Harvest King Foccacia

Rose Levy Beranbaum is one of my culinary heroes. Not only is she the author of "The Bread Bible" and "The Cake Bible" but she is also a wonderful teacher. Her PBS show "Baking Magic" is one of the best for learning baking techniques. The blog site "Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum" is one of the best. Lots of recipes, photos, product info. Check out her archive posts. If you have a question that has not been previously addressed, write to her. She actually will respond to your baking questions. I especially like that she gives the measurements of her recipes in volume and weights, in both ounces and grams.

This weekend we are baking her "Harvest King Foccacia" using the new flour from Gold Medal, and adding in a bit of sun-dried tomato from Trader Joe's, chopped pepperoncini from Costco, and a sprinkling of Bel Gioso grated parmesan from Ralphs to finish after it is done (we don't like that burnt cheese taste you sometimes get from topping the parmesan at the beginning of baking). A glass of wine, a big salad, and that makes a meal. Tutti mangia!

HARVEST KING FOCCACIA –
adapted from "Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum"
(Also makes great pizza!)
Yield:
Almost 2 pounds/876 grams of dough

Ingredients:
3 cups/1 pound/454 grams Harvest King flour
1/4 cup/1.25 ounces/35 grams whole wheat flour
1-1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, bread machine or other instant yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups/12.5 ounces/354 grams room temperature water
1 teaspoon mild honey, such as clover
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil plus 4 teaspoons for oiling the pan and top of bread
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles
fleur de sel or kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
4 oz. sun-dried tomatoes rehydrated in olive oil
2 oz. chopped pepperoncini
4 oz. grated parmesan
Equipment:
A baking sheet or half size sheet pan

Procedure:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour and yeast. Then whisk in the salt. Stir in the water, honey, and oil. Using a mixer with a dough hook or by hand with a wooden spoon, knead (if by hand stir vigorously) for about 3 minutes or until the dough begins to come away form the sides of the bowl. It will not come away completely and should be very sticky to the touch.
Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and lightly spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot. Allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. After the first 30 minutes, scrape the dough onto an oiled counter and with oiled hands stretch it and give it a business letter fold. Repeat this a second time. The dough will no longer stick to your fingers.
Set the dough back in the bowl and let it finish rising. (Stick a finger into the center of the dough and if it keeps the indentation it’s ready.) If baking it the following day, press down the dough and set it in a large oiled zipper type storage bag, leaving a tiny bit unzipped for the forming gas to escape, and refrigerate it. Remove it to room temperature 1 hour before shaping.
When ready to shape the dough, spread 2 teaspoons of oil onto the baking sheet and set the dough on top. Flatten the dough gently with your fingertips to about 12 inches by 5 inches and 1/2 inch high. Try to keep as much air in the dough as possible. Oil the top of the dough with 2 teaspoons of oil. Cover with a large container or oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled to 1 inch high--about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, set the oven rack toward the bottom and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it. Set a cast iron skillet or heavy baking pan on the floor of the oven or on the lowest shelf.
Preheat the oven to 475F. for 45 minutes or longer.
With your finger tips, deeply dimple the dough all over. Sprinkle with the rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, salt, and pepper. Quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet, and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door and bake 5 minutes. Turn the sheet half way around and continue baking 10 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. (An instant read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210°F.).
Remove the bread to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle on grated parmesan. Allow to cool completely or until just warm.