Baking focaccia
I forgot to add the salt to the dough! I did, however, put olive oil, salt and rosemary on the exterior of the dough when I put it in the pan. I'm wondering what effect the lack of salt in the dough will have on the texture of the loaves.
Best Answer
In my personal experience, the role of salt in bread is mostly myth, reiterated over and over until it's accepted as fact by many people. I haven't salted dough for something in excess of 25 years, and I have not noticed any textural loss either when I stopped salting, or in comparison to other people's bread.
When I last had this discussion with someone else, the only thing we could dig up that appeared to be actual science, as opposed to "I like salty bread" repackaged as "salt plays an essential role in bread, because I said so, and this other person before me said so, and none of us ever tested the hypothesis" indicated a slight reduction in staling at the 5 day point.
The salt on the exterior should provide the salty you want. If not, dig out the salt shaker. I'd be very surprised if you can detect a textural difference in a double-blind test. If you have an expectation of a textural difference and you know you are looking at the loaf with no salt in it, you stand a pretty good chance of finding one, but that's mostly psychology, not baking.
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How do you know when focaccia is done?
Bake the focaccia: After 15 minutes, rotate the pan to ensure even baking. Check the dough after another 7 minutes. If it's done, it will be golden brown on top and, if you lift a corner of the dough, the underside will be golden as well. If not, return the pan to the oven for another 1 to 2 minutes and check again.How do you heat focaccia in the oven?
To reheat focaccia, simply place on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 375 degrees until it is crispy and hot (if frozen, thaw the focaccia on the counter first).How long does focaccia need to rest after baking?
Using oiled hands, lift up dough and fold over onto itself in half, then rotate baking sheet 90\xb0 and fold in half again. Cover dough with a piece of well-oiled plastic and let rest 10 minutes to let gluten relax.Does focaccia rise while baking?
Not kneading the dough long enough will cause your focaccia to be flat and dense when you bake it. This kneading process develops the gluten structure. It will make the dough more soft and elastic. This elastic structure will help trap any air that is released by during the fermentation process.AMAZING FOCACCIA BREAD | How to Make it in 6 Easy Steps
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Answer 2
According to Foodbook a page I follow on Facebook this is what the web author says.
Did you know salt in your Focaccia recipe (or any yeast based dough recipe), is not just there for flavor. Salt's main job in the recipe is actually to control the yeast activity during fermentation.
Actually too much salt can really slow down the yest or even kill it all together. If you are making large batches of dough it is highly recommended that you do not leave the salt out of the recipe, the yeast will go nuts and over proof/ferment your dough, you risk encountering such problems as tunneling in the finished product, weak first initial over-spring, or even having the dough collapse due to over fermentation.
I personally believe the salt does add to the flavor development during fermentation as well. Although I've heard both sides of the argument.
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