Sweet Life Sweet Potato Focaccia Recipes

POTATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine the yeast, sugar, and milk in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 1/2 cup of the flour. Stir well, cover with a towel, and let rest in a warm place for 25 minutes.
• Mix in the olive oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour, until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough adheres to the hook. It should remain soft and slightly sticky. Continue mixing for about 6 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Remove from the bowl, shape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, and put into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel and put in a warm place for about 1 hour, to let the dough rise until doubled.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook slowly until very crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve the pancetta and fat separately.
• Put the potatoes in cold salted water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook about 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and place in a bowl.
• Pour the pancetta fat over the warm potatoes, add the crisped pancetta, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, and the lemon zest. Toss well and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet.
• Lightly flour the dough and punch it down. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Brush off any excess flour and transfer to the oiled baking sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the potato mixture onto the dough and press it in with the flat of your hand. Press your fingers into the dough to make evenly spaced indentations all over the surface, being careful not to puncture or tear the dough. Scatter the remaining rosemary over the dough.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and the bread is crisp on the bottom. Let cool in the pan to room temperature. Cut into squares, "fingers," or triangles to serve.

" SWEET LIFE" SWEET POTATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together warm water, honey & yeast. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add olive oil, rosemary, Italian spice, sweet potatoes, salt, ww flour & Italian-style flour. Stir vigorously for about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in enough ap flour to make a soft dough.
• Turn out on lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining ap flour to make a workable dough. Knead 5 to 8 minutes. Dough will be sticky but workable. Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Let rise 1 1/2 hours in a warm place; alternatively cover dough & refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
• Allow dough to warm at least 30 minutes before shaping. .
• Line a 18 x 13 1 inch pan with parchment paper & sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently press dough over the cornmeal dusted paper, stretching dough into a 15 x 11 x 1 inch rectangle. Cover dough & let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Dimple the dough vigorously with your fingertips, leaving up to 1/2 inch deep indentations. Sprinkle garlic, rosemary, Asiago cheese, black pepper & cayenne pepper over top. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

CARAMELIZED SWEET POTATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Stir the yeast, sugar, and water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add oil, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt to yeast mixture. Mix on medium-low until dough comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Raise speed to medium, and knead until dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer dough to an oiled medium bowl. Loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously oil a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Spread dough into sheet. Flip dough to coat both sides with oil, and stretch dough into corners of sheet. Lightly cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until dough comes to just above rim of sheet (3/4 inch) and is very billowy, about 30 minutes.
• Uncover dough; sprinkle lightly with salt. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, walnuts, and rosemary. Top with caramelized potatoes, overlapping and pushing them into dough in places. Bake 5 minutes. Rotate sheet; bake 15 minutes. Rotate sheet again; bake until edges of crust are golden, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with oil. Let cool slightly before serving.

FOCACCIA WITH SWEET ONION AND CAPER TOPPING

Steps:

• Mix the focaccia dough as directed and set in a warm spot to rise.
• Meanwhile, prepare the onion filling. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy lidded skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the capers, thyme and garlic, and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently, stirring often, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the onions have cooked down and are very soft and lightly colored but not browned. They should taste sweet. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• When the focaccia dough has risen, shape as directed into 1 large focaccia or 2 smaller focacce. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably with a baking stone in it.
• Dimple the dough with your fingertips and spread the onion mixture over the top in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake, setting the pan on top of the baking stone (if using), for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and bits of the onion topping are browned. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely.

SWEET FRUITED FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Tip the flour, yeast, caster sugar and cinnamon into a bowl with 1 tsp salt. Pour over 200ml warm water and the oil, then bring together into a sticky dough using your hands. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 mins until the dough comes together into a smooth, tight ball. Scatter over most of the fruit and knead until just evenly distributed. Tip the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hr until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, lightly oil a shallow 20-22cm cake tin. When the dough is ready, tip it into the oiled tin, stretch it to the side using your hands, then re-cover and leave to rest for another hour at room temp or put in the fridge overnight.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Scatter the rest of the fruit over the top of the loaf, then use your fingertips to push the fruit down into the dough - this will also create large air bubbles. Scatter over the granulated sugar. Bake for 20-25 mins until the focaccia is puffed up and golden. Immediately brush with maple syrup, if using - this creates a sticky glaze. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove to a wire rack and cool until just warm. Cut into wedges and enjoy, or spread with butter, jam or chocolate spread.