Focaccia deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Incredibly good!
Ingredients
250 g potatoes, cooked and peeled
800 g all-purpose flour
13 g sea salt
7 g active dry yeast
100 ml olive oil
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
6 anchovy fillets
2 tbsp capers, rinsed if salty
1 tbsp corn kernals
1 bunch fresh oregano, leaves picked
1 tbsp artichoke antipasto in oil
1 bunch fresh sage, leaves picked
100 g mozzarella cheese
Method
1
In a bowl crush the cooked potatoes using a fork. Add 600g / 21 oz. of water and stir well. In a separate, large bowl combine the flour with sea salt and active dry yeast, also add the mashed potatoes with water. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
2
Knead the dough in a bowl for about 5 - 10 minutes. The dough will be very wet, so if you have an option, better knead it in a mixer. Try to avoid adding any flour, as the dough should be wet and soft. It's not necessary for the dough to form any shape, it's only important to knead it well. Cover the mixing bowl with a tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper, then drizzle with olive oil. Oil the sides as well. Preheat the oven to 230˚C / 445˚F. Transfer the dough to the baking tray. Using your fingers, make deep dimples in your focaccia, pushing them all the way through the dough to the bottom. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
4
Meanwhile prepare the ingredients for the toppings. Divide the toppings over each quarter of the dough. For the tomato & basil option, arrange the halved cherry tomatoes over the dough. For the garlic & rosemary option, arrange rosemary leaves and peeled cloves of garlic over the dough. For the anchovies & capers option, arrange the anchovies and capers over the dough. For the sage and mozzarella option, break up the mozzarella over the remaining of the focaccia.
5
Place the focaccia in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 230˚C / 445˚F, then lower the heat and bake for another 15 minutes at 210˚C / 410˚F. Remove from the oven and let it cool before cutting. Also add fresh basil leaves over the tomato topping. And add corn, artichokes and fresh oregano leaves over the anchovies and capers topping. Enjoy.