Herbed Focaccia with Oven Dried Tomatoes

Today I was craving something salty and doughy…I thought about making some pizza but didn’t have any mozzarella on hand, so I decided that the next best thing was to make some focaccia.

Many years ago I had stopped by a place in Baltimore, Maryland called Stonemill Bakery, and they were known for making some of the best bread in the area, and were especially well known for their focaccia. You could buy any size slab that you wanted and it was charged by the pound. I bought a huge chunk of a simple and traditional version with lots of rosemary and coarse salt. On the way home, my friends and I eagerly dove into the bag and before you knew it, the whole thing was gone…it was that addictive.

Since then, this is my preferred flavor combination but I may also add olives or other grilled vegetables from time to time.

For those of you who have never had this delicious bread before, let me just tell you that once you have had it you will make it over and over again. Focaccia is a flat oven baked bread that is related to pizza in that they are similar in texture. But focaccia is usually topped with herbs, vegetables, olive oil, coarse salt and sometimes grated cheese…nowadays the possibilities are endless.

It is a popular snack in Italy although it has been traced to have its original roots in Greece. Once the dough is made it is pressed out by hand and ‘dimpled’ leaving crevices in the dough so that the drizzled olive oil remains on the surface and seeps into the little pockets which adds a lovely aroma and a delicious richness.

Focaccia can be used as a side to a meal instead of offering a standard bread roll, as a base for your favorite pizza or as a sandwich bread. There are also many sweet versions enjoyed in parts of northwest Italy that are filled with raisins and sprinkled with sugar, although I have not tasted any sweet versions here in the US.

This particular version is called focaccia genovese and is quite versatile. In addition to using it as a base for your pizza like I did for my game day pizza recipe, it can also be rolled out and tossed onto a well greased grill for a grilled version of your favorite pizza. This is such a great option in the summer when you’re not in the mood to turn on the oven.

I’m a huge fan of tomatoes, but I hate to put fresh tomatoes on my pizza or my focaccia. I find that the moisture from the tomatoes prevents the dough from cooking all the way through, so unless you cut paper thin slices of tomatoes to place on top of your focaccia, drying them in the oven beforehand is the best way to go.

I had a few huge tomatoes that I had recently bought, and I cut them and seeded them, tossed them with a little olive oil and dried them out in the oven. I often do this with tomatoes and serve them as a side dish topped with a little vinaigrette. The drying out process in the oven brings out a lovely sweetness and chars the surface for a delicious smoky flavor. I was in a bit of a hurry on this particular day, so I opted to simply lay them on the surface of the dough, but you can definitely diced them and fold them into the dough before you begin to press it out. This focaccia recipe makes a great snack with a really good ice cold beer or a delicious fruity wine. Once you’ve had it you will definitely be back for more…

Herbed Focaccia with Oven Dried Tomatoes

4 cups all purpose flour (22 oz)

1 heaping tablespoon rapid rise yeast (approx .5 oz or you can use 1 cake of fresh yeast)

1 teaspoon sugar **only if you are using dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 ¾ cups warm water

1/2 cup olive oil to be added to dough

8 tablespoons olive oil for bowls and drizzling over focaccia

4 large tomatoes, seeded and quartered

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

2 tablespoons coarse salt

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Firstly, cut your tomatoes in half and remove the seeds with a small spoon trying to keep as much of the flesh intact. Then cut each half again until you have 4 pieces. Do not cut these too small, because the will dry out significantly in the oven. Bake at 350 for about one hour, removing them and flipping them over halfway thru. Remove from the oven, add a little salt and pepper then allow them to cool completely.

Add the yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer, then add the water and 1/2 cup of olive oil and whisk to completely dissolve. Add the flour, salt and sugar and begin mixing the ingredients with a paddle. Once the dough has formed into a ball, switch to the dough hook and continue to mix for about 5 minutes until elastic, if you don’t have a dough hook just continue mixing with the paddle. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour until it begins to come away from the sides. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and complete the kneading by hand, another 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Grease a large stoneware bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil and add the kneaded dough into the bowl. Roll it around so that the entire ball is coated with a little oil. Cover this and allow to double in size about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Once the dough has risen, gently deflate the dough and add all of the dried herbs. If you prefer to chop up the dried tomatoes and add them to the dough, do it now along with the herbs. Fold the dough over a few times and allow it to rest covered again for another 10 minutes. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to your sheet pan and using your fingers, coat the pan completely. Once the dough has rested, remove the dough and begin stretching it out with your fingers. Begin to create dimples in the dough but be careful not to poke holes completely through the dough. Use 2 more tablespoons of oil to completely coat the top of the dough. This will also help the dough stretch out. If you find that the dough is pulling back and does not stay stretched out, cover with a piece of plastic and allow it to rest for a few minutes. The dough should stretch out to the size of a half sheet pan. Once you have formed your dough, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for another 10 minutes.

Once it has rested, top with the oven dried tomatoes and coarse salt, grated parmesan cheese and bake at 425°F until golden brown, approximately 8-10 minutes.  When ready, remove from the oven and drizzle with the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cut into small wedges and serve.