Chloe Wise’s mouth-watering sourdough focaccia is art you can eat.
Painter Chloe Wise made a name for herself with her satirical luxury food-shaped purses. The first, Bagel No. 5, was first spotted on a red carpet in 2014. The New York-based, Canadian artist’s iterations since have been modeled after stacks of pancakes, waffles, pastries, and other doughy creations. When she isn’t creating photorealistic oil paintings of her friends, she continues to make sculptures that mimic her pantry. It’s no surprise that Wise is equally a connoisseur of carbs in the kitchenHer mouth-watering sourdough focaccia recipe, for example, is a staple for the artist. “It’s the recipe I make the most often,” she tells Family Style. “I make it several times a week!”
Ingredients
- 7 ounces active sourdough starter
- 3 cups water
- 1 ounce salt
- 35 ounces all-purpose flour
- Olive oil
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water. Add an active sourdough starter. Mix with your fingers. Then add the flour.
- Cover with a damp towel and let sit for 30 minutes (autolyse). Then add the salt and pinch and squish to combine.
- Do stretching and fold once every 30 minutes for a few hours, and then cool folds for a few more hours until it’s doubled in size, covered with the towel in between folds.
- Divide the dough in two and shape into a loaf.
- Cover two cast iron pans with olive oil and then stretch the dough into them. Leave in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning take it out of the fridge and pour some olive oil and dimple with your fingers. Add sesame seeds and flaky salt.
- When it’s super bubbly and beautiful, place in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until gorgeous golden. Makes two focaccias. You can keep one in the fridge for up to 72 hours or so, it will just keep developing a deeper flavor.