David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

1/10/07 

Rosemary Focaccia

(serves twelve)

The most important ingredient in this recipe is time. There's not much work involved, but you've got to allow several hours for proper rising. If you're planning to make focaccia for dinner, best to start just after lunch. It is possible to hasten the process along a bit, but the more time you allow, the better the end result will be. After all, you're not making matzoh here, and the heady aroma of a well-risen, freshly baked focaccia will make your long wait more than worthwhile.

• 2 c warm water
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 2 pkg active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
• 5 c unbleached flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 large sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and minced
• about 3/4 c good olive oil
• 1 Tbs sea salt

1. Pour the water into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. (It should foam slightly; if it doesn't, the yeast is dead, and you should start over with fresh yeast.)

2. Add the flour, salt, half of the rosemary, and 1/4 cup of the oil. Mix slowly until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Picking the sticky dough off the paddle, switch to the mixer's dough hook and knead at a slow speed for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 3 minutes.

3. Oil a mixing bowl large enough to handle twice the volume of the dough, pooling about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom, about 2 tablespoons in all. Transfer the dough (which will still be sticky) to the bowl and roll it in the oil so that it becomes coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, about an hour.

4. Line a rimmed cookie sheet (also known as a jelly roll pan) with parchment paper and oil it well using another tablespoon or two of the oil. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the pan and drizzle it generously with oil, about another 2 tablespoons. Spread your fingers and point them downward as though you were preparing to play a piano. Use the tips of your fingers to dimple the dough, starting in the center and pressing down and slightly out as you go. The dough will begin to resist you before it reaches the edges of the pan. Stop at this point, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then drizzle more olive oil and dimple again. This time, the dough should reach the pan edges. (If not, rest the dough again and repeat the process.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for another 2-3 hours, or at least until the dough's volume has increased by half.

5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Just before baking, remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the dough with the remaining rosemary and the sea salt.

7. Bake in the middle of the oven, rotating the pan front to back after 10 minutes. Begin checking the bread after another 7-8 minutes. It's done when it turns golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with olive oil for dipping.

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Tips

* If you don't have a stand mixer, you can make do with a stainless steel mixing bowl and a large spoon. Just keep dipping the spoon in warm water so that the dough doesn't stick to it. Letting the dough rest occasionally also helps make the kneading easier.

* Coating the dough well with oil and covering it with plastic wrap prevents a nasty dry crust from forming during the rising.

* If you get a late start, you can keep the first rise (in the bowl) to an hour and the second rise (in the pan) to whatever time remains. But shortcutting the rise will yield a much denser bread.

* You can't use too much oil when making focaccia because it's all absorbed during the baking, imparting a wonderful flavor as long as you use a decent oil.

* I specify sea salt for the topping because the crystals are large and thus make a bright splash on your tongue. Using ordinary table salt would simply make the bread taste generally saltier.

* This focaccia also makes an excellent sandwich bread. Just remember to cut sandwich-sized pieces when slicing it up.

* Focaccia accepts all sorts of flavorings and toppings, so you needn't be limited to rosemary and sea salt. Alternate flavorings that you can mix into the dough include roasted garlic cloves, pitted olives, and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Additional toppings include caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, moist cheeses (such as mozzarella and feta), and browned sausage meat.

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

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David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality (DK, 2005).