These focaccia buns were a great way to level up our burgers. If you follow us on our social media platforms, you know that we love us some smash burgers. And they are, in fact, one of the most viral recipes that we have posted and for a good reason! They are great for sandwiches as well. Super easy to make and will be ready in just a couple hours.
What will you need?
For the starter also called poolish:
Bread flour: this recipe calls for Bread flour because it is higher in protein content and is more suitable for high hydration and longer periods of rest.
Water: depending on the season the temperature of the water will vary. In winter time we use lukewarm water, during summer the cold one is recommended. This recipe contains slightly less water than the rest of our focaccia recipes.
Yeast: whether you use “instant yeast” or “active dry yeast” it doesn’t really matter for this purpose. The main difference between the two kinds is that “active dry yeast” needs to be activated in warm water and sugar or honey prior to being used. Whereas “instant yeast” can be used right away.
Honey or sugar: yeast loves sugar, so whether you use active dry yeast or instant yeast, we recommend adding it so it feeds the yeast. To make it easy we simply dissolve the honey or sugar in the water.
Additional ingredients for the final dough:
Poolish: that was made the day before
Salt: for flavor since this is a savory focaccia.
Extra virgin olive oil: also known as EVOO or EVO oil. We recommend the extra virgin olive oil instead of the simple “olive oil” because it’s much flavorful. Depending on the brand, EVO oil is pure whereas simple olive oil is mixed with other oils.
Why is my dough so sticky? Should I add more flour?
This is a high hydration dough, which means that there is a high water content. If you divide the total amount of water by the total amount of flour in this specific recipe, you will find out that the percentage of hydration of this recipe is 80%. Here is where the stretch and folds will be helpful: not only they help with gluten development but they will also make the dough easier to handle. So please do NOT add any more flour, otherwise you will end up with a more dense and drier focaccia bread.
Why do we let it rest for so long?
There are different reasons why we prefer it this way: first, it helps with digestion because we use less yeast and his makes for longer resting hours. Second, the flavor and texture improve much more when letting rest at least 12 hours.
What pan should you use?
Highly recommend a metal pan instead of a glass one, because it holds the heat differently and will yield a very crispy focaccia on the bottom.
How to store it?
The best way to store focaccia is to let it cool completely, then put in freezer safe ziplock bags. If you leave it on the countertop uncovered, it will dry out and harden.
To reheat the focaccia, you can go two ways. You can microwave on the “defrost” option for a minute or so. Or, alternatively, you can place it in the air fryer for 4 minutes at 360F.
Notes:
-you can top the focaccia however you prefer it.
FOCACCIA BURGER BUNS
Ingredients
- Starter- Poolish:
- 1 cup + 2 teaspoons bread flour (150gr)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water (150gr)
- 1/2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp honey or sugar
- The day after:
- 1 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp bread flour (200gr)
- 4 oz +1 tbsp (128gr) 1/2 cup +1tbspwater
- 1 heaping teaspoon salt (9-10gr)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some more for the folds
Instructions
- The day before make starter simply by mixing 1 cup +2 tsp bread flour, 1/2cup +2 tbsp water, yeast and honey. Cover and let rest for 5-6 hours in a warm spot (on top of the stove with the microwave light on or inside the oven that is OFF but with the light on). Then place it in the fridge until morning/day after. The day after, using a fork or your hands, mix in the starter, the rest of the flour (1 1/3 cup +2tbsp) and the water (1/4 cup or 4 liquid oz). Then add salt. Finally, add the EVO oil. NO KNEADING required. Cover and let rest for 1 hour in a warm spot. Then do 1 stretch and fold: grab the dough stretching it out and then fold towards the center (check my highlights "focaccia" to see how I do it, it's very simply, I promise). Flip and shape into a ball. The dough will be very wet and sticky, so slightly grease your hands (not too much). Let rest for another hour. After this, divide and shape the dough into 5 balls.
- Layer baking pan with parchment paper and Grease with extra virgin olive oil.
- Place the dough balls in the ring molds and gently press to flatten it a little bit. Grease the top with some EVO oil, cover and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 425°F.
- Grease your fingertips, drizzle some oil on top, flaky salt or sesame seeds make the famous holes (called dimpling).Bake for about 8 minutes on the bottom rack. Take out and add some rosemary (optional) and place in the middle rack for an additional 8-10 minutes or until golden on top. Take them out of the oven and place on a baking rack, let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Enjoy!