? 4 BakerAunt

This topic has 13 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.

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June 21, 2019 at 8:09 pm #16712
Italiancook
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BakerAunt, it seems to me you've made the KAF Blitz Bread: No-Fuss Focaccia. If I'm right, I have a question for you, because I want to make this in the next few days:

The recipe says to put it in a 9"x13" pan. I don't own a baking sheet of that size. I've always assumed it was made in a short-sided pan, and I'm pretty sure I've seen that on TV cooking shows. Do you think I could successfully make this in my Pyrex 9x13" cake dish? Or, would the higher sides ruin the final result?

Thanks for thinking about this, and if I'm wrong that you've made this recipe, I apologize.

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June 21, 2019 at 8:38 pm #16715
BakerAunt
Participant
Hi, Italian Cook; Actually, I make it in a 9x13 cake pan. The recipe needs the higher-sided pan. You should be able to bake it in your glass 13x9-inch pan as well. You might want to reduce the temperature by 25 degrees, or possibly bake it for a somewhat shorter period of time.
June 22, 2019 at 9:34 am #16725
Italiancook
Participant
Thanks, BakerAunt, for the info.
June 25, 2019 at 1:11 pm #16779
Italiancook
Participant
I don't think I have the skill to make focaccia. A couple of decades ago, I tried it with a recipe from a PBS show. It was a disaster. Every time I tried to stretch the dough on the cookie sheet, the dough sprung back. I couldn't get it into the desired rectangle. Finally, I baked it misshapen. It turned out very thin, and we didn't know what to do with it. The finished product didn't seem right for sandwiches, and it didn't occur to us to just eat it like bread with soup.

Fast forward to now. I made the dough for KAF Blitz Bread Focaccia. Easy as pie. Because the dough was so sticky, I put olive oil on my fingers to get it all into the 9"x13" baking dish. It didn't fit the rectangle, so I tried to stretch it to fit, and it kept pulling back on one end and at places on the sides. I had a hole in the middle I couldn't patch. Each time I tried to stretch the dough, olive oil swam to the top of the dough. In some places, the olive oil is pooled. I have no idea if this dough is going to rise to the occasion and fill in, but I imagine the baked product is going to have places that are oily from too much olive oil.

After two attempts, years apart, with different recipes, I have to believe I have no talent for focaccia. I find it amusing that someone who calls herself Italiancook can't make focaccia!
June 25, 2019 at 2:28 pm #16780
Italiancook
Participant
Follow-up 2 Blitz Bread: No Fuss Focaccia. It's baked. It is much thinner than it looks in the recipe picture. I throw in the towel on foccacia. I'll stick with Parkerhouse & Butterhorn Rolls.
June 25, 2019 at 2:38 pm #16781
BakerAunt
Participant
Italian Cook: I'm sorry that the recipe did not work for you. When I made it, I was able to cut pieces in half and to use them for sandwiches. I'm not sure why yours did not work well.

If the dough won't stretch, it helps to cover it and walk away for 15 minutes or so, then come back and re-stretch it. I use slightly wet hands to stretch out the dough.

I'll look back over my notes and see if I made any changes to the KAF recipe.
June 26, 2019 at 8:28 am #16785
BakerAunt
Participant
I looked over the recipe that I had written down. I did make a few changes. I use active yeast, and I proof it in the warm water with either a pinch of sugar or honey. I just feel better about a yeast bread of any kind when I can see the yeast start to work. The rise will take an hour or even less because the recipe specifies one Tablespoon of yeast, which puts the blitz into this blitz bread.

I also cut the salt from 1 1/4 tsp. to 1 tsp. I substituted in 1 1/2 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour and added 2 Tbs. flax meal.

Note on 9x13 pan: spray first with nonstick spray--I use Pam olive oil--then drizzle oil evenly. Be careful, as it likes to pool in corners, and that can happen when you start putting in the dough.

It is important not to overmix. I mixed for 1 minute at speed 5 on my Cuisinart stand mixer, using the paddle attachment. (When I do other breads, I knead with a bread hook on 3 or sometimes 4.) It's a very wet dough, so you should not need to stretch it, just get it spread out in the pan. Possibly a silicone spatula would help with that. I also like to use slightly wet hands, especially on the corners.

To cover during proofing, I use a large deli cover (left over from a reception where I used to work--I insisted on moving all three of them).

I hope some of this information helps. I would have put it on earlier, but I cannot always get to the computer when the contractor and crew are here.
June 26, 2019 at 8:55 am #16788
skeptic7
Participant
When I do focaccio, I place the dough in the pan and flatten out as much as possible, then leave the dough for at least 15 minutes and then flatten it some more. I have one of those little rolling pins for tarts and I often use that.
I've never done the Blitz Focaccio recipe but my recipe is very slack. Sometimes if the dough is dry I don't get it spread out over the pan. I use 4 cups of flour in a 9x13 pan

There is a link to the rolling pin.

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Wood-Pastry-Pizza-Roller/dp/B000HK2DNA?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B000HK2DNA
June 26, 2019 at 10:37 am #16791
Italiancook
Participant
BakerAunt, thanks so much for all your focaccia experience. By the light of day, I feel less discouraged and frustrated than I did posting yesterday. Plus, I ate focaccia with an Italian soup last night, and really enjoyed the bread. It's a good broth-dunking bread. I think your tip about using wet hands on the dough would prevent the problem I had with oiled hands, adding to the olive oil pools.

I appreciate the information on what speed you use for the dough. I can't recall what I used, but I've made a note on the recipe what you used. I did it only for the 60 seconds the recipe called for.

skeptic7, thanks for the link to the roller. I have it on my list for the next time I use Amazon. I think the roller would have helped me yesterday. When I cut the focaccia, I noticed that some of it was thicker and some thinner. The roller would help me attain evenness.

I have decided to give the recipe another try. BTW, I used 3/4 tsp. marjoram as the topping herb. Gave the bread a good taste. I think this would be an interesting bread to give to others with soup or Ina Garten's Five Cheese Penne.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by Italiancook.
June 26, 2019 at 10:51 am #16793
Italiancook
Participant
As I was making notes on the recipe just now, I occurred to me that maybe I dimpled the dough too much. The recipe says to poke it "all over," and I did that. There were small areas of dough around the poke holes, but I did pretty much poke it all over. My baked bread had more indentations that it looks like in the KAF picture. How much do you poke it, BakerAunt & skeptic7?
July 20, 2019 at 6:57 am #17139
Italiancook
Participant
skeptic7, I finally ordered the Norpro Wood Pastry/Pizza Roller 2 try with KAF Blitz Bread: Focaccia. As soon as the roller arrives and time permits, I'm going to retry this recipe using the roller. Thanks for telling me about it.

BakerAunt, thanks for your methods shared in this post. I'll incorporate some of them in the retry.

I guess this means I haven't really given up on Focaccia!
July 20, 2019 at 11:44 am #17141
skeptic7
Participant
Good luck with your bread! I don't poke mine at all. But I am not doing the same focaccio recipe as the Blitz Bread so it will react differently. I pat or roll the bread out, then let rise and bake. Sometimes I sprinkle fresh rosemary on top.
July 20, 2019 at 11:46 am #17143
BakerAunt
Participant
Italian Cook--I realized that I never answered your poking question. I did not do a lot of poking. I'd say a moderate amount is all that is needed.
July 21, 2019 at 11:34 am #17156
Italiancook
Participant
Okay, BakerAunt, thanks for the reply. Apparently, I took KAF's words to poke the dough all over too literally. I did a whole lot of poke holes. I'll be less tenacious about it next time.
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