Olive Cherry Tomato Feta Focaccia Food

THREE FLAVOUR FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Place the flours and ½ tablespoon of sea salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, and mix with a fork. Leave this for a few minutes and, when it starts to foam, slowly pour it into the well, mixing with a fork as you go.
• As soon as all the ingredients come together, which may take a minute or so, knead vigorously for around 5 minutes until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
• Lightly oil a large bowl with some olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Dust with a little extra flour, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled in size.
• While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7 and prepare the toppings.
• For the balsamic onion topping, finely slice the onions and pick the thyme leaves. Fry the onions and thyme in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Add 6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, reduce for a minute or two, then leave to cool.
• For the basil and cherry tomato topping, pick and roughly chop the basil leaves and halve the tomatoes. Pop the basil and tomatoes into a bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a tiny splash of white wine vinegar. Peel and slice the garlic and mix into the bowl.
• To cook the focaccia, as soon as the dough has risen, pound it, then place on a baking tray and spread it out to cover the tray. Push down roughly on top of the dough like a piano to make lots of rough dips and wells.
• Divide the onion and the tomato toppings over two thirds of the focaccia.
• For the three-cheese and rosemary topping, break up the Taleggio and the goat's cheese over the remaining third of the focaccia. Grate a handful of Parmesan cheese and pick the rosemary leaves. Sprinkle both over the final third and season with pepper. Finish with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
• Leave to prove for a further 20 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes, until golden on top and soft in the middle.

CHERRY TOMATO & BASIL FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl, combine canola oil, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 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 45 minutes., Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan two-thirds with water; bring to a boil. Cut a shallow "X" on the bottom of each tomato. Using a slotted spoon, place tomatoes, a cup at a time, in boiling water for 30 seconds or just until skin at the "X" begins to loosen., Remove tomatoes and immediately drop into ice water. Pull off and discard skins. Place tomatoes in a small bowl; drizzle with oil., Preheat oven to 425°. Sprinkle 2 greased baking sheets with cornmeal; set aside. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a 12x8-in. rectangle and place on prepared baking sheets., Using fingertips, press several dimples into dough. Pour tomato mixture over dough; sprinkle with basil, coarse salt and pepper. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes.

OLIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, olives and parsley., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 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 50 minutes., Punch dough down. Shape into a 9-in. circle on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cheeses., Bake at 400° until golden brown, 14-18 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

BAKED CHERRY TOMATOES AND FETA

Steps:

• Steep garlic in olive oil at least 1/2 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and stem tomatoes and cut them in half (put unwrapped bread into the oven). Put tomatoes in a shallow baking dish, pour olive oil and garlic over and toss lightly. Bake 10 minutes; sprinkle over chunks of cheese (cut into 1/2 inch pieces) and slivered basil. Stir gently. Serve with bread to mop up juices.

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.

OLIVE, CHERRY TOMATO & FETA FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a large bowl with the yeast and 2 tsp salt, and mix together. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil, then slowly pour in 350ml lukewarm water, continuing to mix until you have a slightly sticky dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, scraping around the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-10 mins until the dough is soft and less sticky, then put in a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Generously oil a shallow rectangular baking tin (ours was 20 x 30cm). Tip in the dough, then use your hands to stretch it out until it reaches the corners of the tin. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for a further 35-45 mins. Meanwhile, tip the tomatoes into a bowl, season, add the oregano and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss together and set aside.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Press the tomato halves evenly into the into the dough, then do the same with the olives. Crumble over the feta, then lightly press everything down again using your fingertips. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and scatter with sea salt, then bake for 25-30 mins until deep golden and puffed up. While the bread is still hot, drizzle over the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then slice. You can wrap it in the tin to take on a picnic, or wrap individual squares. Will keep wrapped, or in an airtight container, for up to two days.

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.