Easy Vegan Overnight Foccacia
This focaccia is fluffy, perfectly crisp, and endlessly customizable! There's no better showstopper for a party than a beautifuly decorated focaccia! Just a little planning and a little patience is all you need!
Ingredients
- 375 grams Lilly White or All Purpose flour 400 grams if using all purpose flour
- 25 grams Vital Wheat Gluten Omit if using all purpose flour
- 10 grams sea salt plus more for sprinkling
- 150 grams recently fed sourdough starter
- 300 grams tepid water
- 75 grams good olive oil
Topping Suggestions
- halved red grapes
- sliced fennel bulb
- halved cherry tomatos
- sliced asparagus spears for flower stems
- sliced bell pepper rings for flowers
- chives
- vegan feta
- fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, or sage
- halved shallots
Instructions
- Weigh out your flour, vital wheat gluten and salt into a large bowl. I use my stand mixer. Mix well.
- Add the water and starter. Set bowl onto the mixer and mix, starting on low, gradualy increasing speed until the dough begins to come together and no dry flour remains.
- With your mixer on low, begin streaming in the olive oil. Mix until completely combined, and the dough is nice and shiney. This is a very wet dough, and will look like it needs more flour. It does not!
- Cover your dough and let proof in the refrigerator overnight.
- About two hours before you are ready to bake your bread, remove your dough and let come to room temperature, about thirty minutes, keeping it covered the entire time. The dough will be huge, and slighlty terifying - this is a good thing!
- Grease a 9x13 caserole dish with olive oila and line with parchemnt paper.
- Dump your room temperature dough into your prepared dish and gently press it into the corners. Cover and let prove a second time for about 2 hours.
- Once it's puffed up again, it's time to decorate. Add sliced grapes, shaved fennel, olives, tomatoes, shallots anything you want! At minimum give the dough a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt and dimple with well-oiled fingertips to create the characteristic divots.
- Set your oven to 480F and add a bread tin or cake pan full of water into the oven while it pre-heats.
- Once your oven is hot, place your foccacia in, being careful to avoid the steam when you open the door! Drop the temperature to 450 and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the water pan. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.