Sourdough Cherry Almond Focaccia
This sweet sourdough focaccia is a soft, airy twist on the traditional flatbread, perfect for those who love a little fruit and crunch in their bake. Our Cherry Almond Focaccia combines juicy cherries, golden almonds, and a hint of sourdough tang for a simple yet satisfying treat.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 110 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 260 g strong white bread flour
- 160 g water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 5 g salt
- 5 g caster sugar
- 25 ml olive oil
Topping:
- 150 g frozen cherries thawed, juices reserved
- 30 g unsalted butter melted
- 30 g flaked almonds a.k.a. sliced almonds
- 1-2 tablespoon demerara or granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
DAY 1:
- First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in volume. We typically feed our starter in a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part water: 1 part flour, and it doubles (or even triples) within 4 hours.
Fermentolyse and Mixing The Dough
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, water, almond extract (optional) and active sourdough starter. Mix the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment for a few minutes on low speed, until the flour is hydrated. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave the dough to fermentolyse (a type of sourdough autolyse where sourdough starter is added too) for an hour.
- After an hour, scatter the salt and sugar on top of the dough. Drizzle the olive oil all over, and using your hands, squish the salt and oil into the dough, aiming to distribute it evenly.TIP: Don't be tempted to just mix the oil in by running the stand mixer – the dough will split, separated by oil layers.
- Once incorporated, run your mixer on medium speed for 10-12 minutes, until you have a very smooth and elastic dough. It will be wet, but should start gathering around the dough hook attachment.
Coil Folds, Bulk Fermentation, Cold Retardation
- Scoop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl (we like to use a heavy shallow dish – it helps with coil folds later). Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or cling film (plastic wrap) and leave it in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
- Over the next 3 hours, at 30-minute intervals, perform a set of coil folds, using wet hands. See the coil folding video below.
- After all 6 sets of coil folds are completed, cover the dough and let it finish its bulk fermentation undisturbed for 1.5-3 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours (or simply overnight).
- At this point, place the cherries in the fridge to thaw overnight too.
DAY 2:
- The next day, line a baking tray (approx 24x24cm) with parchment paper.
Second Rise
- Take the dough out of the fridge and very carefully transfer it into the prepared baking tray, trying not to deflate it too much. Stretch it out into the corners of the baking dish.
- Cover it again and leave it in a warm spot to proof for another 1-2 hours. It will increase in volume, puff up and have very noticeable blisters across the surface.
Topping and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Oil your fingers and dimple the top of the dough all over.
- Drain the cherries, reserving the juices, and press them into the dimples.
- Mix the melted butter with 1-2 tablespoon of the reserved cherry juice. Then brush this mixture all over the dough.
- Sprinkle sugar on top, then spread the flaked almonds across the surface, pressing down gently to stick.
- Bake the cherry almond focaccia for 20-25 minutes. Cool it for at least 15 minutes before taking it out of the baking tin and slicing. It is delicious warm, with a dusting of icing sugar.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 218mgPotassium: 85mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 298IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.5mg
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