Thanksgiving Menu: Crowd Pleasing Fall Focaccia

Happy fall Friday, friends! I truly can’t believe we are THIS far into fall and Thanksgiving is less than a week away. We’ve had some random warm days, but for the most part it has really started to cool down. I’m not sure I’m ready for the colder temps, but I’m getting excited for all the holiday cheer and activities. Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season around here and we always look forward to it. We make our favorite dishes, listen to holiday music, and feast all day. This is a vegetarian household, so the only turkey on our table is the picture of the one we adopt from Farm Sanctuary!

A new dish this year will be this delicious focaccia bread. You can pick any seasonings and toppings you want. It’s a crowd pleaser and it travels well. I suggest toppings like olive oil, cracked pepper, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, garlic, caramelized onions, fragrant cheeses, dried fruits, roasted tomatoes, and cooked mushrooms. With the right toppings and sweetener, this bread can be made gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, and vegan…all the things! It is simple, but delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (I used agave)
• 1.5 cups water (105 degrees)
• 3 cups all purpose flour (regular or GF without xanthan gum)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Toppings

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Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast, sweetener, and water. Whisk thoroughly and let sit for 5 minutes. Sugar gives the yeast energy to grow.
2. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and oil to the water mix. Stir well. Focaccia dough is a very wet dough, so don’t be concerned that it is thin and foamy. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest until the dough doubles in size. This can be done in a warm place for about an hour or in a proving drawer or oven (approximately 95 degrees) for 45 minutes.
3. Spray a 9” x 13” shallow pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper. For a flatter and thinner focaccia, you can also spray and line a large jelly roll pan.
4. Pour the batter onto the pan and shake it gently to let it spread. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest until the dough spreads across the pan (about 30 minutes). This can be done in a warm place or in a proving drawer or oven (approximately 95 degrees).
5. While the dough is resting, prepare any toppings you might want to make in advance, such as caramelized onions or cooked mushrooms.
6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Once your dough is done resting, press toppings into bread (press all the way down to the pan…per Paul Hollywood during bread week haha). Drizzle with olive oil and dried spices.
7. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, until bread is golden brown and firm.
8. Let cool for approximately 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
9. ENJOY!

What toppings would you use?

Katie G.

PS If you need a random (but related to this…) holiday gift, I saw the cutest focaccia art kit!