Focaccia Pizza Bianca Food

FOCACCIA BIANCA WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• Five hours before baking the focaccia, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and oil the bottom and interior sides with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Begin panning and dimpling the White Master Dough, at 20-minute intervals, dipping your fingers in olive oil to keep them from sticking to the dough as you work. After three to four rounds of dimpling and resting, the dough will have relaxed enough to cover the whole pan. At this point, rub the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil over the dough and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap. Then allow 3 hours for the final rise.
• When the dough reaches the rim of the pan (or doubled in size), position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F (425 degrees F for convection). Carefully peel off the plastic wrap, drizzle the dough with 2 tablespoons herbed olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 cups Parmesan or Romano cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Transfer the focaccia to a cutting board and let rest 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake 9 to 12 minutes longer, or until the top and the undercrust are golden brown. If using cheese, remove the pan from the oven when the focaccia looks done and sprinkle it with the cheese. Return the pan to the oven for 2 minutes and then remove it.
• Transfer the baked focaccia to the stovetop or to a heatproof counter. Using an offset spatula or bench blade, carefully slide it around the edge, between the crust and the side of the pan, and then lift the focaccia out of the pan and slide it onto a cutting board. Drizzle any oil remaining in the baking pan over the focaccia. If the parchment paper or baking mat is still clinging to the focaccia, remove it. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 3- or 4-inch squares and serve.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Add all of the water and mix on slow speed for 30 seconds or stir with a large spoon to form a coarse, shaggy dough. Add the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, increase the speed to medium (or continue mixing with the spoon or with wet hands), and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a wet, coarse, sticky dough. It may seem too wet to form a cohesive dough at this stage. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high (or continue mixing by hand) and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a smooth, sticky dough. It should be soft, supple and sticky to the touch, and offer a little resistance when pressed with a wet finger.
• Use 1 teaspoon of the extra oil to make a 15-inch-diameter oil slick on the work surface. Rub some oil on a plastic bowl scraper and on your hands and use the scraper to transfer the dough to the oil slick. Stretch and fold the dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold (rub more oil on the work surface as needed), cover the dough, and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Then repeat the stretch and fold, cover with the bowl, and again let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Perform a fourth and final stretch and fold to make a smooth ball of dough. The dough will have firmed up after each stretch and fold and will now be soft, smooth, supple, and somewhat sticky but firm enough to hold together when lifted. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.
• In a bowl, whisk together the oil, basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and pepper flakes and paprika (if using), gradually adding the salt and whisking the oil to bring the salt to the surface before tasting. Store in the refrigerator in a container with a lid, where it will keep for at least 6 months. Makes 1 cup.

BASIC FOCACCIA RECIPE (AND EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FOCACCIA!)

Steps:

• Mix the flour, water and yeast in a roomy bowl and whisk with a wooden spoon to mix well.
• Cover with clingfilm and leave in the kitchen overnight. If you are not starting about 12 hours after mixing the poolish, place the poolish in the fridge until you need it, but no more than 4 hours.
• Dissolve the yeast in the water in your mixing bowl, a wooden spoon is best for this, it'll only take 20 seconds or so.
• Add the poolish, flour, followed by the salt, in that order.
• Using a dough hook, mix the ingredients on low until the flour is no longer "flying". Then increase to high (5 on my Titanium Chef) and mix for 8 minutes, until the dough is beginning to pull away from the sides. That means that it is stretching slightly, all around, while sticking to the sides. Scrape down the sides in the fir couple of minutes, if you have to.
• Lower the speed to low and drizzle in the 4 Tbsp of oil, while the dough hook is still moving.
• Increase the speed back up to high and mix for 3-5 minutes. At around the 3 minute mark, you will hear loud slapping sounds coming from your food mixer. Go take a look. If the dough is moving around in practically a ball shape, it is done. You can proceed with the next step.
• Tip the dough into a large, lightly greased bowl. Use a spatula to help it away from the mixing bowl, it should just come away easily.
• Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hour.
• Line your baking tin with baking paper if it's not non stick. Just in case!
• When the hour is up, tip the wet, risen dough into the middle of the tin. Lightly cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
• At the end of 30 minutes, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil all over, and push the focaccia dough, starting from the middle, to fit the tin. It should already be almost covering it anyway. Let the dough rest for another 20 minutes. Don't be tempted to pop those bubbles, apart from the ones you naturally touch as you are spreading the dough. We want those bubbles in our bread dough.
• Preheat the oven to 240˚C/475˚F.
• At the end of those 20 minutes, using the tip of your fingers, poke your dough all over to create dimples. Don't worry too much if you don't get pronounced dips.
• Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and scatter the rosemary all over. Finish off with a sprinkle of the salt flakes.
• Bake on the middle shelf for 25-30 minutes, until the top is a beautiful golden brown and crispy.
• Take it out of the oven, leave it to rest for 10 minutes, before cutting into squares. Before cutting, you can drizzle the final 2 tablespoons of oil all over, if you like, which will give a wet feel to some part of the focaccia. I do it, but its a matter of taste.

