The Ultimate Sandwich Focaccia
Low-Oil Austrian Flour Formulation with Pan-Bulk Retard & Version Evolution
Ingredients
| Weizenmehl W 700 | 540g | 90% |
| Weizenmehl W 1600 | 60g | 10% |
| → 600g flour total | ||
| Ice Cold Water (4°C) | 420g | 70% |
| Olive Oil (crumb tenderizer) | 15g | 2.5% |
| Fine Sea Salt | 12g | 2.0% |
| Instant Dry Yeast (Trockenhefe) | 2.0g | 0.33% |
Method
- 1 The All-In Machine Mix
Add 540g W 700, 60g W 1600, 2g Trockenhefe, 15g olive oil, and all 420g of cold ice water into the Wilfa bowl. Mix on low for 2 minutes to combine, then medium speed for 8–10 minutes. At 70% hydration the dough will clear the sides and wrap tightly around the hook without turning to soup.
- 2 The Dry Salt Finish
Drop to low speed. Sprinkle 12g of dry salt directly into the dough. Once incorporated (~1 min), mix on medium-high for a final 2 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 3 Pan Transfer and Direct Bulk
Rest dough in the bowl for 20 minutes. Rub a generous layer of solid Ceres all over the bottom and sides of the seasoned 30x40 cm blue steel pan. Tip the dough into the centre, flip once to coat, and gently spread outward to fill most of the pan.
- 4 Cold Pan Retard (12–24h)
Cover the pan airtight (inverted baking sheet or large clean plastic bag). Place directly into the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Lower hydration ensures zero water leaks out overnight — no fat barrier rupture.
- 5 Wake Up and Final Stretch
Remove the covered pan from the fridge. The dough will have relaxed beautifully overnight. Gently press and pull it to fill the extreme corners of the pan. Leave covered on the counter at room temperature.
- 6 The Jiggle Test — Final Proof
Proof on the counter for 2–4 hours. Ignore the clock. It is ready only when it has visually expanded to fill the pan and wobbles wildly like a water balloon when you gently shake the pan.
- 7 Brine, Dimple, and Bake
Preheat oven to 220°C (Ober-/Unterhitze). Mix brine: 35g warm water + 4g salt. Pour evenly over the dough. Wet fingers and press firmly straight down to the steel to create deep dimples. Bake 25–30 minutes until deeply golden.
- 8 The Hot Release
Immediately upon removing from the oven, run a thin spatula around the edges. Give the pan a firm horizontal shake to confirm the loaf is loose, then slide directly onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing for sandwiches.
Schedule
Initial 500g flour prototype (900g dough). Stretched too thin for 30x40 cm pan, stalled in cold retard, and liquid olive oil absorbed into wet dough causing massive sticking to blue steel. Zero dough fat resulted in a rubbery, chewy crumb.
Scaled flour to 600g (~1,100g total yield) for plush sandwich thickness. Added 15g internal olive oil (2.5%) to tenderize crumb. Switched to solid fat barrier (Ceres) and overnight pan-bulk retard. Issue: Standard Austrian supermarket flour (W 700) could not hold 80% water; free water bled out during proofing, breaking through the Ceres barrier and gluing dough to the steel.
Lowered hydration to 70% (420g water for 600g flour) to fit standard Austrian supermarket flour without water leakage. Locked in 2.5% internal olive oil for soft sandwich sliceability, solid water-free Ceres barrier on seasoned blue steel, single-stage all-in Wilfa mix, direct pan-bulk overnight cold retard, visual jiggle test proofing, and immediate hot spatula release.