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Fast Focaccia with Strawberries

from Recipes and Dreams from an Italian Life by Tessa Kiros
Fast Focaccia with Strawberries

Ingredients:
3/4 OUNCE FRESH YEAST OR 2 TABLESPOONS ACTIVE DRY YEAST
1 1/4 CUPS WARM WATER
5 HEAPING TABLESPOONS SUGAR
2 2/3 CUPS BREAD FLOUR
PINCH OF SALT
2 1/2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
1 POUND STRAWBERRIES
CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR, TO SERVE

Serves 6

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
Recipes and Dreams from an Italian Life by Tessa Kiros

 



This is truly lovely. The kind of thing you like just being at the same table with The strawberries must be incredible - sweet and bursting with flavor If yours are not, you may need more sugar. You can serve this as a snack or for breakfast, it's something between a sweet and a bread.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the broccoli, and return to a boil. Cook for Crumble or place the yeast into a large bowl and stir in the water with 1 heaping tablespoon of the sugar. Add the flour and salt and knead lightly, dipping your hands in a little flour if necessary to give a soft, stickier than usual dough Flick a little water over a good-sized baking sheet 13 by 12 inches. Line with a piece of waxed paper, ironing the paper down with your hands so it sticks. Drizzle the olive oil on and spread this over the paper (with your hands if you like, for your skin to benefit from the great properties of olive oil). Now put the dough on the sheet and begin to spread it to completely cover the pan. It probably won't cooperate immediately, so stretch it to perhaps halfway, then leave it for 5 minutes or so and go back to it after its rest. Stretch and press it with your palms to edge it out to the sides of the pan. Cover with a food umbrella (or a similar structure that will allow for the dough's expansion). Leave it in a warm draft-free place to rise, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, rinse the strawberries and remove their green tops. Leave small ones whole, halve medium-size ones, and cut large ones into thirds. Put them in a bowl and scatter with 2V2 heaping tablespoons of sugar. Stir them gently and leave at room temperature, covered.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. When the dough has puffed up nicely gently stir the strawberries again, being careful not to break or mash them. Quickly and gently so the dough doesn't deflate, place them all over the dough, keeping most of them upright so they look good once baked. Drizzle the juices here and there as you go. Scatter the remaining 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top, right to the sides. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden and crisp on the edges and the strawberries have a lovely juicy look about them, almost scorched on a few edges. Make sure the middle part is cooked, too, turning the sheet around if necessary for the last 5 minutes. Don't overcook or the strawberries will collapse into a jam. Remove from the oven. Let cool.

Shake confectioners' sugar over the top. Cut off pieces with kitchen scissors. Eat.


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