Community Kitchen: Focaccia as a Vehicle for All Things Local

Enjoy this recipe for an easy to prepare focaccia that can rise in hours or be left overnight to proof, and will keep for up to 3 days.

Rosemary Focaccia: Trevor Schwandt

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION

In this column, I’ll bring you recipes that can easily include or be adapted to include local ingredients. We’ll kick things off with a pillowy focaccia that works well as a vehicle for all kinds of local ingredients.

We had a great crop of garlic, thyme, and rosemary at the Fresh Roots Food Forest & Garden this past season, and Mike Vair-Haley brought in quite a bit for us to freeze.

At Fresh Roots, our clients help with gardening and also some food prep as we try to use as much produce from our own gardens as possible. With our bounty of rosemary washed and stemmed, it was ready for the freezer. I hung the thyme to dry, then destemmed it and stored it in a spice jar. Our garlic hung for a few months and I’m using up the last of it right now.

The trick to a good focaccia is threefold:

• A good olive oil

• Delicious toppings

• The right pan

For ours, we used Southampton Olive Oil Company oil, our Fresh Roots rosemary and garlic, and my wife’s tried and true cast iron frying pan. We also used Donald’s Honey in this recipe, and it’s a great drizzle on top for those who like the combination of savoury and sweet.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it happen.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary (1 tsp dried)

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 tbsp fresh)

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• 1 cup (250ml) lukewarm water

• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1x 1/4-ounce packet)

• 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

• 2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Before we get started with the dough mix, we’ll infuse the olive oil with our herbs and garlic to get the most flavour possible out of it. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave. I add the thyme, rosemary, and garlic to our Vitamix (small blender) cup and heat just until very warm, then let sit for 10 minutes. You don’t want to boil or smoke the oil, but to release the aromatics of these ingredients into it. We like the rosemary finely blended, so the oil with garlic and herbs gets a hit in the Vitamix blender, and then it’s ready to go. No Vitamix? No worries, your herbs will be coarser.

In a large bowl, combine your warm water, yeast, and honey or syrup. You want the water to be about 110°F to 115°F – warm to the touch but not burning. Stir a few times, then let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of flour and half of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the yeast mixture and stir lightly to combine. Let sit for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and the salt. We do not add the salt until this point as it can inhibit the yeast. Stir until your dough is coming together, then turn it out onto a floured surface.

Knead your dough for about 2 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover it with a damp towel.

At this point, you have options:

• Proof for same-day baking. Let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, which should take 1 to 2 hours.

• Proof the dough overnight in the fridge. In this case, you’ll need to cover it with plastic wrap or a sealed lid. When you’re ready to bake, take it out and leave on the counter for 2 hours to bring it back to room temperature.

Time to Bake

Ready? Start by oiling your pan with 2 tbsp of your remaining infused oil. You can use a 9x13 baking dish or, like we did, a 9-inch cast iron pan.

Set the dough in the baking vessel and gently press it into the pan. Dimple the dough with your fingers, then drizzle the remaining infused oil on top. Let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).

Focaccia bakes hot and fast in about 15 to 20 minutes. It should be golden brown when finished.

That’s it!

Ten minutes after you remove it from the oven, your focaccia is ready to come out of the pan and onto a wire rack for cooling.

Eat up — it won’t last long. If you do have leftovers, they’ll keep wrapped in plastic or an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This focaccia is a great accompaniment for pasta, soups, and stews. You can use this base recipe for all kinds of variations by holding back the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and using any of these combinations instead:

• Cherry tomatoes, garlic, and thyme

• Blackberries, blue cheese, and honey

• Shallots and fresh basil

• Black olives, anchovies, and capers

• Gorgonzola, thinly sliced apples, and walnuts

• Sauteed mushrooms, feta cheese, and thyme

• Mixed olives and rosemary

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