Italian Anchovy Focaccia Bread Recipes

FOCACCIA PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Place bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet.
• Toast bread in the preheated oven until browned and fully crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool down to room temperature.
• Mash garlic, sugar, and anchovy into a coarse paste using the back of a fork. Add vinegar and oil; whisk until combined.
• Toss vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper into the dressing with a spatula. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Add mozzarella and red onion to the tomato mixture and toss with a spatula to combine. Add bread cubes and mix until saturated as desired. Mix in basil. Taste for seasoning before serving.

MULTILAYERED ANCHOVY BREAD

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Stir together water and yeast in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir oil into yeast mixture. Pulse together "00" flour, semolina, and salt in a food processor until combined. With motor running, pour in yeast mixture and process until a wet dough forms. Transfer dough from bowl to a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times until smooth. Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Make seasoned oil:
• Whisk together all oil ingredients in a small bowl until combined well.
• Form and bake sfogliata:
• Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to remove air. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface into a roughly 18-inch round (1/8-inch thick).
• Reserve 1 tablespoon seasoned oil and brush remaining oil over dough round, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style and pinch seam to seal (some filling will seep out as you roll). Arrange roll seam side down and form into a coil, then transfer to oiled pan. Gently press on coil to flatten slightly, then cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Brush top of dough with reserved oil and bake until pale golden and top and underside are crusty, 35 to 40 minutes. Lift bread from pan with a metal spatula and transfer, right side up, to cool completely on a rack, about 1 hour. Serve bread thinly sliced.
• *Available at fornobravo.com.
• **Available at D. Coluccio & Sons (718-436-6700).