Monday, August 22, 2016

Focaccia from Puglia with Additions

The first chance I had to bake is today after being hot for 2 1/2 months.  Thought I'd focaccia.  This recipe comes from:
Savory Baking from the Mediterranean by Anissa Helou

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and shaping
1 teaspoons sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, and stir until creamy.

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.   Add the yeast and gradually add another  1/2 cup warm water and bring in the remaining flour as you go along. Knead briefly to make a rough ball of dough.

Dust a work surface with flour. Sprinkle the ball of dough with a little extra flour and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Invert the bowl over the dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes more, sprinkling with extra flour if the dough is sticky, until the dough is smooth and somewhat soft.  Shape into a ball.  Grease a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, place the dough in it.  Cover with plastic wrap let rise in a draft free place for 1 hour. 

Grease a 12-inch round pie plate with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pie plate, and flatten and stretch the dough by hand to cover the bottom of the plate; the dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with a wet but not dripping kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes.  The dough should have doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Press with fingertips on the focaccia to make dimples all over. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20  minutes, until the focaccia is well risen and golden brown all over. Serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack to let cool and serve at room temperature.

I added sauted yellow pepper, red onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, asiago cheese, sopressata, bufala mozzarella, salt, and pepper.

No comments:

Post a Comment