Provolone Oregano Focaccia topped with Kalamata olives, chopped walnuts, and Parmesan and Asiago cheeses with a fresh mozzarella salad
A week ago, I invited a good friend to a bread bake which my cousin’s wife was hosting. While my friend wasn’t able to make it that night, she suggested that we make an attempt at focaccia, which we did last night. This is a slightly modified version of a recipe from King Arthur Flour. Feel free to substitute your own toppings to make it your own – it’s hard to go wrong with focaccia! The dough requires a lot of time to rise (1 hour and 55 minutes at room temperature), so hopefully you’re as fortunate as I am and have someone who’s willing to bake this with you! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup semolina flour*
1 cup Provolone cheese, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
¼ cup shelled walnuts, finely chopped
* I found was able to find some at the local Good Earth Natural Foods Market
Instructions:
- Heat garlic and oil over medium heat until garlic begins to brown slightly. Remove from heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add sugar, salt, 2 tablespoons of the cooled garlic/olive oil mixture, whole wheat flour, semolina flour, Provolone cheese, and oregano. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
- Gradually add flour, a little at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Lightly grease and flour a shallow 12″×18″ baking sheet. Turn the dough out into the baking sheet and press the dough to the edges. Do not remove all the air – big holes make the bread more interesting. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes.
- Dimple the dough – press all the way to the bottom of the pan with fingertips. Each hole should be about 1 inch from the next. Cover the dough and let rise for 20 minutes more.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Just before baking, drizzle the top of the dough with the remaining garlic/olive oil mixture, allowing it to puddle in the dimples. Use a pastry brush to apply an even, light coat of olive oil to the top of the dough, using extra oil if necessary. Gently sprinkle the chopped olives and walnuts and grated Parmesan over the dough.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Immediately remove bread from pan and put on a wire rack. Focaccia is best eaten slightly warm, or at room temperature.
Thanks, I’ll give it a go.