10-minute Chilli, Garlic & Parsley Sourdough Focaccia

Method

1. 7pm - This is a quick mix. Add just 700g of the water and your lively bubbly sourdough starter (remember to reserve 50g of the water), whisk and then add the flours and salt and mix your dough vigorously using a strong spatula for about 2 minutes.
2. The dough will come together to form a stiff ball. Leave this to rest on the side in the kitchen for 30 minutes. This is a good time, while your dough is autolysing, to refresh the remaining starter in your jar and set it aside to ferment overnight at room temperature.
3. 7:30pm - When the gluten has had 30 minutes to develop, you can begin your bassinage. Bassinage is the technique of adding water to dough over a period of time. It's easy to do. You just add 25g of the water at a time to the bowl and squidge the dough with your hands to mix it in. It should take less than 1 minute to mix in the first 25g water. Cover and leave the dough for another 30 minutes.
4. Repeat with the remaining 25g of water then allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the olive and chilli oils into the tin, making sure that it is evenly distributed around the tin.
6. Next, scatter the parsley evenly over the oil. Add the garlic, chopped chilli (add as much heat as you fancy!) and a pinch of salt. Place the dough in the tin, making sure the oil works its way up the side of the dough by moving it around a little. This way the dough won't stick to the tin as it rises.
7. Cover with a shower cap and leave to prove on the kitchen table overnight. My kitchen is usually about 21C/70F.
8. 8am - By the morning, your dough should have doubled in size. Preheat your oven to 220C/428F/gas mark 7, for 30 minutes then drop oven temperature to 200C/392F/gas mark 6. Before baking drizzle the olive oil down the sides of the focaccia, before putting the tin in the oven. Bake for 45–50 minutes: it should have a beautiful burnished copper crust.
9. When you bake this focaccia, you must put the tin on a wire rack in your oven because the fierce oven can cause the parsley to burn in the bottom of the tin. Keep an eye on the tin so it doesn't burn.
10. If you like a crustier finish then you can remove your loaf from the oven and return the ‘naked’ loaf (without the tin) to the oven for a few minutes to create a lovely crunchy crust on the parts of the loaf that were covered by the tin.