Whole Wheat Focaccia

Ingredients

STARTER

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (200 ml) room-temperature water

½ teaspoon (2 g) active dry yeast

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g) white bread flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g) whole wheat flour

DOUGH

5½ cups (660 g) white bread flour

21/2cups (300 g) whole wheat flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (50 g) rye flour or other whole-grain flour (or use more whole wheat, but a different grain will add complexity)

3½ cups (840 ml) water

3 tablespoons kosher salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

MAKE THE STARTER: Stir thewater and yeast together in a small bowl. Whisk together the bread flour and whole wheat flour in a larger bowl. Stir the yeast mixture into the flours using a wooden spoon or spatula, then thoroughly mix it with your hands.

Cover the starter with a cloth or store in a lidded container and leave on the counter until doubled in size, at least 8 hours and up to overnight. If the starter has doubled but you're not ready to go to the next step, refrigerate the starter, covered with plastic, for up to 12 hours

MAKE THE DOUGH: Whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and rye flour in a large bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the starter and water. Add the flours and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. It may take a few moments for the flour to get wet enough so the mixture looks like a dough, especially if your mixer bowl is small. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl thoroughly, making sure to scrape along the bottom, underneath the dough, where pockets of dry flour often form. Mix again for 30 seconds and then let rest, draped with a kitchen towel, for 30 minutes.

Turn the mixer to low speed and sprinkle in the salt, trying to distribute it evenly throughout the dough. Mix for 8 minutes.

Generously oil another large bowl and scrape the dough into it, rolling the dough around a bit to get it all coated in oil. Cover the bowl. Let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

DO A "STRETCH AND FOLD" ON ALL FOUR SIDES: Either with the dough still in the bowl or on the counter, slide your fingers or a flexible dough scraper under one side of the dough and gently pull it outward and over the top of the dough ball. Do the same on the other three sides, like you're trying to wrap up the dough in itself. The idea is to gently stretch all parts of the dough.

Return the dough to the bowl, if you removed it. Cover and let rest for another 30 minutes, then repeat at 30-minute intervals for a total of six "stretch and folds."

After the sixth time, let the dough rest for another 30 minutes at room temperature and then cover and refrigerate for at least overnight and up to 48 hours. Remove the dough from the fridge about 2 hours before you want to bake the focaccia.

Brush a half-sheet pan (13 x 18 inches/33 x 46 cm) with 3 tablespoons olive oil and transfer the dough to the pan.

Brush more oil over the top of the Dimple the dough by pressing dough so it's entirely coated. Leave at warm room temperature for 1 hour.

Press the dough gently with your fingertips to spread it out into the pan; it probably won't reach the corners yet because it springs back too much , which is fine. Don't force it; you want it to relax

into the full dimension of the pan. Let rest for another hour; after 30 minutes, put your oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). You want to be sure it is fully heated, so give it a bit more preheating time than you might normally.

Now the dough should start looking a bit puffy and be easier to stretch. Press it all the way into all corners of the pan, in as even a layer as possible

Dimple the dough by pressing your fingers deeply into it in an even pattern. Top with any seasonings (see Variations) and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan front to back and bake until the focaccia is deep brown, including on the bottom; lift up a corner to check.

Transfer the baked focaccia from the pan to a rack and let cool at least most of the way. Serve while slightly warm or at room temperature. Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, and reheat in a 375°F (190°C) oven for a few minutes before serving. You can also freeze some of the focaccia as soon as it's fully cool. Be sure it's well wrapped in freezer wrap or zip-top bags. To serve from a frozen state, let thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, then continue thawing and crisping up in a 375°F (190°C) oven.

Notes

Get ready to do some pro-level baking. The method in this recipe is almost exactly the way we make focaccia at the

restaurant-no shortcuts-but the timing and stretching techniques are what make this an absolutely delicious bread, one that lets the whole wheat goodness really shine through. We use part white flour in order to get the consistency that we want, though you should feel free to change the ratio of whole-grain to white once you get used to the recipe.

The recipe makes a big slab, a half-sheet-pan size (13 x 18 inches/33 × 46 cm), so you can bake it, then cut into quarters and freeze what you don't eat in the next couple of days. Serve the focaccia warm from the oven with a dipping bowl of good olive oil. Sliced and broiled or grilled, it makes excellent crostini. Or split a square of it in the middle, pile it with sliced meats, cheese, and vegetables (or skip the meat, or the cheese, for that matter), moisten with a dash of olive oil and vinegar, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and you've got yourself a righteous sandwich, perfect for a picnic basket or camp cooler. And focaccia croutons are a treat (see Torn Croutons, page 306). —Makes one 13 × 18-inch (33* 46 cm) focaccia

VARIATIONS:

Classic Focaccia: Dimple the dough, drizzle with more extra- virgin olive oil, and scatter a good amount of roughly chopped fresh rosemary over the top. Finish with some flaky salt, such as Maldon.

Cherry Tomato and Garlic Focaccia: Dimple the dough, tuck halved or quartered garlic cloves into the dimples, then pop in some cherry tomatoes (you don't need a tomato for every dimple!). Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil, and finish with some flaky salt, such as Maldon. After the focaccia is finished baking, scatter torn basil leaves over the surface.

Spring Onion and Olive Focaccia: Thinly slice about 6 ounces (180 g) tender spring onions, or other juicy sweet onion, such as Walla Walla or Vidalia, and toss with a glug of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh thyme. Sprinkle flaky salt on the dough, layer with the onions, and scatter 1 cup (120 g) good- quality pitted olives all over.

Plum, Honey, and Black Pepper Focaccia: Cut about 8 ounces (225 g) ripe but not mushy plums in half (or quarters, if large) and remove the pits. (Italian prune plums work nicely.) Push the plums into the dough, drizzle with 3 tablespoons honey, and crack tons of black pepper on top. Finish with a little sprinkle of flaky salt. This is so good served with dollops of fresh goat or sheep's cheese or ricotta; cool the bread so the cheese doesn't melt.

Rhubarb Focaccia: This may be my favorite focaccia version, as I am devoted to rhubarb. Cut a few stalks of rhubarb into bits the size of grapes, sprinkle with sugar, and let sit for about 1 hour to macerate and soften. Discard that juice... or make some killer lemonade with it. Then follow the same method as the plum, honey, and black pepper focaccia above.

Caramelized Onion and Cheese Focaccia: This is my go-to in the winter; sometimes I'll just have a slice of this moist, oniony focaccia with a fried egg on top and call it dinner. Thinly slice a couple of yellow onions and pile them into a Dutch oven or large skillet with a big glug of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Turn up the heat just a notch and cook until the onions turn deep golden brown and are sweet and slightly sticky-jammy. You should stir and scrape the bottom of the pan frequently as you approach this stage, so no onion juices burn. Let the onions cool completely, then top the focaccia with the onions and about 1 cup (120 g) finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano or pecorino cheese or a blend.

Apple Butter Focaccia: In the depths of winter, give your focaccia a sweet fruity note even if there's no fresh fruit around, using apple butter. To do this, bake the focaccia half to three-quarters of the way, then take it from the oven, brush it all over generously with apple butter, sprinkle it with some herbs such as thyme or rosemary, and pop it back in the oven.