With all the wild garlic that we foraged two weeks ago, how could I just stop to pesto?
After stocking up the freezer for the next year or so, I still had some leftover leaves. The idea was to make focaccia, but not any focaccia… It had to be my mamma’s focaccia!
Her recipe is incredible: little yeast, mashed potatoes, slow and overnight proofing and plenty of love!
Scroll down to the very end as I shared some useful tips and notes about the recipe. Happy baking!
INGREDIENTS:
200g plain flour
200g durum wheat semolina
100g strong flour
300g water
150g potatoes (cooked and mashed)
12g salt
1.5g dry yeast
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil + more for greasing and garnishing
30g wild garlic leaves
30g cherry tomatoes
Coarse salt for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS:
Boil or steam the potatoes then mash them and set them aside to cool.
Finely dice the wild garlic and mix it with the oil.
Dissolve the yeast into the water and set it aside too.
In a big bowl mix all the three types of flour and the mashed potatoes. Start kneading or mixing, then slowly add the water with the activated yeast. Once all the water has been absorbed, add the salt. At the very end add the wild garlic-infused oil and knead until this last is well combined within the dough. You should get a smooth dough, though if it feels sticky, don’t be tempted to add more flour. Grease a proofing bowl, place the dough in it, cover and leave it in a warm place to proof.
Once it has tripled in size flip the dough in a greased cake tin or tray. With the tip of your fingers, gently expand the dough to fill the tray and create small holes.
Dip in the small cherry tomatoes cut into quarters. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and olive oil and bake at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes.
Notes:
- I used a very small quantity of yeast and let it proof overnight. If you want shorter proofing, increase the quantity of yeast.
- The focaccia in the photo has been baked into a 26cm round cake tin. If you like a thinner dough, split it into two tins/baking trays or use a bigger one.
- I mixed the dough using my bread machine, but if you don’t have one, is absolutely fine to hand-knead it. After all, this is how my mom makes it.
- Make sure the mashed potatoes are cool enough or the heat will kill the yeast.
- If you don’t have wild garlic, it’s okay. Use the same quantity of oil and go for plain focaccia. If you feel creative, you can always add to the dough any fresh herbs.