Gold Medal Classic Focaccia Recipes

PEPPERED FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the yeast in large bowl. Heat water and 2 tablespoons of the oil until very warm (120°F to 130°F); stir into flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is springy and pulls away from side of bowl. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rise in warm pace about 1 hour or until double. (If using quick yeast, omit 1-hour rising; cover and let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.)
• Grease 2 cookie sheets. Stir down dough; divide in half. Place each half on cookie sheet; press into 12-inch circle. Brush each circle with about 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil. Top each with half of the bell peppers, cheese, basil, oregano, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 to 12 minutes.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve hot.

GOLD MEDAL™ CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast until well mixed. Add warm water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Grease bottoms and sides of two 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf pans with shortening or spray with cooking spray.
• Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into 18x9-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Pinch each end of roll to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 35 to 50 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
• Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°F.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with butter; cool.

FESTIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil and the warm water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves side of bowl.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)
• Heat oven to 425°. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Punch down dough. Divide in half. Shape each half into flattened 12-inch round on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in warm place 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook bell peppers and onions in oil, stirring occasionally, until tender.
• Prick centers of focaccias and 1 inch in from edges thoroughly with fork. Brush with 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Spread bell pepper mixture over focaccias. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon herb leaves and cheese. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

THE BEST FOCACCIA

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook on low speed, stir in the warm water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, mixing until the flour is completely moistened. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Add the salt and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. (The dough will tighten up, then begin to relax. After 5 minutes it will be very wet and stick to the bottom of the mixer but not the sides.)
• Rub 2 tablespoons olive oil around the bottom and sides of a large mixing bowl (big enough to hold at least double the volume of the dough). Using a scraper or spatula, transfer the dough to the bowl, flipping once to coat completely with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Pour the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil into the bottom of an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Use your hands to evenly distribute the oil along the bottom and up the sides. Scrape the dough into the baking sheet, flattening it slightly with your hands. Flip the dough once and gently stretch it to fit into an even layer in the baking sheet. (The dough may not stretch to the edges at this point. If it starts to pull back, let rest 10 minutes and re-stretch, making sure to pull from the center as well as the edges to get an even thickness.) Use your fingertips to make dimples over the surface of the focaccia, pressing firmly but not so hard you make holes in the dough.
• For the brine and finish: Dissolve the kosher salt in 1/3 cup warm water. Drizzle over the surface of the focaccia, letting it pool in the dimples. Cover loosely with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to relax and rise again.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through, until the focaccia is deep golden brown on the top and bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Drizzle with the olive oil and let sit for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the focaccia to a wire rack to cool completely.

OLIVE AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, garlic powder and water until stiff dough forms. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; gently roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into a ball; knead 50 times.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, press or roll dough into 8-inch round. Sprinkle olives over dough; press lightly into dough. Sprinkle with rosemary.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Brush oil over top. Cool 10 minutes. Cut into 16 wedges with serrated knife.

GOLD MEDAL® CLASSIC PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the water over medium heat until warm and an instant-read thermometer reads 105°F to 115°F. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. With a wooden spoon, stir in half of the flour and all of the oil, salt and sugar. Stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough is easy to handle.
• Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place 20 minutes.
• Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 48 hours. (If dough should double in size during refrigeration, gently push fist into dough to deflate it.)
• Move the oven rack to the middle position of the oven. Heat the oven to 425°F. Place dough on center of an ungreased cookie sheet or 12-inch pizza pan. Press the dough into a 12-inch round, using floured fingers. Press dough from center to edge so the edge is slightly thicker than the center. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Add the toppings for either cheese, hamburger, Italian sausage or pepperoni pizza.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheeses are melted and lightly browned.