Bratoberfest Focaccia

Ingredients

• bratwurst (cooked in beer before topping)
• beer (lager; used for cooking brats and as a portion of the dough liquid)
• water (combined with beer for high-hydration dough)
• bread flour (for a high-hydration focaccia dough)
• spicy mustard (applied aggressively as a topping)
• pretzel salt (for finishing)

Steps

1. 1

   Cook the bratwurst in beer until fully cooked through. Remove the brats and set aside; reserve the cooking liquid.

2. 2

   Prepare the high-hydration dough by combining bread flour with a mixture of water and the reserved beer liquid.

3. 3

   Instead of kneading, build strength in the dough using a series of stretch and folds.

4. 4

   Perform a couple of gentle coil folds to develop the dough while protecting the air bubbles to keep the texture light and 'wiggly'.

5. 5

   Transfer the dough to a baking pan and perform one last letter fold to provide structure and height.

6. 6

   Flip the dough lengthwise to ensure it fills the pan evenly as it proofs.

7. 7

   Once proofed, top the dough with the cooked bratwurst, an aggressive amount of spicy mustard, and a sprinkle of pretzel salt.

8. 8

   Bake until the focaccia is crisp and golden.

Notes

The author emphasizes that this is a high-hydration dough where strength is built through folds (stretch and folds followed by coil folds) rather than traditional kneading to maintain a light, bubbly crumb. Specific measurements were not provided in the source text, so quantities are estimated based on standard focaccia ratios.

Nutrition per serving

• focaccia
• bratwurst
• Oktoberfest
• beer bread
• pretzel
• main
• baking