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I cook with awe and wonder, always exhilarated to find what I’m gonna make next, how it’s going to taste, how it’ll look. Focaccia excites me. I’ve never made it before, but the way that it is such a dense, flavorful bread just boggles my mind. My sister made fresh pesto for my birthday dinner, and my tastebuds quite literally jumped with joy, the pine nuts mixed with that fresh basil and our italian olive oil was truly the most incredible mixture that i’ve ever experienced. I can doubt myself while cooking, but I’m always pretty happy and surprised by whatever I make. I find joy in cooking my own food, working hard on it, maybe even breaking a sweat to finish it, but it truly gives me endless joy.
Process
This was one of the easiest recipes i've made. I finished super early, and it only took around 1 and a half hours total, other than waiting for it to rise. I let my dough rise overnight, and then added a homemade pesto, using hemp seeds instead of pine nuts for allergy safety. I've never made any kind of bread before, so the whole process was pretty foreign to me, which made the emotions even stronger! I had so much surprise watching the bread rise, seeing the way it dimpled, how thick and green the pesto was. It was honestly very exhilarating, and it was a great experience. This feeling actually made me think about a quote from this book called With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. "All I know is she cried into her plate that night. And so at the age of four, I learned someone could cry from a happy memory." The joy of cooking, and experiencing that happiness that is so raw and real is like no other, and I got to experience that while making this. I would 100% make this recipe again, but maybe use a little less pesto on top, and save the rest for a pasta dish or something.
Pesto Foccacia
yield: ONE 9X13 INCH BREAD
prep time: 20 MINUTES
cook time: 30 MINUTES
additional time: 3 HOURS
total time: 3 HOURS 50 MINUTES
Focaccia Ingredients
510g (2 cups plus 2 Tbsp) lukewarm water
2 teaspoons instant or active dried yeast
560g (4 ½ cups) all-purpose flour or bread flour with a protein level of at least 11%
1 ½ teaspoon fine salt
TOPPINGS
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
60g (1/4 cup) basil pesto
Flaky salt
Fresh Basil Pesto
PREP TIME
15 mins
TOTAL TIME
15 mins
SERVINGS
16 servings
YIELD
1 cup
Pesto Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (can sub chopped walnuts)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
Prep the pesto. Place the basil leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times.
Add the garlic and Parmesan or Romano cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
For the focaccia; In a large bowl combine the yeast, lukewarm water, flour, and salt and mix together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to create a wet and well-combined, shaggy dough ball. If using active dried yeast, let it dissolve in the lukewarm water for 5 minutes before mixing it with the rest of the dough ingredients.
Leave it to sit for 15 minutes before applying 4 sets of stretch and folds spread out over an hour, one set every 15 minutes (though this timing isn't set in stone, don't worry if it's less or more!) Use wet hands when doing this or the dough will stick to you! A stretch and fold method is when one side of the dough is stretched up and pulled over itself. The bowl is then turned and this move is repeated on the following side. Continue stretching and folding and turning the bowl until all sides have been folded. That is one set of stretch and folds. The first set of stretch and folds will be very shaggy and the dough will rip easily. As the folds are carried out over the next while, the gluten structure is created and the dough gains strength.
Drizzle the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with a generous amount of olive oil. You can line the pan with parchment paper as well if you think your pan might stick. Transfer the dough into the oiled pan. Leave it to sit and rest for 5-10 minutes, then use oiled fingers to spread and stretch the dough out into the skillet. If the dough resists stretching out, give it a rest and try again in a few minutes.
Let the dough rise at room temperature for around 1-1.5 hours until it has just doubled and it jiggles when the pan is shaken. How fast the dough rises will depend on the temperature. It's always best to watch the dough and not the clock. Don’t let let it rise too much or the dough can become too fragile and deflate.
Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
Dollop spoonfuls of basil pesto over the dough. Drizzle a little olive oil over your fingers and use your fingers to spread the pesto out over the dough. Then use oiled fingers to create deep dimples on the top of the dough, pushing all the way down. Do this all over the bread. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes until puffed and deep golden brown and the bread pulls away from the edges of the pan. If the pesto starts browning too much on top, loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil.
Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove it from the skillet or tray, then let it cool further on a wire cooling rack before serving.
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