Ingredients

• Day 1: 500g Wild Farmed Bread Flour
• Day 1: 5g Dried Yeast (not fast action)
• Day 1: 500g Water (at room temp)
• Day 2: 500g Type 00 Flour (Wild Farmed Pizza Flour)
• Day 2: 5g Dried Yeast
• Day 2: 20g Malt Extract (optional)
• Day 2: 50g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Day 2: 20g of Fine Sea Salt
• Day 2: 250g Water (at room temp)
• For the topping: Maldon Sea Salt
• For the topping: 100g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• For the topping: 50g Water
• For the topping: Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

Method

1. Day 1: Put the dried yeast in a cup, add 50g of water, and mix. Let the yeast hydrate for 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour into a bowl, pour the remaining water inside the bowl, and then add the yeast water mix. Briefly mix this into a paste using a wooden spoon.
3. Cover with cling film and leave overnight.
4. Day 2: Hydrate the yeast the same way as before.
5. Put the Poolish and the type 00 Flour in to a kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add half of the water, malt extract, and the yeasty water and turn the mixer on low speed.
6. Develop a smooth silky dough, which should take about 10-12 minutes. Then start adding the remaining water slowly in several batches, letting the water absorb before adding the next batch. When all the water has been absorbed, add the salt and mix for another 2 minutes. Lastly, add the oil and mix for another 2 minutes until the dough clears the bowl and pulls away easily from the side.
7. Tip the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and let it ferment for approx. 2-3 hours or so until doubled in size.
8. De-gas the dough by punching it in the middle and then cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roughly gather the dough balls together shaping them into round loaves, place them onto 2 oiled trays, and rest for 20 minutes.
9. Take the olive oil and the water for the topping and add them into a plastic container, shaking together: it should emulsify into one thick liquid. Pour some of this on top of your dough and with the tip of your fingers, press into the dough creating dimples and stretch it out to fill the tray to the edges. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
10. Once rested, pour some more of the olive oil emulsion on top and press further to create more dimples, adding your Rosemary Sprigs and Maldon Sea Salt liberally.
11. Set aside for another 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190C.
12. Then put both focaccia breads into the oven and cook for approx. 39-40 minutes until golden and crispy on top. Most importantly, lift the focaccia off the tray and check if the base is also golden. If it feels soft and soggy, carry on cooking until it's golden. Once done, cool on a wire rack and enjoy!