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Favorite Recipes: Pizza & Foccacia

Updated: Apr 2, 2020



Realizing one of my favorite recipes is no longer online, I am debating why I didn't post it on this blog before it was lost forever? Was that not the whole point of starting this blog? Therefore, in an attempt to rectify the situation and not lose more of my favorite recipes I aim to update this blog more as much as I can between work.


The below recipe I used for both pizza and olive focaccia, and it is this olive focaccia recipe that has disappeared. I remember it had two resting periods and slightly differed to the pizza recipe, however that is all I remember. I will try and remember and re-create the recipe one weekend, until then find the basic pizza dough recipe below from Martha Stewart, which makes a great pizza!


Ingredients


2 envelopes (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing

2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting


Directions


1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

3. Dough can be stored in an oiled bowl, covered with plastic, in refrigerator up to 2 hours. To freeze, wrap dough in plastic and freeze in a resealable freezer bag up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.




Recreating the Olive focaccia recipe from memory, some time later:


Ingredients


1 envelope (German) active dry yeast (10g per packet)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing

2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting

2 handfuls olives - didn't measure this out + olives for topping

Oregano


Directions


1. Warm up the ceramic bowl by running it under hot water. Yeast is a fickle mistress, and doesn't like extreme temperatures and this prevents the water cooling down too much. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Chop about 2 handfuls olives into small pieces.

4. On the other side of the chopping board (or the same side, as long as it is dry and not wet from the olive cutting) dust flour. Tip over the dough, top with olives, sprinkle some oregano and knead the dough.

5. Oil the bowl again, place dough inside, cover. Wait till the dough doubles, about 2 hours.

6. Oil the baking tray. Place dough on baking tray and push out to all corners in an even layer. Cover again in plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.

7. Pre-heat oven to 180 Celsius.

8. Brush with olive oil. Make 'dimples' in the dough, place olives into the 'dimples'. Sprinkle with oregano.

9. Bake in oven for 30 - 35 minutes.


And in a strange twist of fate, I found the original recipe that I thought I had lost:



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