Rustic Focaccia With Tomatoes Onions And Olives Food

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.

FOCACCIA BARESE AL POMODORO E OLIVE (HOMEMADE ITALIAN FOCACCIA WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES)

Steps:

• Place potato into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
• Peel potato; mash in a large bowl with a fork. Pour in flour and mix well with your fingertips. Rub together until mixture is even and free of lumps.
• Combine 1 cup water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well and let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 5 tablespoons olive oil.
• Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture; mix, adding remaining 1 cup water a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Mix in 1 tablespoon salt.
• Knead dough on a clean work surface until smooth and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place dough on the baking sheet; stretch into the corners. Arrange tomatoes and olives over dough.
• Mix remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons water together in a bowl. Brush mixture over dough. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon salt on top. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake focaccia on the lower rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lift up with a fork to check bottom is golden brown. Transfer to the middle rack and bake until top is golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Sprinkle oregano on top.

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.

ONION-TOMATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and let it sit for several minutes, until it begins to bubble. Put the flour and salt in the food-processor bowl.
• Stir together the active yeast and 2 cups lukewarm water in a spouted measuring cup. With the processor running continuously, blend the flour and salt briefly, then pour in all the liquid through the feed tube and process for about 30 seconds. A soft, moist dough should gather on the blade, with some sticking to the sides of the bowl. If it's very sticky and hasn't come off the sides at all, incorporate more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, to stiffen the dough and bring it together. If the dough is dry, process in more water in small amounts.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the bowl and blade clean. Knead by hand for a minute, using as little flour as possible, until the dough forms a smooth round, still soft and a bit sticky. Coat a big bowl with the tablespoon of olive oil, drop in the dough, and turn it to oil it all over. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
• While the dough is rising, toss together the sliced onion, cherry-tomato halves, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, and let them marinate.
• Coat the baking dish or pan, bottom and sides, with 2 tablespoons or more olive oil. Deflate the risen dough, and lay it in the pan. Gently press and stretch it into an evenly flat round that fills the pan. If the dough is resistant, let it relax for a few minutes.
• Lift the marinated onion and tomatoes out of the bowl with a slotted spoon, draining off the juices. Scatter the vegetables all over the focaccia, and lightly press in with your fingertips, creating dimples in the soft dough. Finally, drizzle the marinating oil over the top.
• Let the focaccia rise, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Set a baking stone, if you have one, on a center oven rack and heat to 425˚. Just before baking, gently dimple the dough again with your fingertips, and sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt all over.
• Bake the focaccia for about 20 minutes, rotate the pan back to front for even cooking, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or even longer, until the bread is golden brown and the onion and tomatoes are nicely caramelized.
• Remove the pan and top with remaining olive oil and crumbled oregano. Let the focaccia cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve it warm or at room temperature.