Tomato And Basil Pesto Focaccia Recipes

CHERRY TOMATO & BASIL FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl, combine canola oil, sugar, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes., Meanwhile, fill a large saucepan two-thirds with water; bring to a boil. Cut a shallow "X" on the bottom of each tomato. Using a slotted spoon, place tomatoes, a cup at a time, in boiling water for 30 seconds or just until skin at the "X" begins to loosen., Remove tomatoes and immediately drop into ice water. Pull off and discard skins. Place tomatoes in a small bowl; drizzle with oil., Preheat oven to 425°. Sprinkle 2 greased baking sheets with cornmeal; set aside. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a 12x8-in. rectangle and place on prepared baking sheets., Using fingertips, press several dimples into dough. Pour tomato mixture over dough; sprinkle with basil, coarse salt and pepper. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes.

TOMATO AND BASIL PESTO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Put the strong white flour, type 00 flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the water and combine with your hands until the mixture just comes together. Pour in the olive oil, then mix well with your hands to form a loose dough that feels wet and very soft.
• Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead, using a pastry scraper if you have one and using the 'slap and fold' method (see tips), for about 8 minutes. Alternatively, knead for 5 minutes on a medium speed in a stand mixer with a dough attachment fitted.
• Lightly oil a large clean bowl, add the dough, then cover with lightly oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size (see tips).
• Remove the cling film and tip out the risen dough onto a work surface. Knock it back (knead it gently for 5 seconds) - you want to redistribute the air evenly in the dough, not push it out completely. Lift the dough carefully into a 20cm x 30cm high-sided rectangular baking tin. Don't stretch and pull it. Instead, push it to the sides of the tin gently, using your fingertips. It may not reach the edges of the tin but don't worry - it will puff up and fill out as it proves.
• Cover with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for at least an hour to prove, until it has nearly doubled in size. Check the dough is ready by pressing your finger in softly. If the indent stays, you're ready to heat the oven and bake.
• Heat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/gas 7. Snip the cherry tomato vines into small lengths and arrange over the focaccia, pressing them down lightly. Drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil, scatter with sea salt, then bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden. Turn down the heat to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for another 20 minutes.
• While the focaccia is baking, make the basil pesto. Either put the basil leaves in a large pestle and mortar, or in a food processor, and pound or whizz until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, stir in enough oil to make a drizzling consistency, then add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Once the focaccia is cooked, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes. Take out of the tin carefully and put on a cooling rack for 30-40 minutes. Drizzle with basil pesto, then cut or tear into slices to serve - the focaccia is wonderful just warm or at room temperature.

FOCACCIA WITH PESTO & MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Put the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt. Mix the yeast into 325ml tepid water. Add the water and oil to the flour, then mix well with a plastic scraper or your hands. When most of the liquid is incorporated, use your hands to bring all the ingredients together into a ball of dough.
• Tip the dough out onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and work it by pulling and stretching for at least 10 mins. Try to get as much air into it as possible. Put the ball of worked dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a little more oil and a tea towel or cling film. Leave to rest for 1 hr or so in a non-draughty warm spot, until doubled in size.
• Now stretch the dough out onto a baking sheet until it's about 20 x 30cm. Leave the dough to rise again to about half as high again, about 30-40 mins in a warm draught-free place, loosely covered with a tea towel.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. When the dough has risen, press your fingers into it gently to make some holes. Bake for about 15 mins, then remove from the oven. Tear over the mozzarella, then bake for another 5-10 mins until golden and cooked through. Drizzle over the pesto and scatter with sea salt, if you like. Serve straight away.

BASIL-PARMESAN FOCACCIA WITH FRESH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Place the chopped onion in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. After 15 seconds, drain and blot dry with paper towels. Set aside.
• Combine the yeast with the half-cup of water. Add one and a half cups of the flour and mix. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead it for about eight minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Pour one tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl, add the dough, turning once to cover with the oil. Drape a lightly dampened towel over the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk. This will take one and a half hours with rapid-rise yeast, or three hours with regular yeast.
• Punch down the dough, add the onion, a quarter-cup of water, three tablespoons of olive oil, the cup of Parmesan cheese, the remaining flour, the basil and two teaspoons salt, and mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for eight minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of additional flour if needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll the dough into a large circle measuring about 15 inches in diameter and about a quarter-inch thick, and transfer it to a heavy cookie sheet. Using your fingertips, make several indentations in the dough, so the surface is irregular. Brush with two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle on two teaspoons of coarse salt. Bake in the top half of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown and crisp. (You may prepare the recipe ahead to this point, but leave the baked focaccia at room temperature.)
• To prepare the topping, combine the olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Lay the sliced tomatoes in an overlapping pattern on the focaccia and spoon the olive-oil mixture over them. Return the focaccia to the oven for two minutes. Sprinkle with three tablespoons of Parmesan and return the focaccia to the oven just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about one to two minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into large slices. Serve.