It was a BIG week here at the farm… our first seeds + seedlings of the season are officially in the ground! Earlier this week, we seeded our carrots and sugar snap peas, and yesterday we got our first round of kale and swiss chard planted in our tunnels.
We have two caterpillar tunnels on the farm, which are passively heated by the sun and allow us to get a jump start on the season and plant spring greens early, before we would be able to plant them outside. In the next week or two, we’ll fill the other rows in the tunnels with radishes, turnips, lettuces, arugula, baby kale etc… and then in early March, we will plant a big round of spring veggies in our main outdoor growing areas. Our Spring CSA starts the first week in April (t-minus 6 weeks away), so the countdown is ON to get these veggies growing so that we have heaps of veggies to fill our CSA members’ boxes.
So ready or not, spring is officially kicking into gear, and I’m bringing y’all along for the ride!
In other news, I *know* I’m a bit late to the game, but I’ve recently hopped on the sourdough train, and I’m HOOKED. I’m still totally new to sourdough, so I’m definitely am not qualified to share my own sourdough recipe yet (I’ve been using this recipe/method) – BUT while I’ve got bread on the brain, today I’m sharing one of my most requested recipes… focaccia bread!
I make focaccia for all of my workshops and classes here at the farm, and it’s always a hit. BONUS - it’s incredibly easy to make, no kneading or complicated steps required (keep reading for the full recipe).
Let's be honest – focaccia bread is always a crowd pleaser. A good focaccia is nice and salty, with a crunchy exterior, pillowy soft interior, and is perfect for dipping in olive oil, slathering with butter, sopping up a succulent sauce, or slicing into slabs and making a seriously luxurious sandwich.
The recipe I use is from a beloved (and now closed) Brooklyn based sandwich shop, Saltie, and I learned about it thanks to food writer Luisa Weiss, aka The Wednesday Chef. Though the dough does need 8-24 hours to slowly rise in the fridge, it comes together super easily and requires no kneading whatsoever.
See below for the full recipe, and you’ll also find a one-page PDF version for easy printing.
No-Knead Focaccia Bread
INGREDIENTS
6 1/4 cups all purpose flour (750 grams)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast (I like to use Fleishman’s brand)
3 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
Flaky sea salt
PREPARATION
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the warm water (if you want to be precise, I like to use water that’s around 90F) to the flour mixture and stir briskly with a sturdy wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated, and a wet, sticky dough forms – it should be the consistency of a wet porridge.
Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a second large bowl (like one from a standing mixer). Transfer the focaccia dough to the bowl, scoop a little oil from the sides over the top of the dough, and cover the bowl tightly. Place in the refrigerator to slowly rise for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450° F.
Line a 18 x 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle the parchment paper with a few good glugs of olive oil. Remove the focaccia dough from the refrigerator and gently ease it onto the prepared baking sheet, and use your hands to spread the dough out on the prepared pan as much as possible.
Place the dough in a warm place and let it rise until it about doubles in bulk. The rising time will vary considerably depending on the season. In the summer, it might take just 30 minutes, and in the winter it can take an hour or more. When the dough is ready, it should be room temperature, spread out on the sheet, and have a fluffy feeling with lots of bubbles on the surface of the dough.
Using your fingertips, make a bunch of indentations in the dough (you'll feel like you're playing the piano). Dimple the entire dough and then drizzle everything again with olive oil. Sprinkle the entire surface of the focaccia evenly with flaky sea salt.
Bake for 15 minutes, then open the oven and rotate the pan to ensure even baking. Bake for another 12-15 minutes, until the top of the focaccia is golden brown.
Remove bread from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
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