Olive Focaccia Tea Sandwich Recipes

FOCACCIA WITH OLIVES AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Place 2 cups warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over; stir with fork. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes.
• Add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture and stir to blend well (dough will be sticky). Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 10 minutes. Form dough into ball. Oil large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; knead into ball and return to same bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes or less
• Coat 15x10-inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Punch down dough. Transfer to prepared sheet. Using fingertips, press out dough to 13x10-inch rectangle. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over dough. Sprinkle olives and chopped rosemary evenly over. Let dough rise uncovered in warm area until puffy, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations. Bake bread until brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve bread warm or at room temperature.

RUSTIC FOCACCIA WITH TOMATOES, ONIONS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside in a warm place away from drafts until the yeast is forming small bubbles, about 15 minutes.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 TBSP sea salt, ½ cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 3 more minutes on medium speed until the dough becomes smooth and soft. If the dough feels sticky or tacky, sprinkle it with some more flour.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary.
• Coat the inside of the mixing bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• Coat two sheet pans (13" x 9" x 1" jelly roll pans) with the remaining ½ cup olive oil.
• Place the dough onto the pans and begin pressing it out (with the tips of your fingers) to fit the size of the pans. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pans. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make small dimples all the way through the dough (but on the boarder). Put the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 °F and prepare the topping.
• In a large skillet, caramelize the sliced onions by slowly cooking them, uncovered, in some olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, until they are lightly browned, stirring occasionally (but not too often). Add the tomatoes and cook briefly. Turn off the heat and add the fresh herbs and Kalamata olives (or, any favorite olives). Set aside.
• Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt and lightly drizzle some olive oil on top. Bake the foccacie for about 10 minutes and then spread the caramelized onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs and olives mixture over the two pans. Bake them for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool slightly before cutting and serving.

OLIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, olives and parsley., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes., Punch dough down. Shape into a 9-in. circle on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cheeses., Bake at 400° until golden brown, 14-18 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.