Focaccia is one of the great Italian flatbreads that can be found all over Italy in different regional variations, as well as at American tables, whether in the breadbasket to accompany meals, as the carb component on the charcuterie board, or the bread in your lunchtime panino, among others.
For this recipe, I add cooked potatoes to the dough, a tradition popular in Puglia, which gives the crumb a moist, chewy center, as well as depth of flavor. The super crispy crust provides the perfect textural contrast to the moist crumb and the addition of farmer’s market tomatoes, olive oil, and salt yields a flavorful focaccia delicious enjoyed on its own, warm out of the oven, or toasted and sliced in half the following day, used as a sandwich bread.
Buon Appetito!
Potato Focaccia
12
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
3 cups 3 water (lukewarm / 100F – 110F)
1 Tbsp. 1 sugar
1 Tbsp. 1 (+ 1 ½ Tsps.) active dry yeast
1/3 cup 1/3 EVOO
5-1/3 cups 5-1/3 bread flour (sifted)
3 medium 3 potatoes (cooked and skin removed)
1 Tbsp. 1 (+ 1 Tsp.) salt
1-3/4 cups 1-3/4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
EVOO to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- The Day Before
- Place 3 medium sized potatoes in a microwave-resistant bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave in potato setting until cooked all the way through. Potatoes should be tender and moist. Remove skin and pass through a rice cooker. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine lukewarm water (100F to 110F), active dry yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until yeast is dissolved and mixture becomes foamy.
- With the hook attachment, start mixing while incorporating EVOO, bread flour, and cooked potatoes.
- Beat for about five minutes, then add salt, and beat for an additional two minutes.
- Pour dough in an oiled bowl, oil the top of the dough as well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Note: dough will be very sticky and will double in volume.
- The Following Day
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half, drizzle with EVOO, salt, and pepper to taste, and place in fridge, allowing the tomatoes to marinate in their own juices while the dough is proofing.
- Flour a work surface and flip the dough bowl upside down onto the floured work bench.
- Flour a bench scraper and cut the dough in half, and with floured hands, fold each half onto itself as if folding an envelope (four folds), flip upside down and form a ball, rolling dough gently back and forth between your hands and in circular motion, until the bottom is sealed, trapping inside air bubbles which will give an airy texture to the crumb.
- Place dough ball on oiled 9” x 3” mold, and lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Loosely place plastic wrap on top and allow dough to rise until doubled in volume.
- When dough almost reaches edge of the mold, preheat oven to 430F.
- Press dimples into the dough with your fingertips.
- Place the tomatoes throughout the top of the dough, and drizzle with the juices of the marinade as well as more olive oil. Part of the liquid will seep through the crust, enhancing the flavor of the focaccia.
- Place pans on the bottom rack of the oven for a crispier crust and bake at 430F for approximately 25 minutes, then increase oven temperature to 450F and bake until the dough takes on golden color and is baked all the way through.
- Immediately upon removing from the oven, brush focaccia with EVOO and sprinkle with sea salt. Un-mold into a wire rack and allow to cool.
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