Bacon And Tomato Focaccia Food

BACON FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a metal bowl, whisk together milk, water, and sugar. Stir in yeast and 1 cup all-purpose flour; let stand in a warm place until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, remaining 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, cake flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and cooked bacon. Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead for 8 minutes. Work dough into a ball and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil onto a metal 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Transfer dough to baking dish and flatten with your fingers (make sure dough reaches edge of pan). Evenly scatter the roasted vegetables on top and gently press them into dough. Place in a warm spot and let rise again until doubled, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake until evenly golden and, when turned out of the pan, bottom is browned, 12 minutes. Let cool completely 5 minutes in pan; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.

FOCACCIA WITH FRESH TOMATOES

Steps:

• To make the sponge, place the yeast and water into a medium sized bowl, and stir to dissolve yeast. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or your hands for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth, and a somewhat elastic dough has formed. The starter will be thick and stretchy.
• Scrape the starter into a clear container with high sides and cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise.
• At this point you have two options. If you plan to make the dough later the same day, let the sponge rise at room temperature until it has risen to the point where it just begins to indent on top. This may take 6 to 8 hours. It will triple in volume and very small dents and folds will begin to appear in the top of the surface as it reaches its peak and begins to deflate. Make sure to use it before it sinks too much.
• If you are not planning to make the dough until the next day, let the sponge rise for 1 hour after mixing, then place it in the refrigerator and let it rise for at least 14 hours before taking it out to use. Be sure to compensate for the cold temperature of the starter by using warm water in the dough, or let it sit out, covered, until it reaches room temperature.
• To make the dough, place the yeast and water in a large bowl. Stir the yeast so it dissolves, and allow to stand for 1 minute.
• Add the sponge to the yeast mixture, and mix with your hands for 1 minute to break up the sponge. The mixture should be foamy. Add the flour and mix it in with your hands, lifting the wet mixture over the flour to incorporate it. Once the dough becomes a shaggy mass, knead in the bowl for 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Add the salt to the dough and knead briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the oil and milk, and knead gently until all the liquid has been incorporated.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it begins to become smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be sticky, so keep the work surface lightly floured.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat it, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until almost double in size, approximately 2 hours.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• When the dough has risen, loosen it from the bowl with lightly floured hands, and pour it onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces, about 5 1/4 ounces each. Shape the dough into balls and place on the baking sheet approximately 4 inches apart. Brush each piece with olive oil, and press down gently so the bread is more like a disk than a roll. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss the slices of tomatoes in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes in a decorative fashion on the dough. With your finger tips, press down on the dough in a few places, making impressions where olive oil can gather. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil, allowing it to pool in the dimples. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven, mist the loaves with water from a spray bottle, shut the oven door, and continue to bake. Mist again one minute later.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and bake for 15 to 25 minutes longer, or until golden brown and crusty.
• Remove the focaccia from the oven immediately, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with fresh herbs such as basil if desired. Let cool on a cooling rack.

TOMATO AND OLIVE FOCCACIA

Steps:

• On a baking pan spread olive oil. Press the pizza dough into the pan until the dough fills pan completely. Cover the dough with a piece of oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and allow it to rise, until doubled, up to 1 hour. Scatter tomatoes on risen focaccia. Sprinkle with salt; pepper; oregano; olives and garlic. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Bake the focaccia for about 25 minutes, or until deep golden. Lift the side of the focaccia with a spatula or pancake turner and check the bottom about halfway through baking time. If it is getting too dark, slide the pan onto another pan to insulate the bottom. To serve immediately, slide the focaccia from the pan to a cutting board. If it will be served later, slide it off the pan onto a rack to cool.

PANCETTA, LETTUCE AND TOMATO (PLT) WITH BURRATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Split the focaccia in half horizontally and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Arrange the pancetta over the bottom piece of focaccia and brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Brush the top piece of focaccia with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Bake, using tongs to evenly redistribute the shrunken pancetta halfway through baking, until the pancetta is golden and the focaccia is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together the basil, mayonnaise and lemon zest and juice in a small bowl.
• Transfer both pieces of focaccia to a cutting board. Top the pancetta with the tomatoes. Cut each burrata ball into quarters with a sharp knife and spread evenly over the tomatoes. Top with the lettuce. Spread the basil mayonnaise on the top piece of focaccia and place on the lettuce. Cut the PLT into 4 or 6 pieces.

GRILLED FOCACCIA SANDWICH WITH BACON AND AVOCADO

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and the vinegar. Add the sliced tomatoes and toss gently to coat them. Set aside.
• Slice the avocadoes and sprinkle with the lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Set aside.
• Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat or preheat the broiler to high. Combine the remaining olive oil with the garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the foccacia in half horizontally and brush with the garlic oil mixture. Griddle or broil, oiled sided facing down, until toasted, about 4 minutes.
• Spread the mayonnaise on the toasted foccacia and then layer the sandwich filling on top of the bread: lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, bacon, and finally, sliced avocado. Close the sandwich and serve at once.

TOMATO-HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder, herbs, pepper and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a 13-in. x 9-in. rectangle; place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough., Brush dough with remaining oil; arrange tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Freeze option: Freeze cooled focaccia squares in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, reheat squares on a baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until heated through.

BACON AND TOMATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Prepare the basic focaccia, setting it to rise as in Step 4 above.
• While the dough is rising, fry the bacon until it is golden. Set aside to drain on paper towels. When the bacon has cooled, crumble it coarsely.
• Once the focaccia has risen and has been placed in the pan ready to bake, as in Step 6 above, sprinkle it with the bacon.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Sprinkle the focaccia with the scallions. Slice tomatoes one-fourth-inch thick and arrange them on the surface, over the bacon and scallions. Brush them with the olive oil.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the bottom is browned and the top is puffy and lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper and serve.