Focaccia

I had just returned from my mother's house where we had watched TV chef, Michael Chiarello, construct a picnic sandwich using a home made focaccia.

The day was cold and windy, and the thought of the  smell of hot and yeasty baking bread wafting through the house was all I needed to consider making my own focaccia. I planned to be working at home the rest of the afternoon anyway, and so what if I had no yeast? There was pizza dough in the freezer.

Focaccia, the flat oven-baked Italian bread, is thought to have originated with the Etruscans or the Greeks.  The word, focaccia,comes from the Latin panis focacius--bread baked in the fireplace.Focaccia is baked in either a round or oblong stretched into shape in an oiled pan. It can be thick or thin and soft or crisp.  The dough's distinctive top  is dotted with one's fingertips to create wells in which the fruity olive oil pools.  It is usually topped with herbs, such as rosemary and salt. This rustic dish emerges from the oven golden and delicious perfect for snacks, lunch, picnics, or a great accompaniment to dinner.

Making focaccia differs from pizza in that the dough rises three times before it is baked.  Carol Field, in her book, The Italian Baker,  explains the origins of both beautifully. When I removed the pizza dough ( about one pound) from the freezer I  put it in a bowl rubbed with oil to defrost and come to room temperature since its first rising took place before going into the freezer.

The next step is to knead the dough lightly until smooth on a flour-covered work surface. Roll  or stretch dough out to approximately 12 x 10 inch rectangle, brush off any excess flour and  transfer to an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Brush top with olive oil , cover and let rise about 20 minutes.

Now the fun part. Press your fingers into the risen dough to make even indentations all over.  Brush with additional olive oil--be generous here--sprinkle with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Let rise again for about 20 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until focaccia is golden brown.

And try to wait until the focaccia cools down a bit before tearing into it!

After making the savory focaccia, I came across an article online--sorry, I don't remember where--and I just had to try the sweet focaccia mentioned in the article. 

This time dried fruits that I had on hand--1/4 cup each of dried cherries, cranberries, and apricots, and chopped rosemary were kneaded into the dough after it defrosted; put in an oiled bowl and brought to room temperature.

The rimmed baking sheet was coated with some oil and butter this time and dough rolled out and fit into the pan. The dough was brushed with melted butter, covered, and set to rest for about 30 minutes.

The dough was then dimpled as before and baked in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until golden. I didn't have time for a third rise, but I don't think it mattered.

When the focaccia came from the oven I brushed it with melted butter and sprinkled it with demerara sugar.

Although we ate some of this when it came out of the oven,  I think slices of this sweet focaccia might be nice for breakfast or a brunch as well as with some after dinner cheese.

Remembrance of Things Past

John and I had just finished off a bag of Maria's biscotti which we came across at a farmer's market in western New Jersey. They were black olive biscotti.  Perfect with a glass of wine or as an accompaniment to an antipasto platter.

It got me thinking. I've made savory biscotti in the past, but not for a long time.  As I started to look around for inspiration, I came across this recipe which very much reminded me of the delicious cheese straws I used to make in my youth for all of our dinner parties. They were light, flaky, buttery twists filled with sharp cheddar cheese and spiced with cayenne pepper. They were also labor intensive and time consuming. My youth has long since passed, and I no longer spend my time twisting cheese straws. So I thought why not combine the flavors of those gorgeous flaky treats with the ease of biscotti?

Of course, me being me, I had to tinker with the recipe adding butter and playing with the amount of flour.  They didn't turn out as expected, so I went back to the original.  These biscotti lack the buttery flavor, and I  do think a bit more tinkering may be in order. But  they hit the spot when you want something uncomplicated with a touch of heat.