Rosemary Grape Focaccia

I was reading a book where the main character was making Rosemary Grape Focaccia.  I copied the page with the recipe and after returning the book to the library, discovered I had only half of the recipe.  Yay for the Internet!  Except for the fact that now I have a zillion more choices and methods and amounts.  I took a bit from here and some from there and this is what I made.  Next time I might use the purchased pizza dough method.  But this time I made it from scratch.  After all, I have never used the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer and I wanted to try it.

 


Rosemary Grape Focaccia

3/4 cup warm water (105° to 110°)
2 Tablespoons warm milk
1 envelope (from a 3 pack) Rapid Rise yeast
2 cups flour, plus extra when kneading
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil (OO) divided use

1 onion, sliced and caramelized, optional This adds extra time, but it is so delicious.

1 1/2 cups red grapes (or black)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt

 

Slice the onion in half and then thinly slice each half.  Heat some OO in a pan and cook on medium, stirring frequently, until brown and caramelized.  You can add a bit of salt, too.  Set aside to cool.

 

Place the yeast and the sugar in a small bowl.

 

 



 

Put the water and the milk in a glass measuring cup and heat for about 30 seconds in a microwave.  Use a thermometer to make sure it is not too hot.  You don't want to cook the yeast.  Just warm it up and get it working.

 
Too hot.  Let it cool a bit!

 

Pour the warm water and milk over the yeast and give it a stir.  Let it sit until the yeast gets all bubbly, about 5 minutes.

I wanted to use the Kitchen Aid mixer, but half way through I took the dough out and finished kneading by hand.  You can use a bowl and stir or the mixer. Place the flour and salt in the bowl you are going to use and add the warm, bubbly yeast.  Add 3 tablespoons of the OO.

(The next time I make this recipe, I want to try adding the caramelized onions inside the dough, at this point.  They got a bit overdone on the top of the focaccia.  Or maybe I cooked them too long before I put them on top.  At any rate I want to try them in the dough and compare.) 

 

Stir for about 8 minutes with the dough hook or do what I did.  I let the dough hook work for 5 minutes, then turned the dough out on a floured surface and kneaded it.  It took about another 1/2 cup of flour until the dough was no longer sticky. I would imagine you would have to add some flour to the dough hook method to get the same results. None of the recipes I saw told to add dough, but mine was sticky and I caved and did the last bit of kneading by hand!

 

Drizzle some OO in a bowl and place the dough in the puddle of oil.  Turn it over to coat the dough and cover the bowl and set it aside to rise for one hour.  It should double in size.

 

Turn on the oven to 425° and oil a rectangular cookie sheet.  Place the dough on a clean surface.  The oil should keep it from sticking.  Punch it down and knead it a few times to get all the bubbles out.  Place it on the oiled cookie sheet and use your finger tips to push it out into the same shape as the pan.  It will resist you.  Give it a few minutes to rest and then come back and wrestle it into submission.  Cover it again and let it rest for 30 minutes.

 

Pull the Rosemary leaves off the stem and chop them a bit.  Wash and dry the grapes.

 

Uncover the dough and drizzle the whole top with the rest of the OO.  I used a brush to spread it evenly, but fingers work, too. 

 

Push the grapes into the focaccia and then distribute the Rosemary and sea salt over the top.  Then add the onions, if you are using them.

 

Bake for 20 minutes or until a golden brown.  Cool a few minutes and then slice with a pizza wheel.

Serve with the rest of the grapes and a glass of wine.  Three levels of grapes...Raw, cooked and fermented!  Oh, and cheese.  Always with cheese! I love a bit of sweet, hot mustard with the cheese.

 

I wonder how it would taste spread with some lovely goat cheese?  Maybe next time! And there WILL be a next time.  The sweet, warm and slightly wrinkled grapes add a wonderful dimension to the salty, savory bread.  A meal in itself!