Black Garlic Sourdough Focaccia

(By Hannah Dela Cruz, blogger and cookbook author)

Springy focaccia with pops of sweet black garlic dotted throughout its airy, marbled crumb is a show-stopping addition to your sourdough repertoire. Making it with homemade black garlic gives it an even more impressive quality.

The success of a focaccia is completely dependent on nailing fermentation. You’ll want to exercise patience during bulk fermentation and allow your dough to rise, build up lots of air and bubbles, or your bread will bake up pale, with a tight crumb and chewy crust. The Brod and Taylor Folding Proofer maintains a constant temperature that allows you to create an environment that encourages fermentation to occur at an optimal level, resulting in a perfectly golden browned focaccia with an airy crumb and thin crackly crust.

To achieve this bread’s impressive marbled crumb, you’ll need to create two doughs. The bread gets its color from edible charcoal powder, a few grams is enough to give the dough a dark hue but won’t impart any burnt flavors. You’ll be handling the two doughs the same throughout the dough development process, and will combine them at the last moment to maintain the marbled effect and prevent them from mixing too much.

Even with its eye-catching appearance, the true star of this bread is homemade black garlic. It imparts its characteristic sweet, balsamic vinegar-like flavor into each bite. Black garlic is best folded into the dough, as using it as a topping causes it to scorch and burn while baking. This bread is delicious on its own or with just a few simple sides like roasted tomatoes or a simple herb olive oil dip.

Black Garlic Focaccia Recipe

Yield: 1116 g dough.
Timing: Active: 2 hours; Inactive: 13.5 to 21 hours; Total: 15 to 23 hours

Ingredients

Plain Dough

Total Hydration: 93%

Charcoal Dough

Total Hydration: 93%

*NOTE: While charcoal powder is a commonly used black food-coloring additive, it is not actually approved by the FDA for commercial use. Food grade charcoal is often produced from carbonized coconut shells. Just like the charcoal on your too-well-toasted bread, it is widely considered safe. But if you have concerns about this ingredient, feel free to leave it out of the recipe. While you won’t get the same black dough, the taste will be unaffected.

Filling and Topping

*Instructions for making black garlic at home.

Equipment: Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer, dough whisk, mixing bowls, baking sheet

Make the doughs: Mix the ingredients for the Plain Dough in a large mixing bowl. Using a dough whisk, spatula or your hands bring the ingredients together until all of the flour is completely hydrated. Knead the dough inside the bowl until it feels like a cohesive mass. Gather the dough and transfer it into a clean lightly oiled bowl. Place the bowl into your Brod and Taylor Folding Proofer set at 78 °F / 26 °C for 30 minutes.

To make the Charcoal Dough, stir starter and charcoal powder into the water in a large liquid measuring cup until most of the starter has dissolved. In a separate bowl, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Add the charcoal mixture and olive oil into the flour mixture. Using a dough whisk, spatula or your hands bring the ingredients together until all of the flour is completely hydrated. Knead the dough inside the bowl until it feels like a cohesive mass. Gather the dough and transfer it into a clean lightly oiled bowl. Place the bowl into your Brod and Taylor Folding Proofer set at 78 °F / 26 °C for 30 minutes.

Tip: Bulk fermentation begins the moment you mix starter into your dough. Set a 5 hour timer on your phone as a guide to help you determine when your dough is ready to be shaped. 

Combine the doughs: After you've completed your fourth fold, you’re ready to combine and marble your doughs! Lightly wet your hands and a clean surface with water. Turn the Plain Dough out onto your work surface. Gently stretch the dough out into an 18 by 10 inch rectangle (you don’t have to be exact here). Spread 2/3 of the black garlic evenly on top of the dough.

Rest: Place your proofing vessel back into your Brod and Taylor Folding Proofer and allow the dough to rest for another 30 minutes. Perform one last coil fold and allow the dough to rest for the remainder of bulk fermentation. You won’t want to fold your dough more than once so you can maintain the marbled effect.

 At the end of bulk fermentation your dough should look bubbly, airy and should have visibly increased in volume by at least 50%.

Shape the dough: Line a 9 by 13 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle and spread a bit of olive oil on top of the parchment paper (this will lightly fry the bottom of your focaccia). Set the baking sheet aside.

Overnight rest: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it inside the refrigerator to rest overnight. 

Bake: Bake the focaccia for 30 to 35 minutes or until it looks evenly golden brown. Place your baking sheet over a wire rack and allow it to cool for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy and store: Focaccia is best enjoyed warm from the oven. Slice the focaccia and store any leftovers in airtight containers for up to a week.