Artisan Foccacia Wannabe, a yummy failed attempt

I was intrigued when I saw these videos on how to make the best foccacia, the type that is very holey with thin membranes. But then again, it needs poolish, which is a starter, something I don't have, nor do I have the patience to make a sourdough or a starter with natural yogurt.

So, I just tried to use the recipe substituting with yeast, ahahaha, and the results are definately different. And I also didn't do the bread from dawn to dusk which was what the chef did. I split the process into half. After the first kneading, threw the dough into the fridge for a 12 hour fermentation. And continued the folding process the next day.

I call this a failed attempt, but I'll have the recipe here for my own reference. The written instructions here are pretty confusing, if you intend to read it at a glance.

Artisan Focaccia Wannabe

420gm flour
350gm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
½ Tbsp yeast
Some extra virgin olive oil for oiling the dough, about 2-3 Tablespoons

1. Put flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast into a large mixing bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre.
2. Pour water into the well and bring the flour in using a spoon. Make sure all the flour is incorporated with the water.
3. Use a firm spatula and make 100 folds with the dough (I did 150 to be assured ;p)
4. With spatula, from the edge of the dough, lift dough slightly up and pour in some olive oil. Repeat so that the dough is well oiled all over.
5. Cover with a big plastic bag and leave to proof for 1 hour or until it looked doubled. (I just put into my cold oven)
6. After it has doubled, place bowl of dough onto your working table and oil your hands.
7. Bring hands under the upper part of dough(12 o clock), bring 1/3 of the upper dough up and fold it towards you.
8. Bring hands to the lower part of dough(6 o clock), bring 1/3 of the dough up and fold it away from you.
9. Turn bowl 90 degrees and repeat step 7 and 8.
10. Oil hands again and repeat step 7,8 and 9. Do these steps three times in total (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, see the video below). Lift
11. Cover and put dough into fridge and chill overnight (8-10 hours).
12. The next day, take dough out from the fridge and let it warm up until it’s pliable.
13. Oil your hands and Repeat step 7,8 and 9 three times. Let it proof for another hour and oil hands and fold dough 3 times again.
14. Generously oil a 10X10 baking pan (or 9X13) and place the dough onto pan.
15. Press dough down with fingers, making dimples everywhere.
16. Finely chop some fresh rosemary and sprinkle over dimpled dough.Lightly sprinkle some salt over dough. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
17. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200/220C.
18. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Watch this video to see how I “knead the dough” and how I oiled the dough. I learnt it from this site.

It may be failed, in terms of the result that I should get. But my holes are still big but not thin. It's crunchy and super yummy on the sides, but the center ones are just so so.

I filled the foccacia with sauteed portobellos and it was yum! Mike asked me to make more of this bread next time, but haha, and that was before he tasted the middle pieces. My oven has always been bad with large surface breads, the center is always wet on the bottom, cooked but wet. So, if the whole bread was like the sides, then it'll be super deliciously yum.