This Fresh Mozzarella, Olive, Tomato and Salami Focaccia really is more than awesome! This is delicious. I get the Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street magazine and this recipe was in it. It looked so delicious I had to try it. I am thrilled that I did.
This is a recipe that you start in the morning early to have for dinner, so maybe if you work or weekdays are too hectic, this would be a great weekend recipe, but it is well worth it. This is not a difficult recipe, it is just a recipe that requires a long rise to achieve the best results! The rise is about 6 1/2 hours total, but again, it is well worth the time spent. I’ve added photos of how your dough should look in different steps. This is a really wet dough, so I thought it’d help to see the photos of how it should look. These photos are in the actual recipe too.
MIX THE DOUGH – THIS IS HOW THE DOUGH WILL LOOK WHEN IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY MIXED.
REST DOUGH (BELOW)
PREPARE OVEN
PREPARE PAN
ADD TOMATOES AND OLIVES
BAKE AND SERVE
OUT OF THE OVEN
The dough makes this recipe work and it is a very wet dough, almost a pourable dough as they describe it in Milk Street. Here’s an excerpt from their article.
“This recipe recreates the light, open-crumbed focaccia we ate in Bari, Italy. To achieve that texture, the dough must be wet—so wet, in fact, it verges on a thick, yet pourable batter. Resist the temptation to add more flour than is called for. Shaping such a sticky, high-hydration dough by hand is impossible.
Instead, the dough is gently poured and scraped into the oiled baking pan; gravity settles it into an even layer. To cut the baked focaccia for serving, use a serrated knife and a sawing motion to cut through the crust and crumb without compressing it. If you like, serve with extra-virgin olive oil for dipping. If you have trouble finding Castelvetrano olives, substitute any plain pitted green olive.”
AWESOME, FRESH MOZZARELLA, OLIVE, TOMATO AND SALAMI FOCACCIA
Just a couple of notes before I post the recipe. The Milk Street recipe didn’t include mozzarella or salami, but my “always have to have meat” husband would most likely want the salami and cheese. After all, that focaccia now becomes an amazing pizza.
I used fresh mozzarella that was marinated with oils, herbs and spices, that were the very small boconcinni. https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568835/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=50346375&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FFormaggio-Fresh-Mozzarella-Cheese-12-oz%2F50346375.
The recipe also calls for Castelvetrano olives that aren’t always easy to find. Here’s a link from Whole Foods for these delicious olives: https://amzn.to/31CK78f.
I love to make bread! Here’s another recipe on the blog you may like, my homemade dinner rollshttps://the2spoons.com/my-best-dinner-rolls-yet/.
AWESOME, FRESH MOZZARELLA, OLIVE, TOMATO AND SALAMI FOCACCIA
Here’s the recipe for this almost like pizza bread! Enjoy!
Ingredients
Method
- MIX DOUGH
- In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour, yeast and sugar on medium until combined, about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, drizzle in the water, then increase to medium and mix until the ingredients form a very wet, smooth dough, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the mixer, cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat the bottom and sides of a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil; set aside.
- REST DOUGH
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the dough, then knead on medium until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes; the dough will be wet enough to cling to the sides of the bowl.
- Using a silicone spatula, scrape the dough into the oiled bowl. Dip your fingers into the oil pooled at the sides of the bowl and dab the surface of the dough until completely coated with oil.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 5½ to 6 hours; during this time, the dough will double in volume, deflate, then rise again (but will not double in volume again).
- PREPARE OVEN
- After the dough has risen for about 4½ hours, heat the oven to 500°F with a baking steel or stone on the middle rack.
- Mist a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray, then pour the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the center of the pan; set aside.
- PREPARE PAN
- When the dough is ready, gently pour it into the prepared pan, scraping the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to loosen; try to retain as much air in the dough as possible.
- The dough will eventually settle into an even layer in the pan; do not spread the dough with a spatula, as this will cause it to deflate. Set aside while you prepare the tomatoes.
- ADD MOZZARELLA, SALAMI, TOMATOES AND OLIVES
- Scatter the mozzarella on the dough. In a medium bowl, use a potato masher to lightly crush the tomatoes. Scatter the olives evenly over the dough, then do the same with the tomatoes, leaving the juice and seeds in the bowl. Scatter the desired amount of salami slices.
- If the dough has not fully filled the corners of the pan, use your hands to lightly press the tomatoes to push the dough into the corners. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- BAKE AND SERVE
- Drizzle the dough with ¼ cup oil, making sure to oil each tomato. Sprinkle evenly with oregano, the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon pepper.
- Place the pan on the baking steel or stone and bake until golden brown and the sides have pulled away from the pan, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Using a wide metal spatula, lift the focaccia from the pan and slide it onto the rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
