Parmesan Olive Focaccia with
Rosemary & Sea Salt

mikaela | wyldflour

2 9-inch round loaves

Parmesan Olive Focaccia with Rosemary & Sea Salt

3 hrPrep Time

25 minCook Time

3 hr, 25 Total Time

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Ingredients

For the Dough:
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons olive oil
For Baking:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup sliced kalamata olives
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Measure out yeast and sugar into a small bowl. Add warm water, give it one or two stirs and let sit for 15-18 minutes, until a bubbled, frothy mixture appears at the top.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir flour and salt together. Stir in yeast mixture and 1/4 cup olive oil. As dough is beginning to come together, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Use the spoon to fold the dough in on itself. When it becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl, digging your fingers in to pinch the dough together and fully incorporate the oil. The dough should stick to your fingers but pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky and not pulling away, add 1-2 tablespoons flour. If the dough is too dry and not sticking to your fingers at all, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Knead and pinch for 1-2 minutes.
3. Turn dough out into well-oiled large mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until doubled in size--about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by pouring 1/4 cup olive oil into each pan. Turn the cake pan around, so that the sides are coated and the oil sits evenly across the bottom of the pan.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a knife to cut the dough in half. Use both hands to cup each half and shape into a round. Treating each round like it has four sides, fold in each side to the middle. Turn the rounds over and place folded side down into the prepared pans. Tap and pull lightly at the edges of the round to get it to go towards the outer rim of the cake pan--it's okay if it doesn't go all the way.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of kalamata olives over each round. Use a finger to push each olive into the dough, creating a deep dimple in the dough and spreading the dough farther towards the edges of the pan. Let dough rise another 50 minutes. Halfway through, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. When ready to bake, use a pastry brush to pull any olive oil that has pooled at the sides of the pan across the top of the dough. Sprinkle each pan with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, and two tablespoons parmesan. Bake both pans on the center rack for 23-25 minutes, until the top of the bread starts to brown. Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack, in the pan, for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely before storing in an airtight bag. In the refrigerator, the bread will keep up to five days. On the counter, it will keep up to three days.

Notes