Recipe post ·
Za’atar Campfire Focaccia
Za’atar focaccia over a campfire in Namibia.
Watch the video for the technique.
Ingredients
- Makes
- One 28–30 cm cast-iron pan
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 400 g water
- 4 g instant yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 20 g olive oil in the dough
- 40 g extra olive oil for the pan and top
- 2 tbsp za’atar
- Flaky salt, if your za’atar needs it
Method
- 1.
Mix flour, water, yeast, salt and 20 g oil until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 20 min.
- 2.
With wet hands, stretch and fold the dough from all four sides. Do 3 rounds, about 30 min apart.
- 3.
Keep covered until airy and noticeably expanded, roughly another 1–2 hours. Warm weather changes the timing.
- 4.
Oil the pan with 20 g oil. Transfer the dough gently, spread it partway out, cover and let it puff again, around 45–90 min.
- 5.
Dimple with oiled fingers. Add the remaining oil, za’atar and a little flaky salt if needed.
- 6.
Campfire: use a coal-safe cooking pan and lid over steady embers, with gentle heat below and more above. Rotate for an even bake. Start checking after 15 min; 25–40 min is a rough guide. Reduce bottom heat if it browns too quickly. Bake until the centre is cooked through.
- 7.
Home oven: 230°C, roughly 25–30 min, until golden and cooked through. Rest at least 10 min before slicing.
Notes
- Recipe to try, I made the filmed batch by feel, so these are suggested quantities lol.
- Rise and fire-bake times are estimates; this adapted campfire version hasn’t been tested with these exact amounts.
