*How to make Lacey’s Same-Day Focaccia

MAKES 1 SLAB OF FOCACCIA (12 SERVINGS)
TIME: 3–33⁄4 HOURS, DEPENDING ON PROOFING TIMES

Ingredients
420 ml (141/4 fl oz/13⁄4 cups) warm water at 40–43°C (105–110°F)
6 g (11⁄2 teaspoons) instant yeast*
5 g (1 teaspoon) honey, sugar or agave
60 ml (4 tablespoons/1⁄4 cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
500 g (1 lb 2 oz/4 cups) white bread flour
10 g (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
toppings of your choice
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
*if you are using active dry or fresh yeast, please refer to page 14

Stage 1

Mix, Stretch & Fold, & First Proof
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, instant yeast, honey and 15 ml (1
tablespoon) of the extra virgin olive oil until everything has dissolved. Add the bread flour
and salt, and mix very well with a spoon until no dry patches of flour remain. Cover the bowl
with a clean tea towel and leave the dough to proof for 15 minutes at room temperature.

2. After 15 minutes, it is time to stretch and fold. Dip your hand into a bowl of water before
touching the dough to prevent it from sticking to your fingers. Now take hold of the edge of
the dough at the 12 o’clock position. Pull it up to stretch, then pull it down over the bulk of
the dough, finishing in the 6 o’clock position. Repeat this action on all sides of the bowl until
the dough has tightened up. If the dough doesn’t tighten up into a ball, don’t worry! The
main point here is that you have stretched the dough to develop the gluten strength.

3. Cover the bowl and leave to proof for another 15 minutes, then stretch and fold once
more. You may notice it’s easier to stretch the second time around – this is because the
gluten in the dough has started to develop.

4. Gather your dough into a rough ball shape and position it in the bowl smooth-side up.
Cover the bowl and leave to proof, undisturbed, for about 1–11⁄2 hours at room
temperature. The dough should have nearly doubled in size and should be puffy, bubbly and
jiggly. (See page 13 for more on proofing times and how to adjust for warm/cold
temperatures.)

Stage 2

Preparing the Tray & Second Proofing
5. To prepare the tray (see page 20 for tray size guidance), rub a tiny bit of the remaining
olive oil onto it, then place a sheet of non-stick baking parchment on top and press down.
The oil will help the parchment to stay in place. Now drizzle the remaining 45 ml (3
tablespoons) of olive oil onto the baking parchment, spreading it evenly around the base
and sides. The non-stick parchment prevents the focaccia from sticking
to the tray when baking, while still allowing the bread to crisp up at
the bottom.

6. Using a curved dough scraper or an oiled hand, gently release the dough from the sides of
the bowl and tip it on to the oiled baking tray.

7. Oil your hands and fold one side of the dough towards the middle. Repeat with the other
side, folding it over the top as if you are folding a piece of paper into thirds (it will look like a
large burrito). Rotate the dough so its long side aligns with the long side of the tray, then flip
it over so the seams from the folding are at the bottom and the top is smooth.

8. Cover the tray to prevent the dough from drying out and forming a crust as it proofs. You
can use another (inverted) baking tray for this, or an oiled piece of baking parchment, but do
not use cling film (plastic wrap) or a tea towel, as these will stick.

9. Proof at room temperature for about 1–11⁄2 hours. Exact proofing times will depend on
the temperature. If it’s a hot day, it might only take 1 hour for the dough to puff up and
spread, but on a very cold day, it could take 2 hours. While the dough is proofing, prepare
any toppings you plan to dimple into your focaccia.

Stage 3

Dimple, Top & Bake
10. When the dough is ready, it should be puffy, bubbly and jiggly, and it will have spread out
to mostly fill the space in the tray. If it hasn’t spread out completely, oil your hands, slide
them under the dough and gently pull the dough towards the edges until it fills the tray and
is a uniform thickness. If you’re using a larger tray, you may not need to stretch it all the way
to the edges.

11. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F)
and move the oven rack to the lowest position. (See page 21 for more on oven settings for
focaccia.)

12. Drizzle the top of the dough with 15–30 ml (1–2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil, then
oil your hands. Using both hands, press your fingers into
the dough, gently touching them to the bottom of the tray. Repeat until the entire tray of dough is dimpled.

13. Top with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, then press any extra toppings firmly into the little
dimples you’ve created.

14. Bake the focaccia for 18–25 minutes, or longer if needed, until it is a golden- brown
colour.

15. Once it’s out of the oven, allow the focaccia to cool for a couple of minutes in the baking
tray, then transfer to a cooling rack so the bottom of the bread remains crispy.

16. You can finish the focaccia with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil at this point if you
wish for it to look burnished and glistening. Let it cool for at least 15–20 minutes before you
slice (or tear) and enjoy!