Roasted Grape & Blue Cheese Focaccia
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2 loaves
Ingredients
  • 5 ½ cups unbleached flour
  • 2 ½ cups cold water
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2½ tsp yeast
  • ¼ cup olive oil + more for drizzle
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
  • 12-20 red, seedless grapes
  • ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl (or a stand mixer with the dough hook attached), combine the flour, water, olive oil, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix on for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes and then continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes, until the dough is relatively smooth but still quite sticky.
  2. Coat the bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and then flip the dough to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (8-12 hours).
  3. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator roughly 3 hours before you intend to bake it (2 hours on a warm day). Coat two 9-inch pie pans with olive oil and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, also rubbed with olive oil.
  4. Drizzle the tops of each dough with (yes more) olive oil. Stretch the dough with the tips of your fingers to so that it fits each pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes through the dough. (Yes, this is weird, but when the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia.) If the dough resists, give it another 10-15 minutes to rest and continue pressing it out.
  5. Let the dough rise once more for approximately 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450.
  6. Once the dough has risen a second time, it's time to top it. Take a handful of grapes and press each deep into the dough. Sprinkle the top of each loaf with salt, pepper, rosemary and blue cheese. Put the loaves on the middle shelf of the hot oven and reduce the heat immediately to 425°F. After 15 minutes, rotate the pans to ensure even baking.
  7. Check the dough after another 5 minutes. If it's done, it will be golden brown on top and, if you lift a corner of the dough, the underside will be golden as well. If not, return the pan to the oven for another 1 to 2 minutes and check again.
  8. Once the focaccia is done, gently remove it from the pie pans and let it cool on a baking rack for 20 minutes before serving. Pairs excellently with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/roasted-grape-blue-cheese-focaccia/