Focaccia Art

Focaccia can be enjoyed as bread on its own but there is much more that you can do with it. Focaccia is the perfect vessel to create a sandwich or even a panini. Test your artistic skills by using various herb toppings and vegetables for fun Focaccia Art recipe!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of high quality olive oil
• 454 grams warm water (roughly 2 cups)
• 8 grams or 2½ teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• flakey sea salt
• 680 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour (roughly 5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped
• ½ cup of olive oil for the pan and for topping
• 3 to 4 parsley stems, whole
• 3 to 4 small sweet peppers, sliced whole roughly ¼ inch thick
• ¼ cup black pitted olives
• 1 red onion, sliced vertically and left whole roughly ¼ inch
• ¼ cup cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions

For the Focaccia Dough:

1. In a small bowl, combine your first cup of warm water with the yeast and sugar. Mix to combine and set it aside for about 5 minutes or until it looks foamy.
2. Using a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment, place the foamy mixture into the mixing bowl. If you do not have a stand mixer you can work this dough by hand.
3. Add 1 cup of flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add the remaining 1 cup of warm water, ¼ cup of high quality olive oil, salt, and two cups of flour. Mix to combine on low speed.
4. Continue to add the remaining flour (roughly 2 cups) while on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If the dough is too sticky after adding the entirety of the flour, add an additional 1 tablespoon of flour. Continue to add the flour until the dough pulls away. The dough should be quite soft.
5. Keep mixing the dough on a low speed for about two minutes as the gluten continues to develop. The dough should bounce back when you touch it with two fingers.
6. Place the dough into a large mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm area for roughly 1 to 2 hours. The dough should double in size.
7. Prepare an All-Clad D3 Stainless Bonded Ovenware 12 x 15 inch Jelly Roll Pan by pouring a thin layer of oil covering the entirety of the bottom of the pan.
8. Coat your hands with olive oil. Remove the dough from the bowl and stretch it to fit the jelly roll pan. If you notice the dough shrinking, let it rest for 15 minutes and try again. Once the dough is stretched on the pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.
9. The next day, remove the pan from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
10. Coat your fingertips with olive oil and dimple the dough with your fingers.
11. Drizzle the dough with a generous amount of olive oil where the dimples were created. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt. Let the dough rise again at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the Focaccia Art:

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Decorate your dough with vegetable art before baking. Create an artistic garden of your own by using the parsley as tree stems, the tomatoes and peppers as flowers, and the olives as the flower pistil. Sprinkle the herbs throughout the dough. Before popping them into the oven, remember to coat all herbs and toppings with olive oil to ensure they do not burn while cooking.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on the outside. Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Pro Tip:

You can make this bread with or without toppings. Utilize the dough recipe by experimenting with different vegetable toppings to create your own desired focaccia flavors.

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