Focaccia With Fresh Herbs Food

FOCACCIA WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the water - do not stir.
• Let stand 10 minutes or until the surface becomes bubbly.
• In large bowl, combine flour and table salt.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in yeast mixture and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Stir with wooden spoon or electric mixer, and slowly add remaining 1/4 cup water - dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, adding small spoonfuls of flour if necessary.
• If you are using a stand mixer, you may continue using the dough hook setting rather than turning out on the board as mentioned in step 6.
• When dough is smooth and elastic, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth.
• Let rise in a warm place- about 80-85 degrees - until doubled in bulk, for 1 hour.
• Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently several times.
• Flatten into 10-inch circle. Place on an oiled baking stone, pizza pan or heavy cookie sheet (I use a large cast iron skillet). Press indentations into the surface of the dough with fingers to make "dimples." Loosely cover and let rise about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a blender or mortar and pestle, combine remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil and herbs until leaves are broken up and oil is fragrant.
• Pour over dough. Rub gently into surface. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Bake 15 minutes, reduce heat to 400°F.
• Bake 5 minutes more, or until golden brown.
• Let cool and cut into wedges.

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.

MULTI-GRAIN FOCACCIA WITH HERBS AND GARLIC

Steps:

• To make the poolish: Whisk the whole wheat flour, steel-cut oats, water and yeast in medium bowl. Cover with plastic and set aside at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.
• To make the dough: Whisk the all-purpose, whole wheat, and oat flour, flaxseed, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the poolish, water, and olive oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour with a wooden spoon to make a very sticky loose dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface or prep mat. Coat your hands with flour and press dough into a 12 by 8-inch rectangle (long side towards you). Using a bench scraper, fold the dough as you would a business letter. (The dough is very wet and this may seem odd, but just move quickly with the scraper and fold 1 end of the dough over the other. Make sure you brush any raw flour from the surface of the dough before you fold over the second end). Spray with cooking spray and cover with a kitchen towel. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Fold the dough again like a letter, and rest for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Divide the olive oil among 2 pans and swirl to coat the pan. Divide dough in half and transfer a piece to each pan, turn dough over to coat both sides with oil, then press dough evenly into the pans. Scatter the garlic, thyme, and rosemary over the top and press the toppings into the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle with sea salt and scatter the cheese on top. (See Cook's Note.)
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Slip focaccia from the pans and cool on a rack.

FOCACCIA WITH MIXED HERBS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water and set aside until bubbly about 10-15 minutes.
• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, 1 T. olive oil, and yeast mixture, processing until dough pulls away from the sides to form a ball.
• Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Place a little olive oil in a bowl, place dough in the bowl, give it a twist, turn the ball over to coat the other side, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
• Punch dough down. Transfer to a floured surface and stretch dough to fit a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch pan. Lightly grease the pan, transfer dough to the pan, and stretch as needed to fit. Using your fingertips make "dimples" across the top of the dough.
• Brush remaining olive oil over the top of the dough, sprinkle with desired amount of each herb, a few crushed red pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Allow to rise uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
• Cut as desired.