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Artisan focaccia bread recipe with sponge preferment baked with olive oil and Manitoba flour

Focaccia with Sponge and Coil Folds (Manitoba Flour)

Kastra Recipes Staff
This homemade focaccia uses a sponge preferment and strong Manitoba flour to create an airy crumb and crisp olive-oil crust. The dough is developed with gentle coil folds and proofed in a 25 x 40 cm pan before baking.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Resting / Fermentation Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 52 minutes
Course BREAD
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 167 kcal

Ingredients
  

Sponge (8 hours @ ~20°C)

  • 250 g Manitoba flour
  • 225 g water 22–24°C
  • 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Final Dough

  • 318 g Manitoba flour
  • 207 g water
  • 11 g salt ≈ 1¾ tsp
  • 5 g sugar optional, ≈ 1 tsp
  • 18 g olive oil ≈ 1½ tbsp
  • 1/8 tsp instant yeast

Pan & Topping

  • 40 g olive oil pan
  • 20 g olive oil top
  • flaky sea salt
  • optional toppings

Instructions
 

Sponge

  • Mix flour + yeast + water
  • Transfer to lightly oiled container (optional)
  • Cover and ferment ~8 hours at 20°C (room temperature)
  • Ready when bubbly and doubled in size

Mix Final Dough

  • Lightly oil bowl
  • Add sponge + flour + water (hold back 20 gr of water)
  • Mix until hydrated
  • Add salt + olive oil
  • Mix until smooth, elastic, sticky
  • Now add remaining 20 gr water while mixing

Rest

  • 50 minutes, then start the folding to introduce gas in the dough and strengthen the gluten

Folds

  • Fold #1, rest 25 minutes
  • Fold #2, rest 25 minutes
  • Fold #3, rest 25 minutes
  • Dough becomes smooth and elastic

Pre-Fridge Rise

  • Allow dough to rest and rise 20 to 30%

Cold Fermentation

  • Refrigerate 12–16 hours

Next Day

  • Remove from fridge, allow dough to reach room temperature (45-60 mins.)

Pan Prep

  • Line baking pan with parchment paper (bottom + sides)
  • Brush paper with 35–45 g olive oil
  • Gently transfer the dough to the pan, let rest 20 minutes
  • Lift dough from the bottom and stretch to shape into pan

Final Proof

  • Allow 60–90 minutes for dough to rise
  • Ready when:: very puffy, jiggly and bubbly (lots!)

Prepare for Baking

  • Add 15–20 g olive oil to dough
    Oil your gloves or hands and dimple the dough very gently
    Sprinkle with salt or any other topping of choice
  • Rest 10–15 minutes

Bake

  • Preheat oven to 220°C (no steam)
  • Place on preheated stone (if available), bake for 22-25 minutes

Cool

  • Remove from pan
  • Remove parchment paper and cool 45–60 minutes on rack
  • If using a baking stone, return to stone 2–3 min for extra crisp bottom

Notes

Recipe Notes
  1. Using a sponge preferment improves flavor and fermentation strength.
  2. Manitoba flour provides strong gluten structure and good gas retention.
  3. Coil folds strengthen the dough gently while preserving bubbles.
  4. If the dough resists stretching in the pan, allow it to rest 10 minutes before stretching again.
  5. Sugar is optional and helps with browning and yeast activity.
 
 
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