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DUTCH OVEN TOMATO AND OLIVE FOCACCIA

Servings 4
Author Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 envelope Active Dry Yeast 2 teaspoons
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup warm water more if needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Sea salt ground
  • 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing
  • 1 tablespoon Cornmeal to dust Dutch oven

Topping:

  • Black Olives, pitted
  • Campari tomatoes whole or sliced
  • Himalayan Sea Salt  coarse (pink salt)
  • Italian Herbs
  • Fresh Basil for garnish
  • Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, add 4 cups of all-purpose flour, and add salt. Mix, then make a well.
  2. Combine dry yeast and sugar. Pour in 1 cup of Luke warm water, stir and wait for a minute or two. Add activated yeast and sugar water gradually to the flour. Mix with the wooden spoon to combine, then start kneading.
  3. Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is formed and it is NOT as sticky as before.
  4. Drizzle the olive oil. Cover it with plastic foil (film/plastic wrap), or with the lid, then lay on a top clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Let it rise for approximately 1 or 2 hours, or until it is double in size.
  5. Preheat oven to 425F (220C/gas: mark#7), and place in a Dutch oven with a lid to heat for about 2 minutes. Be careful when you are removing it from the oven.
  6. Then, oil the Dutch oven (sides too) with Olive oil and toss in cornmeal.
  7. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes, then place in the Dutch oven. Stretch as much as you can, to cover the whole bottom. Poke the dough with a fork or similar tool, and sprinkle lightly with herbs, and coarse pink salt.
  8. Place pitted black olives, where you wish and whole Campari tomatoes (read notes). Allow the dough to rise for 3-4 minutes. Cover Dutch oven and transfer it to preheat your oven.
  9. Turn the heat to 400F, and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the whole Campari tomatoes on the wine completely. Please be careful, it will be hot. Bake focaccia for 10-15 more minutes WITHOUT THE LID. The crust needs to be golden.
  10. Let it cool down for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, more herbs and serve with fresh basil.  **Return the "roasted" Campari tomatoes back on the focaccia, or serve them on the side with a drizzle of olive oil.

Recipe Notes

You may slice tomatoes or use cherry tomatoes. The thing is that as tomatoes are getting cooked, roasted in a way, the dough rises around them and they produce liquid as well. That makes those holes in the bread that tomatoes made while baking, wet, and uncooked. So it is important to remove them so the dough could bake properly. You may return it back to focaccia for a beautiful presentation.