Epicures Foccacia Recipes

FOCACCIA WITH OLIVES AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Place 2 cups warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over; stir with fork. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes.
• Add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture and stir to blend well (dough will be sticky). Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 10 minutes. Form dough into ball. Oil large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; knead into ball and return to same bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes or less
• Coat 15x10-inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Punch down dough. Transfer to prepared sheet. Using fingertips, press out dough to 13x10-inch rectangle. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over dough. Sprinkle olives and chopped rosemary evenly over. Let dough rise uncovered in warm area until puffy, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations. Bake bread until brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve bread warm or at room temperature.

EASIEST FOCACCIA RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Pat or roll the dough into a sheet and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake focaccia in preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness. If you like it moist and fluffy, then you'll have to wait just about 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier and darker in the outside, you may have to wait 20 minutes.

SHOCKINGLY EASY NO-KNEAD FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Whisk yeast, honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
• Pour 4 Tbsp. oil into the biggest bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
• Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan (for thicker focaccia that's perfect for sandwiches) or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Using a fork in each hand makes this process even easier and less messy!)
• Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over the dough and coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it's ready, poke the dough with your finger. The dough should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn't ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren't, you can chill it up to 1 hour.)
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you may not need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, as if you're aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20-30 minutes.
• Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and grate in garlic (use 2 cloves if you're garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted, about 45 seconds. Brush garlic butter all over focaccia. If you don't want to serve the focaccia immediately, hold off on brushing so it remains crisp.

QUICK FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Lightly grease a baking pan, 13 by 9 by 2 inches.
• In a bowl stir together water, yeast, and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl stir together flour and table salt and gradually stir into yeast mixture until mixture forms a soft dough. On a lightly floured work surface with floured hands knead dough 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, and shape into a ball. Invert bowl over dough and let dough rest 10 minutes.
• On lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 13- by 9-inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan pressing into corners. Let dough rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Sprinkle dough with Parmesan, rosemary, coarse salt, and pepper to taste. Press indentations about 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart all over dough with lightly oiled fingertips and bake focaccia in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool focaccia in pan on a rack.

EPICURE'S FOCCACIA

Steps:

• Dissolve sugar in warm water and stir in yeast. Let sit 5 minutes.
• Soften 1/4 cup Epicure's Focaccia Bread Spices in olive oil and hot water. Cool to lukewarm, add salt and combine spices with yeast mixture.
• Stir in flour, one cup at a time.
• Knead on a floured surface until smooth (4 minutes). Let sit 5 minutes.
• Brush baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll dough onto pan. Brush with olive oil and let rise 40 minutes.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with Epicure's Focaccia Bread Spices and Epicure's Sea Salt.
• Bake at 425°F (215°C) for 20-25 minutes until golden.

FOCACCIA BREAD

Steps:

• Pour the yeast into the warm water and let stand to dissolve for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the oil.
• Combine the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Work the yeast mixture in using your hands, then turn out onto a well-floured board. Knead for 5 minutes, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Shape into a round and roll out into a circle with a 12-inch diameter.
• Place on an oiled and floured baking sheet, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• When the dough has finished rising, poke shallow holes into its surface with your fingers, at even intervals. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top evenly, followed by the garlic, coarse salt, and herb.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Serve warm, cut into wedges, or just have everyone break off pieces.
• Nutrition Information
• Per wedge (8 wedges per loaf):
• Calories: 206
• Total fat: 7g
• Protein: 5g
• Fiber: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 31g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 294mg

FOUR-CHEESE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment proof the yeast with the sugar in the water for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy, add the flour, the salt, 3 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and combine the dough well. With the dough hook knead the dough for 2 minutes, or until it is soft and slightly sticky. Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in bulk. The dough may be made up to this point, punched down, and kept, covered and chilled, overnight. Let the dough return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Press the dough evenly into a oiled jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, and let it rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is almost double in bulk.
• In a bowl stir together the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan, the mozzarella, the Gorgonzola, the Fontina, the onion, and pepper to taste and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the cheese mixture and sprinkle the focaccia with the coarse salt. Bake the focaccia in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is golden brown, let it cool in the pan on a rack, and serve it warm or at room temperature.

