I love how fluffy and soft it is on the inside, its like a pillow! And the crunch from the crispy bits of cheese on the side and the olive oil seared crust is the best contrast. It's perfect for eating with pasta to sop up all the left over sauce, by itself, or as a snack when you're getting peckish. You can also just have it with some marinara sauce, pesto sauce, or some more really good high quality olive oil to dip it in.
When I made this focaccia, I was having a love affair with sun-dried tomatoes so I topped my focaccia with them along with some chopped up dried herb, garlic, and mozzarella. But, you could even try adding other tasty toppings like parmesan cheese, ricotta, mushrooms, zucchini, or thinly sliced potatoes! One time, I just did tons of mozzarella cheese & garlic and made the cheesiest garlic bread. Really, this dough is just a blank canvas. Plus, this dough is so easy to handle, its a dream to work with. I hope you enjoy it!
Sun-dried Tomato & Mozzarella Focaccia
Makes one 9x13 focaccia
Ingredients:
300 grams of bread flour
240 grams of room temp water
7 grams of instant yeast
7 grams of fine salt
¼ cup of really good olive oil
Handful of sun dried tomatoes, preferably soaked in olive oil
1 tablespoon of chopped oregano & rosemary
About ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon of garlic granules
Instructions:
In a medium sized bowl combine 300 grams of bread flour/semolina flour/caputo flour, 240 grams of room temperature water, 7 grams of instant yeast, & 7 grams of fine salt until a dough forms.
Let it rest for 15 minutes and then give it one stretch and fold. Repeat this step 2 more times. If you are strapped for time, knead it by hand for 5 minutes instead. Let it rest for 1 - 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then dump the dough out into your dish. Spread the dough out as best you can and then let it rest for 15 minutes.
Spread the dough out until it reaches the corners of the pan. Let it rise for 30 - 45 minutes or until visibly puffy. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the sun dried tomatoes & chopped herbs on top of the puffy dough.
Gently dimple the dough and then let rest for 1 - 1.5 hours or until double in size.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 10 minutes. Take the dough out and evenly sprinkle on the mozzarella and garlic granules. Bake for another 12 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top. Let cool before cutting into pieces.