$8
Prepare Your Focaccia Dough for Decorating Before Baking
A day or two ahead of the workshop, assemble the ingredients into a dough and let it rest in your refrigerator. Then, on the day of the workshop, proceed with its second rising…
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup warm water (about 110°F)
2 teaspoons sugar or honey
1 (0.25 ounce) package active-dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling*
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or other herbs and veggies as you prefer
Directions:
Stir honey or sugar into warm water to dissolve. Then add package of yeast. Stir and let sit till bubbles form.
Put flour into a large bowl. Gradually add olive oil and salt. Stir ingredients together till all flour is moist. Then knead for 5 minutes using the dough attachment on a stand mixer, or knead the dough by hand, adding a little extra flour if the dough feels too sticky.
First dough rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased mixing bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest in a warm location for 45-60 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Then, pour enough olive oil into a 9x13 cake pan to coat the bottom of the pan. Put some olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking and then pull the focaccia dough out of the bowl. Lay it in the pan and begin stretching it to each of the corners. If it shrinks back, walk away for about 15 minutes to let the gluten relax before you stretch again. Then cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready to continue.
Second dough rise. When you’re ready to bake your bread, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up for about 30 minutes. Dimple the surface with your stiff oiled fingers to create some areas where the olive oil can collect. The more dimples the better.
Drizzle a good amount olive oil onto the top of the bread until all the dimples have a little oil in them. Sprinkle flaky salt on top. Let the dough rest and rise for 30 minutes, then decorate the top any way you like with veggies and herbs.
ART TOPPING IDEAS
Red onions
Mini Bell Peppers
Chives
Green Onions
Parsley
Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Olives
Capers
Rosemary
Thyme
Shredded Parmesan
Brush all your toppings with more olive oil to prevent burning. I forgot!
Bake in the oven at 450ºF for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia bread is nice and golden.
Because of the toppings, this bread is best enjoyed the day of. Refrigerate leftovers. Re-heating the bread in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350ºF will bring back that chewy texture.