Harvest Foccacia Recipes

HARVEST FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine 3/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon yeast in medium bowl. Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour and whisk until smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 hours. Refrigerate starter at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
• Combine starter, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon yeast in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with dough hook. Beat 1 minute. Add salt and remaining 3 3/4 cups flour. Beat 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and dough hook. Continue to beat until very soft, slightly sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes. Scrape dough into large oiled bowl; cover with plastic. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine grapes, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon thyme in medium bowl; toss to coat. Turn mixture out onto small rimmed baking sheet. Roast until grapes begin to burst, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on sheet.
• Sprinkle large baking sheet lightly with cornmeal. Turn dough out onto prepared sheet. Using floured fingertips, pull and spread dough to approximate 18x10-inch rectangle. Press dough all over with fingertips to dimple. Brush dough with additional oil. Sprinkle with grapes, then remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, walnuts, rosemary, and lemon peel. Sprinkle with raw sugar and lightly with coarsely cracked black pepper. Cover loosely with towel; let rise until light and puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake focaccia until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to board; brush edges with oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• *Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at natural foods stores and most supermarkets.

HARVEST FOCCACIA

Steps:

• To make the sponge, warm the milk slightly. Place in a bowl and whisk in the yeast until dissolved. Whisk in the sugar and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until bubbly and doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the fruit, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chopped rosemary and cook just until it begins to crackle. Remove from heat and stir in the grapes, raisins and lemon zest.
• To make the dough, stir the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the sponge. Stir in half of the fruit mixture; the dough will be wet and slack. Heavily flour the dough, a work surface and your hands, turn the dough out and knead until smooth and elastic; the dough should still be very soft. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Sprinkle 2 baking sheets lightly with cornmeal. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Sprinkle a work surface and the dough with flour and shape each half into a round. Roll each into a 10-inch circle and place on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Polk the dough all over with your fingertips. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the breads from the oven and lower the temperature to 360 degrees. Brush the tops of the breads with the egg yolk and divide the remaining fruit mixture between them. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

HARVEST FOCACCIA

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir in the warm water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil while the machine is on low speed, mixing until the flour is completely moistened. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Add the salt and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. (The dough will tighten up, then begin to relax. After 5 minutes, it will be very wet and stick to the bottom of the mixer but not the sides.)
• Rub 2 tablespoons olive oil around the bottom and sides of a large mixing bowl (large enough to hold at least double the volume of dough). Transfer the dough to the bowl with a scraper or spatula, flipping once to coat completely with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Pour the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil into the bottom of an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Use your hands to evenly distribute the oil along the bottom and up the sides. Scrape the dough into the baking sheet, flattening it slightly with your hands. Flip the dough once and gently stretch it to fit into an even layer in the baking sheet. (The dough may not stretch to the edges at this point. If it starts to pull back, let rest 10 minutes and re-stretch, making sure to pull from the center as well as the edges to get an even thickness.) Use your fingertips to make dimples over the surface of the focaccia, pressing firmly but not so hard you make holes in the dough.
• For the brine and toppings: Dissolve the kosher salt in 1/3 cup warm water. Drizzle over the surface of the focaccia, letting it pool in the dimples.
• Starting in the upper right corner, gently press the largest mushroom pieces into the dough and continue down and to the left, working from the largest pieces to the smallest in a curling, tapering wave shape. Fill in the spaces between the mushrooms with the arugula, radicchio, carrot slices, fennel, fennel fronds and rosemary sprigs. Let stand in a warm place for 45 minutes so the dough can relax and rise again.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the focaccia all over with flaky sea salt and sprinkle the vegetables with a couple pinches of red pepper flakes if using. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the focaccia is deep golden brown on the top and bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Drizzle with the olive oil and let rest for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the focaccia to a wire rack to cool completely.