Fresh, warm focaccia with a savory topping of golden-brown Asiago cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary makes the perfect partner to rich, bean- or vegetable-based soups and stews. Don’t be intimidated by the long prep time; most of it is passive, as the dough needs to rise multiple times.
Prep time: 0 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 210 min
Ingredients
Makes about 8 servings
-
2 Cups Warm Water
-
2 Teaspoons Dry Yeast
-
4 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
-
2 Teaspoons Kosher Sea Salt Flakes
-
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more
-
1/2 Teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
-
1/4 Cup Shredded Asiago Cheese
-
1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Directions
-
Place warm water in large bowl, and sprinkle yeast over. Stir with fork, and let stand about 10 minutes, until yeast has dissolved.
-
Add flour and salt to yeast mixture, and stir until well-blended. Dough should be sticky.
-
Transfer dough to well-floured work surface, and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If dough remains too sticky while kneading, sprinkle with additional flour, one tablespoon at a time.
-
Wash and dry large mixing bowl, and coat generously with olive oil. Form dough into ball and place in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm part of kitchen for about 1-1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.
-
Punch down dough, re-knead and form into ball. Return to bowl. Re-cover with plastic wrap and let rise again in warm part of kitchen until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
-
Bring medium pot of water to a boil. Add sun-dried tomatoes, and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain.
-
Coat baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Punch down dough again, and transfer to prepared sheet. Lightly press into even 10-inch by 13-inch rectangle. Spread out fingers rigidly, and use to make deep indentations in dough (about halfway through). Let sit 10 minutes.
-
Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly over dough. Sprinkle with sea salt, followed by shredded Asiago cheese, blanched sun-dried tomatoes and chopped rosemary, in that order. Let rise again, uncovered, in warm part of kitchen, until puffy, about 25 minutes.
-
While dough rises, preheat oven to 475°F. Transfer dough to oven and bake until golden brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with olive oil for dipping.