Parmesan Focaccia with a Potato Dough
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
An extra-soft focaccia made with mashed potato in the dough and baked under a lacy crust of grated cheese.
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Method
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Equipment
- large bowl
- spatula or wooden spoon
- cling film or a clean tea towel
- 23 x 33 cm metal baking tin
- wire rack
- probe thermometer (optional)
- saucepan
- potato ricer or masher
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 220 kcal |
| Protein | 6.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.3 g |
| of which sugars | 0.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 7.4 g |
| of which saturates | 1.6 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Salt | 0.9 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 12 servings
Dough
- 250 g floury potato (such as Maris Piper or russet), peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 450 g strong white bread flour
- 7 g instant (fast-action) dried yeast
- 9 g fine sea salt about 1½ tsp
- 300 ml water potato cooking water topped up with plain water, about 38 °C
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Tin and topping
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1
Potato. Cover the chunks with cold unsalted water, bring to the boil and simmer 12-15 min, until a knife slides through. Drain, saving 150 ml of the cloudy water, and rice or mash until smooth; leave until just warm. Starch from the potato holds on to water, which keeps the crumb soft for longer.
- 2
Dough. Mix the flour and yeast, then add the potato, the 300 ml warm liquid and 2 tbsp oil and stir 2 min into a soft, tacky dough. Rest 15 min, add the salt and squeeze it in.
- 3
Folds. Give the dough three sets of folds 30 min apart, stretching each side up and over the centre. It will feel silkier than a plain dough.
- 4
Tin. Spread 2 tbsp oil over the tin, tip in the dough, turn it to coat and press it towards the corners. Cover and leave about 1 h, until puffy, nudging it into the corners halfway.
- 5
Top. Heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Drizzle the last 1 tbsp oil, dimple deeply with your fingertips, then cover evenly with the cheese and the pepper.
- 6
Bake. Bake 22-25 min, until the cheese is lacy and golden and the edges are crisp; the centre reads about 96 °C. Cool 15 min on a rack before slicing into 12.
Storage
Keep wrapped at room temperature for 1 day, then in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat at 200 °C for 5-6 min; freeze for up to 1 month. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
