Sweet Focaccia With Peaches And Plums Recipes

SWEET FOCACCIA WITH FIGS, PLUMS, AND HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Make the sponge. Combine yeast and water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to dissolve. Whisk in sugar and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until bubbly and doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Make the dough. If using a stand mixer, whisk together yeast and water in a small bowl and let stand until creamy, a few minutes. Add to the sponge in the mixer bowl, along with sugar and olive oil. Add flours (including cornmeal) and salt and mix in with the paddle attachment for 1 to 2 minutes, until ingredients are amalgamated. Change to dough hook and knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should come together and slap against the sides of the bowl. It will be slightly tacky. To make the dough by hand, combine yeast and water as directed and whisk into sponge with sugar and olive oil. Whisk in all-purpose flour. Add salt, cornmeal and remaining flour, one cup at a time, folding it in with a spatula or a wooden spoon. When you can scrape out the dough, add flour to the work surface, put dough on top and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and velvety. Return to bowl (coat bowl lightly with olive oil first).
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Shape the focaccia. Coat a 12-x-17-inch sheet pan (sides and bottom) with olive oil. Line with parchment and flip parchment over so the exposed side is oiled. Turn dough onto baking sheet. Oil or moisten your hands and press out dough until it just about covers the bottom of the pan. Dough may be sticky. Cover with a towel and allow it to relax for 10 minutes, then continue to press it out until it reaches the edges of the pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until dough is full of air bubbles.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees after 15 minutes of rising (30 minutes before you wish to bake), preferably with a baking stone in it. Combine chopped rosemary and olive oil for the topping in a small pan and heat just until rosemary begins to sizzle. Count to 30 and remove from heat. Swirl olive oil in the pan and pour into a small measuring cup or ramekin. Allow to cool.
• With lightly oiled fingertips or with your knuckles, dimple the dough, pressing down hard so you leave indentations. Place hazelnut halves in the indentations. Distribute the fruit evenly over the dough and drizzle on the oil and rosemary. Combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over the fruit and dough.
• Place pan in oven on baking stone. Spray oven 3 times with water during the first 10 minutes, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are crisp and the top is golden. If you wish, remove the focaccia from the pan and bake directly on the stone during the last 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove from pan at once and cool on a rack. If you want a softer focaccia, cover with a towel when you remove it from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PEACH FOCACCIA WITH THYME

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup/60 grams butter and set aside.
• With the mixer on low, add the flour, salt, egg, 3 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Continue until the dough is almost completely smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, but no need to add extra flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm, draft-free spot until it has doubled in size. (This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.) Gently punch the dough down, scrape the sides down and cover again. Let the dough rise one more time, about 30 minutes.
• Toss the peaches with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the thyme leaves. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Tip the dough onto the prepared sheet and use your fingers to stretch it out to a large oval, roughly 10-by-15 inches. Allow the dough to rise, uncovered, in a warm spot to about 1/4 inch above the edge of the pan.
• Without deflating the dough, use your fingers to make dimples all over the surface. Gently top the dough with the peaches and the sprigs of thyme, leaving any extra liquid from the fruit in the bowl. Bake until golden brown, puffed and set, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the foccacia bakes, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and gently brush melted butter over the focaccia. Let cool slightly in the pan on a rack, then slip the focaccia out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut into squares and serve warm.

SWEET PLUM FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in 2/3 cup of water, then mix with 1 1/4 cups of flour and knead into a dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rise for 1 hour.
• Then add the rest of the flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, the egg yolk, a generous pinch of salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and knead until the dough is uniform and very smooth. Place it in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise for another 3-4 hours.
• Cut about 1 pound of the plums into segments and remove the pits. Roast them with a little butter for 3-4 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3-4 cloves, and a pinch of cinnamon.
• Roll out the dough on a work surface sprinkled with semolina and work it like pizza dough, pulling it into a thin, rectangular sheet of dough to fit into a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the rectangular dough on top of it.
• Ideally, divide the rectangle into 4 vertical rectangles lengthwise and arrange the cooked plums in the two central ones. The two outer rectangles should be folded over the plums and slightly overlapped to close the focaccia. Brush it with water and pierce the surface in a few places with a knife.
• Cut the remaining plums into thin slices, spread them over the focaccia, cover with a dry cloth, and let rise for another hour. Sprinkle with sugar and dot with a few pats of butter, then bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes.

SWEET FOCACCIA WITH PEACHES AND PLUMS

Steps:

• To make the focaccia dough: Mix the flour with the crumbled yeast and honey. Mix the milk with 90 g water and pour it over the flour. Knead coarsely, then incorporate the softened butter at room temperature. Add the sugar, salt and the grated rind of 1/2 lemon. Knead the mixture for 4-5 minutes or until elastic and smooth.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise for 20 minutes at room temperature followed by 12 hours in the fridge.
• To assemble: Butter a square baking tray (22 cm side) and line with baking parchment. (Butter the top of the baking parchment as well.) Using your hands, spread the dough directly onto the baking tray. (Make sure to cover the entire surface of the baking tray with the dough.)
• Wash the fruit, cut each in half and remove pits. Cut each fruit into thin slices. Stagger them on top of the dough like a deck of cards, distributing evenly across the surface of the bread (as seen in the photo or however you want). Let the focaccia rise covered with plastic wrap or a damp cloth for another hour. Before baking, sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar and the chopped pistachios over the dough. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 30 minutes.

SWEET FRUITED FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Tip the flour, yeast, caster sugar and cinnamon into a bowl with 1 tsp salt. Pour over 200ml warm water and the oil, then bring together into a sticky dough using your hands. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 mins until the dough comes together into a smooth, tight ball. Scatter over most of the fruit and knead until just evenly distributed. Tip the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, lightly oil a shallow 20-22cm cake tin. When the dough is ready, tip it into the oiled tin, stretch it to the side using your hands, then re-cover and leave to rest for another hour at room temp or put in the fridge overnight.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Scatter the rest of the fruit over the top of the loaf, then use your fingertips to push the fruit down into the dough - this will also create large air bubbles. Scatter over the granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25 mins until the focaccia is puffed up and golden. Immediately brush with maple syrup, if using - this creates a sticky glaze. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack and cool until just warm. Cut into wedges and enjoy, or spread with butter, jam or chocolate spread.