Focaccia

I think focaccia can make any sandwich taste delicious. When Mr. E. and I were in Italy this summer we ever had pizza (not very similar to American pizza) that was made on focaccia bread.. delicious! Focaccia topped with pesto... Focaccia topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella! Yum... so when I received the new cookbook I mentioned in my last blog post, I was happy to read how easy focaccia is to make at home. There is also a recipe for focaccia dulce that I may attempt in the coming weeks...

Focaccia

Ingredients:
peeled Yukon gold potato cut into 1 inch chunks (about 1 cup)
2.5 cups water (55-65 degrees F)
4.5 cups Bread flour
2.5 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 cup EVOO or grapeseed oil (you can find this at a Wegmans, World Market and sometimes TJ Maxx)

1. Cook the potato until the chunks fall apart when pierced with a fork or knife (I cooked it in the microwave for 7 minutes)

2. Use a food processor to puree the potatoes and water until smooth. Bring the water and potato mixture to 120 degrees (once again, in the microwave for about 1.5 minutes).

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and half the salt. Add the potato puree and using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until you have a wet stick dough, about 1-2 minutes. Cover the bowland let sit at room temperature until the dough is tripled in size, 2-3 hours.

4. Lightly oil a 13 x 18 inch rimmed baking sheet. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the baking pan, it will still be loose and sticky so if put some EVOO on your hands to keep from sticking. Gently pull the dough and stretch it across the surface of the pan, then oil your hands and press the dough evenly out to the edges. Drizzle with 3 T of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining salt. Use your fingertips to create dimples all over the surface of the dough. Let the dough rise in a warm draft-free spot until it has risen just over the edges of the pan, about 45 minutes to an hour.

5. 30 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 400 degree with a rack in the center.

6. Gently place the focaccia in the oven on the center rack (the risen dough is delicate; a bump going into the oven could collapse it) and back for 30-45 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool and give it at least a few minutes before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature.

I ended up making a sandwich with fresh avocado and bacon on the focaccia... delicious!