Why was my focaccia waterier than the recipe and therefore turned out flat?

Michelle Cheung
  • 5742 views
  • 8 Comments
Saltie's Focaccia
Recipe question for: Saltie's Focaccia

8 Comments

PieceOfLayerCake May 26, 2017
Doing a bit of conversion....it appears that the hydration in the recipe is 105%...which is really high. Its not impossible to have good bread at that hydration level, but to just leave it, without folds or anything for just 8 hours, is odd to me. Maybe the author has a bit of an insight, but I feel that the culprit is the hydration.
 
Stephanie B. May 26, 2017
Oh snap, 105%! I stand corrected - maybe not just a lack of gluten development!
 
PieceOfLayerCake May 26, 2017
Volume can be quite deceiving.
 
Michelle C. May 27, 2017
I even used a scale for my measurements so really I did everything spot on. I maybe left it for a couple hours longer than 2 days but really that's it. Could it be my fridge was too cold? I saw that my oil congealed.
 
702551 May 27, 2017
I think POLC is on the right track.

The NY Times focaccia recipe has a 55% hydration.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014681-focaccia-dough

A focaccia recipe at Serious Eats has a 65% hydration level:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/04/easy-roasted-garlic-focaccia-no-knead-bread-recipe.html

Emiko Davies (who occasionally writes here) here has a couple of focaccia recipes on the Internet, one about 55% hydration, one about 80% hydration. Davies wonders on the hydration level of the latter recipe.

Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery has a focaccia recipe that is around 85% hydration. The Los Angeles Times posted that recipe right here:

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/26/food/la-fo-masterclass-rec1-20110526

Frankly, I'd try another recipe in the mean time.

And no, your refrigerator is not "too cold." The only time a household refrigerator is too cold is when lettuce, herbs and other delicate greens start freezing.

Good luck.
 
Stephanie B. May 26, 2017
What kind of flour did you use? I notice the recipe didn't specify a flour type. Focaccia is a wet, sticky dough - it sounds like the problem is more likely gluten development than water content. Unless you added more water than recipe called for, I'm not sure how it would be waterier than the recipe.
 
Michelle C. May 27, 2017
I used AP flour. My dough turned out flat and so wet that I couldn't really do the dimpling before I put it in the oven
 
Stephanie B. May 27, 2017
As others caught before me, this recipe has a lot of water. The recipe I use is on the higher end of what another commenter posted at 77% hydration. And it's not "no knead". I mix mine in a stand mixer for a few minutes after the dough has come together, and then give it some stretches and folds too. Assuming Piece of Layer Cake is right, 105% hydration is basically the consistency of pancake batter! Try a different recipe all together, and use bread flour.
 
Recommended by Food52