ITALIAN FOCACCIA BREAD {LIGURUIAN FOCACCIA}

Steps:

• In a mixer bowl add lukewarm water and yeast.Let sit for a few minutes until yeast is completely dissolved.
• If you're using a stand mixer use dough hook attachment.Combine in a mixer bowl malt (or honey), flour, olive oil and salt. Give a quick stir with a spatula or a fork.
• Start kneading on low speed. Once flour has been completely incorporated increase the speed and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough comes together around the kneading hook, becomes elastic and smooth.Add a bit more flour if needed.
• Place the dough in a large bowl greased with extra virgin olive oil.Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and kitchen towel.Let rise for 1.5 - 2 hours in a warm place (75-80F).Past that time the dough should double or even triple in size.
• Pour extra virgin olive oil on a quarter-sheet (9x13 inch) baking pan.Let the dough come out from the bowl onto the pan. Turn it over to coat another side of the dough with olive oil.
• Using your hands pat the dough down to fit the pan. Try to maintain the same thickness all over the pan.Cover with a lid if you have a lid that fits the pan or with linen towel and let rise for another 30-60 minutes or until it has doubled in size.In the meantime, prepare salamoia: beat quickly lukewarm water with extra virgin olive oil.Beat quickly lukewarm water with extra virgin olive oil for salamoia. Once your focaccia has doubled in size pour salamoia all over it.
• Lightly oil your hands and using your fingers press down the dough to imprint typical dimples all over focaccia.Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or sea salt flakes.
• Bake in a preheated to 450F oven for 15-20 minutes (preferably in the lower part of the oven).Once out of the oven brush your focaccia with extra virgin olive to taste.

FOCACCIA PIZZA

Steps:

• For the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Make a small well in the center and then add 2 tablespoons oil and the water. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until combined. Remove the dough to a flour-dusted work surface and knead for a few minutes until shiny and smooth.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Remove the dough from the bowl and gently punch it down. Coat a 10-inch cake pan with 3 tablespoons oil. Place the dough in the pan and poke it all over with your fingers. Cover again with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• For the pizza: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the focaccia with the marinara sauce, then scatter with the meatballs. Tear the mozzarella slices and scatter them over the meatballs. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling and the crust is golden.

PIZZA BIANCA

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until well combined. Add yeast and pulse again. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 1/2 cups room temperature water. Process for 15 seconds, scrape down sides. Process 15 seconds more, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Mixture will be very wet, sticky, and fluid.
• Coat a large bowl with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Scrape dough into bowl with spatula and toss in oil. Flip dough over and top with another 1/2 tablespoon oil.
• Cover with plastic, then a towel, and let rise in a warm area until almost tripled in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Alternately, before rising you can refrigerate the dough overnight. Let come to room temperature the next day, then let rise until almost tripled in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, move a rack to middle of oven and place pizza stone or an inverted double stack of baking sheets on top. Preheat oven to 500°F for at least 1 hour before baking.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle with flour. Scrape dough onto parchment and stretch dough to outer corners of baking sheet, creating a rectangle. If dough stretches back, allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes before stretching again. Once rectangle is formed, allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes until slightly puffed. Stipple the surface using fingertips, then use a fork to prick the dough all over, 20 to 30 times. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Bake 5 minutes until firm, remove pan, slide pizza from parchment onto a pizza peel or cutting board, and slide back onto pizza stone. Discard parchment. Bake until golden brown and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes more.
• Transfer to a cutting board, then cut into slices. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve immediately.