Components
- 3¼ cups (tea) of wheat flour
- Half a teaspoon of instant dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoons of seasoning salt
- 13/4 cup of lukewarm water
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Half a teaspoon of coarse salt
- Three sprigs of rosemary
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Ready state
- In a spacious bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in the warm water all at once and stir thoroughly using a silicone spatula. There’s no need to soak; simply mix until the flour fully absorbs the water — the dough will be sticky, which is normal; avoid adding extra flour. Be careful with the water temperature: it should be just warm to initiate fermentation, which will occur in the refrigerator; if the water is too hot, it could deactivate the yeast.
- Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a bowl spacious enough to allow the dough to expand and increase in volume. Move the dough into the bowl with the olive oil, using a silicone spatula to scrape it thoroughly. Using the spatula, lift the dough from the bottom upwards so that the surface is coated with the olive oil — the oil does not need to be mixed into the dough, just cover its surface.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out, or use a bowl with a lid if you prefer. Place it in the refrigerator to ferment for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 36 hours. The dough will ferment slowly, and the high water content will help the gluten develop without requiring soaking.
- Once the fermentation period is complete, place the dough onto a 30 cm by 20 cm non-stick baking sheet — if your baking pan is not non-stick, grease the bottom with one tablespoon of olive oil. Using your hands or a spatula, evenly spread the dough across the bottom of the pan, taking care not to tear it. There’s no need to stretch the dough fully to cover the entire surface, as it will expand slightly and settle during baking.
- Cover the dough with a cloth and allow it to rest for 50 minutes so it can reach room temperature and become more airy before baking.
- With 30 minutes remaining in the resting period, preheat the oven to 220 °C (high heat). Crush the coarse salt with a mortar and pestle, breaking it into smaller fragments without turning it into powder.
- After resting, dampen your fingertips with water and gently press the entire dough surface, being careful not to tear it. Spread the rosemary leaves over the dough; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Place in the oven and bake at 220 °C (high heat) for 15 minutes, until the dough puffs up and starts to caramelize around the edges. Then reduce the temperature to 200 °C (moderate heat) and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Take the dish away from the oven and place it on a cooling rack or stove grate to warm up slightly before slicing—this also helps avoid steam buildup in the baking pan, which can make the dish soggy. Serve immediately afterward.
NOTE: Please note that the roasting time for the focus can differ depending on the oven model and whether it is electric or gas. We tested both types: an electric oven with top and bottom heating, and a gas oven. For the gas oven, we used the grill for 3 minutes after the cooking time to further crisp the surface of the focus.
