Sausage-Tomato Focaccia
Makes 1 large and 1 small focaccia
This is not an exact science. Depending on the way you measure flour and the humidy of the day, you’ll need to add slightly more flour to make the dough workable. But since you don’t knead focaccia at all, it’s okay for the dough to be kind of sticky. Read the original post here.
Ingredients
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (at the right temp, if you run water on your wrist, you shouldn’t be able to feel it)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing the pan and brushing the top
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 chicken (or regular) sausage, thinly sliced
handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Mix together the water with the yeast and sugar. Let it sit until it bubbles, about 5 minutes. Add the olive oil. and whisk.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined. Stir an additional minute or two.
Transfer to a clean, well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450°. Spread a little more than 1/2 of the dough in a greased 9 x 13″ brownie pan and the rest in a round 8″ cake pan. Cover each and allow to rise again, about 20-30 minutes. Spread the rectangular focaccia with pesto and pesto, as described here.
Push sausage slices and cherry tomato halves into the round focaccia, then brush with olive oil and sprinkle with more salt.
Bake for 12-20 minutes, until the breads have risen and browned, and the crusts are very crispy. If necessary, cut into the center to make sure the dough is all cooked - these are not like chocolate chip cookies and aren’t really good underbaked.
Serve warm (amazing) in slices or wedges, or at room temperature.