ONION FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment proof the yeast with the sugar in the water for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy, add the flour, the table salt, and 3 tablespoons of the oil, and combine the dough well. With the dough hook knead the dough for 2 minutes, or until it is soft and slightly sticky. Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in bulk. The dough may be made up to this point, punched down, and kept, covered and chilled, overnight. Let the dough return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Press the dough evenly into an oiled jell-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, and let it rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is almost double in bulk.
• In a large bowl stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the onions, the shallot, the scallions, the sage, and pepper to taste and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the focaccia with the Parmesan and the coarse salt and bake it in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Let the focaccia cool in the pan on a rack and serve it warm or at room temperature.

FIG FOCACCIA WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough on work surface to 12x9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle 1/4 cup dried figs over center third of dough. Fold left side of dough over figs. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup dried figs. Fold right side of dough over second layer of figs to cover. Using rolling pin, gently flatten dough to 12x7-inch rectangle; place on baking sheet. Arrange fig slices atop dough. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola cheese, then sugar and ground black pepper. Bake bread until golden brown and cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Serve bread warm.

PAIN à L'ANCIENNE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse and wet. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the dough, then resume mixing on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment, or by hand using a large wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute. The dough should become smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface. With wet or oiled hands, reach under the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process three more times, completing all repetitions within 30 to 40 minutes. (You can also do the stretch and folds in the bowl, as shown on page 17.)
• After the final stretch and fold, return the dough to the oiled bowl and immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days, or pan it immediately (as described below).
• To make 1 large focaccia, line a 12 by 16-inch sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Oil it generously, including the sides, with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then transfer the dough to the pan. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over the top of the dough, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it to cover about half of the pan. Make sure the top of the dough is coated with oil, then cover the pan (not the dough) tightly with plastic wrap and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 4 days.
• For round focaccia, cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit inside an 8- or 9-inch round pan. Oil both the parchment and the sides of the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then transfer the dough to the pan. For an 8-inch pan, use 8 ounces (227 g) of dough; for a 9-inch pan, use 12 ounces (340 g) of dough. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the top of the dough, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it as far as it will allow. Don't force the dough when it starts to spring back. Cover the pan (not the dough) tightly with plastic wrap and immediately place the pan in the refrigerator overnight or for up to 4 days.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 1/2 hours before you plan to bake, and if you haven't already panned it, follow the instructions above to do so, spreading it to cover a portion of the pan.
• Warm the oven for just a few minutes, then turn it off; or, if you have a gas oven with a pilot light, it's warm enough without any heating. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the surface of the dough and, beginning in the center and working toward the sides, dimple the dough with your fingertips to spread it over more of the pan. The dough will start resisting and sliding back toward the center after a minute of this; stop dimpling at that point. It should now be covering 70 to 80 percent of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the warm oven (with the heat off!). For a gas oven with a pilot light, leave the focaccia in for just 5 minutes. Otherwise, leave it in for about 8 minutes. (If you have plenty of time, you can simply let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes between dimplings, which will require a total of about 4 hours prior to baking.)
• After the focaccia has been out of the oven for 10 minutes, remove the plastic wrap, drizzle another small amount of olive oil over the dough, and dimple it again. This time it should cover about 90 percent of the pan. Cover it again and return it to the warm oven for 5 minutes in a gas oven with a pilot light or 10 to 20 minutes for any other type of oven. On the third dimpling (if not the second), the dough should evenly fill the entire pan. If it creeps in from the corners because of the oil, don't worry; it will fill the corners as it rises. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and proof the dough in the slightly warm oven as before, removing it after 5 to 10 minutes and completing the rise at room temperature. It should be about 1 inch high in 1 to 1 1/2 hours (longer if not using the oven).
• Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). (You don't need a baking stone, but if you'd like to use one, allow 45 minutes for it to preheat.) Top the focaccia with your choice of toppings (see page 70 for topping ideas), but wait until the end of the baking time to add any cheese.
• Place the pan in the oven. For large focaccia, lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C) and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the top of the dough is golden brown. For round focaccia, keep the oven temperature at 500°F (260°C) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. If you use moist toppings, such as fresh tomatoes or sauce, the focaccia will take longer to bake. To test for doneness, use a metal spatula to lift the edge of the focaccia so you can see the underside; it should be a mottled golden brown in spots, not white all over. If you're topping the focaccia with cheese, add it when the focaccia appears to be done, then bake for another 2 to 4 minutes to melt the cheese.
• When you remove the focaccia from the oven, run a pastry blade or metal spatula along the sides of the pan to loosen the focaccia, then carefully slide the focaccia, parchment and all, onto a wire rack. If any olive oil remains in the pan, pour it over the top of the focaccia. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.