Focaccia, but with a surprising twist

This week I made focaccia—but with a surprising little twist that totally transformed it.

I used my simple sourdough focaccia but instead of topping it with savory herbs and spices, I used...

White sesame seeds.

Such a seemingly simple thing, but the seeds brought this incredible pop of umami that I just can't shake.

I use sesame often in bread (this one being my all-time favorite), but I'm not sure why I haven't used it on focaccia before.

Now I'm hooked. If you haven't tried, give it a go this weekend; the dough couldn't be easier.

Read on!

In this week's newsletter:

• Recipes: A simple focaccia, focaccia Pugliese, and pane Siciliano
• Baking Help: Dough hydration adjustment
• Sourdough Links: Pasta alle vongole (with bread!); pizza in NYC

🍞 A simple sourdough focaccia

This one is amazing with pretty much anything on top:

• rosemary or any mix of herbs
• just plain ol' salt and olive oil
• or go the sesame route for a little something extra

Plus, it's great sliced in half and stuffed as a sandwich.

GET FOCACCIA RECIPE

🍞 Focaccia Pugliese (with potato)

A trusty standby when you want to make focaccia—but take it to the next level. The potato in this dough makes the texture otherworldly. A favorite.

GET PUGLIESE RECIPE

🍞 Pane Siciliano

In keeping with the sesame theme, this is yet another one of my fav loaves to add these versatile seeds to.

GET SICILIANO RECIPE

---

👋🏼 Join The Community

This past week, there's been a lot of discussion about baker's percentages in The Baker's Corner community. Something I have written a lot about (both at the website and in my cookbook), but I plan to host a virtual meetup sometime soon to go through how I use them to scale and develop recipes.

Join now and get in on the meetup, plus access to our community chat, the recipe archive in editable spreadsheets, and remove ads on the website! As always, I appreciate your support.

JOIN US!

---

💬 Member Discussion of the Week

There isn't a single thing that leads to a more open interior — it's really about balance across the whole process. The flour needs to be strong enough to trap gas during fermentation. Your starter needs to be well-fed and vigorous. And bulk fermentation needs to go long enough so the dough is fully fermented before you shape.

Dough strength matters too. Think of your dough like a balloon: strong enough to trap gas and expand in the oven, but not so strong it won't relax and open up. A gentle preshape and shape go a long way here — if you're rough with the dough, that delicate interior structure breaks down fast.

---

🛟 2 Ways I Can Help You Today

• Speaking of baker's percentages, check out my full guide to modifying (halving, scaling, and more) bread formulas.
  ​
• I'm working hard on a few new recipes for the site, and I reaffirmed how important it is to ensure your loaves pass the poke test before baking.

Happy baking!