r/focaccia

Hi! I’m considering starting a focaccia microbakery out of my home. The last few months I’ve been trialing different pans and materials. I was considering using aluminum because it’s affordable but have found that I have consistently had issues with sticking or lack of browning on the bottom. Also I know aluminum can react to highly acidic ingredients. I would prefer not to use parchment paper which I feel like has impacted browning (getting too brown on top but not enough on bottom).

I tried out the** **American Metalcraft 10" x 8" Hard Coat Anodized Aluminum Detroit-Style Pizza Pan and was really happy with the results. Loved the crispy bottom I was able to get browning I am never able to get with aluminum/parchment. I am seeking pan over sheet because I want my focaccia to be thicker and soft on the inside while retaining the crispy crust.

The downside is these pans aren’t cheap. What I’m wondering is if it’s worth the extra price to invest in.

The 8x10 which would probably be my standard loaf size for selling goes for about $26 each (less for a pack of 24). The 17x12 which I would do probably for making slices to sell goes for around $41 each. I’m trying to find better bulk pricing but not finding anything better than these prices yet. I’m willing to make the investment but wondering if others have had better luck for other options and just want to make sure I’m thinking this through first.

It's my first time making a focaccia, with little baking experience. I am big into cooking so thought I'd venture into the other side.

I followed the recipe by Brian Lagerstrom, but got very different results. I created an autolyse by letting flour and water sit for 30mins, did 2 rounds of stretch and folds about 30mins apart, then let it ferment overnight in the fridge, before proofing for 2 hours in my kitchen.

What do I need to do differently next time?

This is my second attempt at focaccia and while I’m new to baking bread, I’m very pleased with the flavor and the softness of the texture. I’m just not getting enough of a rise and those pillowy pockets like the recipe photos and the rest of you. My crust is a tad crispier around the edges than other focaccia I’ve tried, I will experiment with shorter cook time.

I attempted Alexandra’s Kitchen’s no knead 18 hour cold ferment recipe and used bread flour (perhaps this was my first mistake?). I also cut the recipe in half and used a square cake pan to bake it at 430 for 25 minutes (my oven is on the weaker side).

Essentially I mixed the dough, let it sit in the fridge for 18 hours, plopped it in the pan as the recipe said, let it proof for 3-4 hours at room temp. Drizzled olive oil, dimpled (did not get any big bubbles tbh) and popped it in the oven.

Any thoughts on whether this outcome is expected given the flour & lack of kneading?

The second pic shows the ingredients better. It’s sourdough focaccia, which was my fav part of it. The three parts inside are homemade wild garlic pesto (with sunflower seeds so it’s free from), roasted butternut squash, and Fruits of the Forage’s tomato and tamarind chutney (I got this, the squash and the garlic from Groobox). Tbh, I was skeptical that the flavours would work well together but the reception was so positive that I’m considering selling them at a local market 😅. But now I’m stuck with a jar of garlic pesto that idk what to do with.

after 3 trial loafs, adjustments on time and fermentation times and temp ive got it figured it!! topped with dried basil, chili flakes and sea salt. drying on a rack now then im cracking into it. does anyone have any advice on how to get the bottom a little crisper though? maybe less oil on the bottom i suppose.