Seeded Apple Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g flour Italian type 1
- 400 g water
- 45 g seeds we used sunflower, flax and sesame seeds
- 10 g sea salt
- 4 g fresh yeast
- semolina flour for dusting
For the topping
- 3 apples "Ambrosia" Val Venosta
- 2 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- [Optional] dried herbal tea
Instructions
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[The night before] Toast the seeds in a small pan over low heat. Put them in a small bowl, cover with water and soak overnight.
Kneading + first proof
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Drain the seeds and weight them again: subtract the water they absorbed from the total amount of water (400 g).
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In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add flour, salt and seeds, then stir with a spoon until you have a sticky dough. Cover and autolyse for 20 minutes.
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Alternate 1 or 2 rounds of stretch-and-fold kneading and 5 minutes resting until you get a smooth elastic dough. It will take 20 to 30 minutes.
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Cover and proof at room temperature until it doubles in size (about 3 hours). If your kitchen is cold, you can place the dough in the oven and turn on the light. In this way you will create a warmer environment and speed up the process.
Shaping + second proof
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Lightly dust your work surface with semolina flour and pour the dough onto it. Letter-fold the dough, dust with semolina flour, cover with a towel and rest for 15 minutes (folding side facing down).
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Line a baking tray (35x25 cm) with parchment and brush with olive oil. Place the dough into the baking tray.
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Shape the dough so it is the same size as the tray: place your fingers under the dough and gently stretch it out, trying to deflate it as little as possible.
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Lightly spray the focaccia with water and proof until puffy (1 to 2 hours). You can use the oven as your proofing room.
Baking + serving
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Preheat the oven at 200°C.
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Mix 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tbsp of water and gently brush the surface of the focaccia.
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Top with apple slices and bake for about 30 minutes (or until it is evenly golden).
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Brush with agave syrup and sprinkle with the dried herbs. Serve slightly warm or cold. Drizzle some extra agave syrup, if desired.
Notes
Flour: you can use: 2/3 medium-strong bread flour + 1/3 whole wheat flour.
Herbal tea: ours is made of hibiscus flowers, blueberries, cherries, raisins, cornflowers
This recipe was realized in collaboration with Mela Val Venosta.