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NOV27 COOKBOOK›Bread

The Ultimate Sandwich Focaccia

Low-oil, Austrian supermarket flour, overnight in the pan. Built to be sliced for sandwiches.

Prep 30 min · Bake 28 min · 220 °C top/bottom heat · Base 30×40 cm

v3.0 · StableAttempt log (3)
  1. v3.0 — Supermarket-safe 70% hydration2026-09-01 · Stable

    Dropped hydration to 70% so standard Austrian supermarket flour stops leaking water. Kept 2.5% olive oil in the dough for soft, sliceable sandwiches. Solid, water-free Ceres on seasoned blue steel, one all-in machine mix, overnight retard in the pan, jiggle-test proofing and an immediate hot release.

    Ice-cold water (4 °C): 480 g → 420 g (−60 g)
  2. v2.0 — 1,100 g pan-bulk and solid fat2026-08-22 · Archived

    Scaled flour to 600 g (about 1,100 g dough) for real sandwich thickness. Added 2.5% olive oil to the dough to tenderise the crumb. Switched to a solid fat barrier (Ceres) and an overnight retard directly in the pan. Failure: Austrian supermarket flour (W 700) could not hold 80% water — free water bled out during proofing, broke through the Ceres and glued the dough to the steel.

    Wheat flour W 700: 450 g → 540 g (+90 g)Wheat flour W 1600: 50 g → 60 g (+10 g)Ice-cold water: 400 g → 480 g (+80 g)Olive oil: +15 gFine sea salt: 10 g → 12 g (+2 g)Instant dry yeast: 3 g → 2 g (−1 g)Warm water: 30 g → 35 g (+5 g)Salt: 3 g → 4 g (+1 g)
  3. v1.0 — 80% hydration, zero-oil baseline2026-08-15 · Archived

    Initial 500 g flour prototype (900 g dough). Stretched too thin for a 30×40 cm pan, stalled in the cold retard, and liquid olive oil soaked into the wet dough, so it stuck hard to the blue steel. No fat in the dough meant a rubbery, chewy crumb.

Three attempts, two of them glued to the steel. v1 was too thin and rubbery. v2 bled water through the fat barrier because Austrian W 700 flour cannot hold 80% hydration. v3 drops to 70%, keeps a little olive oil in the dough, and releases from the pan every time.

  • + 70% hydration
  • + 12–24 h cold retard in the pan
  • + Ceres / Alsan pan release
Ingredients01

Method

  1. 1

    The all-in machine mix

    Put 540 g W 700, 60 g W 1600, 2 g dry yeast, 15 g olive oil and all 420 g of ice-cold water into the mixer bowl. Mix on low for 2 minutes, then on medium for 8–10 minutes. At 70% hydration the dough clears the sides and wraps around the hook instead of turning to soup.

  2. 2

    Salt goes in last

    Drop to low speed and sprinkle 12 g salt directly onto the dough. Once it is incorporated (about 1 minute), mix on medium-high for a final 2 minutes until smooth and elastic.

  3. 3

    Into the pan

    Rest the dough in the bowl for 20 minutes. Rub a generous layer of solid Ceres or Alsan over the bottom and sides of the seasoned blue-steel pan. Tip the dough into the centre, flip it once to coat, and gently push it outwards.

  4. 4

    Cold retard in the pan (12–24 h)

    Cover the pan airtight (an inverted baking sheet or a large clean bag) and put it straight into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. At 70% hydration no water leaks out overnight, so the fat barrier stays intact.

  5. 5

    Wake it up and stretch

    Take the covered pan out of the fridge. The dough has relaxed overnight; gently press and pull it into the corners. Leave it covered on the counter.

  6. 6

    The jiggle test

    Proof for 2–4 hours. Ignore the clock: it is ready when it has visibly grown into the pan and wobbles like a water balloon when you shake the pan.

  7. 7

    Brine, dimple, bake

    Preheat the oven to 220 °C top/bottom heat. Stir 4 g salt into 35 g warm water and pour it evenly over the dough. With wet fingers, press straight down to the steel to make deep dimples. Bake 25–30 minutes until deeply golden.

  8. 8

    The hot release

    Straight out of the oven, run a thin spatula around the edges, give the pan one firm horizontal shake to check it is loose, and slide it onto a rack. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing.