Back when we lived in Portland, before it closed, there was this Italian-style deli that made incredible focaccia. You could get half of a half sheet of this salty, airy, olive-oily bread for like 4 bucks. It paired perfectly with most meals: soups in the winter, ratatouille in the summer, on its own when it’s too hot to eat anything else.
There are probably places like that in New York, there always are if you look long enough or stumble down the right street, but we definitely weren’t able to find them after moving here. So we went focaccia-less for a few years, occasionally finding some of the good stuff at the farmers market.
I wasn’t able to get yeast or flour until June of the pandemic, but had dreams making every type of bread. I think after seeing so many people making this recipe, the old craving started up again, and all I wanted to bake was focaccia. I’ve made it with olives, garlic, and with or without herbes, using all-purpose flour and bread flour, always wanting to try the vegetable art version, but never being prepared.
I use saf-instant yeast (1 3/4 teaspoons), and don’t refrigerate the dough, so it rises pretty quickly. Set out on the counter, the first rise takes about 2 hours. The second rise takes about 1–1:30 hours. I can start making it after noon, and have focaccia by dinner. I am living the dream. It’s so simple to make, I wish I had tried it sooner.
For this latest batch, I had some pizza sauce left over from an earlier pizza, so I spread that on top of the dough, and placed the garlic scapes from the latest CSA on top. I probably should have brushed them with olive oil as they blackened a bit, but their flavor is still bright and the added crunch is nice.
Rhubarb Season 