Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [51]
If you’re using a stand mixer: Attach the bowl, snap on the dough hook, and begin adding the flour in ½-cup increments, mixing at medium speed all the while, until a pliable but firm dough forms, not sticky but soft and smooth. You may use a little more than 4 cups of flour, depending on the day’s humidity and the flour’s glutens. Continue kneading at medium speed for 10 minutes, adding splashes of flour if the dough starts to stick or crawl up the hook. Don’t use all the flour unless you need to—you simply want a smooth dough that’s not tacky or gummy.
If you’re working by hand: Stir about 3 cups of the flour into the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon. Once the dough begins to form and becomes difficult to stir, turn it out onto a clean, floured work surface and begin kneading in more flour in small increments until a pliable, firm dough forms; continue dusting the work surface and your hands with flour to prevent sticking. Knead for 10 minutes, grinding the heel of one hand into the dough while pulling it with the fingers of the other, until the dough is smooth, somewhat elastic, and quite soft.
Grease a large bowl with some olive oil dabbed on a paper towel. Gather the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl, and turn it over so that it’s lightly coated with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in bulk, turn it into one of the three classics.
1. Focaccia
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves or 2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
1 to 2 teaspoons coarse-grained salt
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a 17 × 11-inch lipped baking pan.
Punch the dough down, then turn it into the prepared pan. Press it evenly to the corners, stretching and pulling as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside again in a warm, dry place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Use your fingers to dimple the top of the dough by pressing into it without pressing all the way through to the pan.
Remove the plastic wrap.
Paint the top of the dough with the tomato paste, using a pastry brush or the back of a small flatware spoon dipped in a little water. Drizzle the top of the dough with the olive oil, then sprinkle on the garlic, rosemary, and salt.
Bake until puffed, golden, and brown, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving, or cool completely and serve at room temperature. bay leaf, stir well, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Do not let the onions brown; they should simply soften and give off quite a bit of liquid.
2. Pissaladière
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for greasing the pan
3 large onions, sliced into thin rings
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon stemmed thyme
7 ounces anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, drained and rinsed
24 pitted black olives, halved
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Punch the dough down and turn it over in the bowl, cover again with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place a second time until doubled in bulk, about 1 more hour.
Meanwhile, place the olive oil in a large skillet and set it over very low heat. Add the onions and
Uncover the skillet and continue cooking very slowly until the onions are golden and sugary sweet, about 40 minutes. If the onions start to brown, reduce the heat even further or remove the pan from the heat for a few minutes until it cools down a bit.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a 17 × 11-inch lipped baking sheet.
Once the dough has risen a second time, punch it down and turn it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Press