This homemade focaccia recipe was not your typical focaccia, though. So what made Samin Nosrat’s focaccia taste better than the loaves we know from the baskets that adorn Italian-American restaurant tables? Read on for the scoop.
The No. 1 Trick to Make the Best Focaccia Bread
Even though this homemade focaccia recipe appeared in the “Fat” episode of the series, that final element— “salty”—is a vital feature to bake your best focaccia bread, according to Nosrat and countless Ligurian bakers. The key element that differentiates the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat focaccia from other homemade focaccias is a focaccia bread brine. That’s right, just as you might brine a turkey before roasting it for Thanksgiving, the Ligurian method calls for pouring a salt and water brine over the dough just before its final proofing. As the dough rises a final time, it bubbles around the brine to soak it all into the bread. This results in the dreamiest, complex-tasting, just-salty-enough flavor. Yes, it will look wet. But trust the process—and the pros! Get the recipe: Samin Nosrat’s Ligurian Focaccia
How to Make Homemade Focaccia the Samin Nosrat Way
In a large rimmed baking sheet ($16, Target), add some olive oil, top with the puffy dough, finish with a splash more olive oil, then press the dough out evenly across the pan. Stretch gently from the edges as needed. Dimple the dough by pressing the pads of your fingertips in at an angle, then pour on the focaccia bread brine made with 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and ⅓ cup lukewarm water. Make sure the brine soaks into the dimples, then allow the dough to proof once more for about 45 minutes until the dough is bubbly. While the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat focaccia was specifically designed for that ratio of flour to brine, chances are, you could try a similar technique on any focaccia like our No-Knead Skillet Focaccia, Rosemary-Pumpkin Prosciutto Focaccia, or Herbed Focaccia, just adjusting the amount of focaccia bread brine accordingly based on the cups of flour called for in the recipe. I don’t know about you, but I’m already looking forward to whipping up this recipe!
