Focaccia

From an article in The Register-Guard. I love focaccia and learned that it is not for sandwiches. Traditionally that is. I thought I'd go the traditional route with it.

The "sponge" is made by sprinkling yeast over warm water and whisking it, then setting it aside for about 10 minutes until it is creamy. A cup of flour is then mixed in and it is covered tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for a half hour, until it has risen and is puffy and bubbly.

In my stand mixer, I combined the sponge, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup white wine, and 1/3 cup olive oil. I used the paddle attachment for this part. 2 1/2 cups of flour, and two teaspoons of coarse salt are incorporated, and when the dough comes together, I switched to the dough hook. I let the mixer go for a few minutes, stopping a couple times to push the dough down off the hook.

The dough is removed from the bowl, and with a couple spoonfuls of flour, is kneaded for six to 8 turns, at most. The dough should be soft, but not wet.

Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until it has doubled in size. This takes about an hour.

Oil a jelly roll pan well, and press the dough into it, working it out to the sides. If the dough springs back, let it rest a couple minutes until it stays in place.

At least a half hour before baking, pre-heat the oven to 425° and place a baking stone on the next to the lowest rack. (The recipe says the lowest rack, but you need to place a shallow pan of water under the stone when you bake the focaccia).

With your fingers, dimple the surface of the dough. Then drizzle a little olive oil over the surface, allowing some of the oil to pool in the dimples. I spread, sparingly, some thinly sliced red onion, some rosemary needles, and some quartered kalamata olives over the oiled dough. I finished by sprinkling about a teaspoon of coarse kosher salt over the top.

Place the pan in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 400°. On the lowest rack, place a shallow pan of water to provide steam during the baking process. Bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy immediately, or at room temperature.

We enjoyed it immediately, and continued to do so until it reached room temperature. There was only about one fourth of the focaccia left at that point. It was excellent!

Bon appétit!