So this weekend was rather lazy one for both of us. I worked on Saturday, and the DH has been studying all weekend for some professional exams. But nevertheless we managed to find time to cook up some delicious things-- mini quiches, veggie loaffins, channa masala, imitation spicy lentil wraps, and some focaccia bread
Here's the recipe, from Martha Rose Shulman's "Recipes for Health" column in the NYTimes:
Whole-Wheat Focaccia
This is a very easy bread and welcomes any number of toppings or
fillings. Three variations on the flour mix follow the recipe; you can
use more whole-wheat flour or less than is called for in this recipe,
which uses half whole-wheat and half all-purpose. When I use Community
Grains whole-wheat flour, a California flour made from ancient strains
of wheat that is milled in such a way that it is very fine but retains
all of its nutrients, I can get away with using a lot. Coarser
whole-wheat flours are best used in combination with all-purpose.
2 teaspoons (8 grams) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (25 grams) olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons (25 grams) for drizzling
250 grams (approximately 2 cups) whole-wheat flour
200 to 220 grams (approximately 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups) unbleached
all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus additional as needed for kneading
1 3/4 teaspoons (13 grams) salt
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl,
dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Add 2 tablespoons (25 grams)
olive oil, the whole-wheat flour, 200 grams of the all-purpose flour
and salt and mix together briefly using the paddle attachment. Change to
the dough hook and beat for 8 to 10 minutes at medium speed, adding
flour as necessary. The dough should eventually form a ball around the
dough hook and slap against the sides of the bowl as the mixer turns; it
will be sticky. Remove from the bowl, flour your hands and knead the
dough for a minute on a lightly floured surface, and shape it into a
ball.
2. If kneading the dough by hand, dissolve the yeast in
the water with the sugar as directed. Stir in the olive oil,
whole-wheat flour, salt and all-purpose flour by the half-cup, until the
dough can be scraped out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding
flour as necessary, for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and
smooth. Shape into a ball.
3. Clean and dry your bowl and oil lightly with olive
oil. Place the dough in it, rounded side down first, then rounded side
up. Cover tightly with plastic and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2
hours, or in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours, until doubled.
4. Punch down the dough. Cover with lightly oiled plastic and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably with a
baking stone in it. Line a sheet pan with parchment and oil generously.
Roll or press out the dough into a rectangle the size of the sheet pan.
To do this efficiently, roll or press out the dough, stop and wait 5
minutes for the gluten to relax, then roll or press out again, and
repeat until the dough reaches the right size. Cover with a damp towel
and let rest for 30 minutes. Just before baking, use your fingertips to
dimple the dough all over, and drizzle on a tablespoon or two of olive
oil.
6. Bake, setting the pan on top of the baking stone (if
using), for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown. Let rest for at
least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely.
Note: You can divide the dough in half and make 2 smaller focacce that would fit 14-inch pizza pans.
Yield: 1 large focaccia or 2 smaller focacce, 12 to 15 pieces.
My Notes:
1. I used 350 grams of KAF Whole Wheat Flour and used 100 grams of All purpose flour. I accidentally drizzled in 6 extra grams of olive oil so I ended up using up more whole wheat flour because the dough was pretty sticky.
2. I definitely kneaded the dough for the full 10 minutes. I normally skimp on kneading time when in comes to dough, but I set a timer for this one, and I think as a result the bread was very even and consistently airy throughout.
3. I used a full packet of Active Dry Yeast (I didn't measure out the grams) and it was fine.
4. We ended up slicing the focaccia lengthwise and stuffing it with olives, artichokes (we'd steamed them the previous weekend), feta, and roasted garlic. Delicious.
5. It went down pretty easily, for a healthy, whole-wheat recipe.
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