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I decided to do something crazy.
I know, I know, if you're a regular reader or a friend, you might be thinking, "what else is new?"or "what in the world is she up to now?" I decided to take my favorite focaccia bread recipe and give it a new twist.
One evening last week we planned an early evening bike ride with my son and his wife, with a picnic dinner along the way. A delicious sandwich along with a salad packed in little jars sounded like the perfect portable meal.
I had some roasted chicken and knew it would make a delightful (and easily transported) sandwich on focaccia bread. This is where the "crazy" part comes in - looking through my pantry, I spied a bag dried cherries and thought it might be a nice addition to the focaccia along with some fresh rosemary. Then I got the idea for a sprinkle of toasted pecans over the top. A bit strange? Yes. But don't they say "no guts, no glory"?
I have to admit that my "concoction" results are not always so stellar, but this one is a winner! I've made it three times since our picnic dinner and have trouble keeping it in the house. Besides making fabulous sandwiches, this focaccia is wonderful with soups, salads or as a fun and interesting dinner bread along with some yummy olive oil for dipping. The bread freezes well and, if you have a heavy-duty mixer or bread machine, it requires no hand-kneading. Why not try something "crazy"? Make a picnic, a brunch, even an average dinner super special with this Focaccia with Dried Cherries, Rosemary & Toasted Pecans.
Focaccia with Dried Cherries, Rosemary & Toasted Pecans
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
1 ½ cups milk, 2% or whole milk, not skim
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for the top
1 ¼ cups dried cherries
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt, to taste
small rosemary sprigs
½ cup chopped roughly chopped, toasted pecans (I usually toast them for 5-10 minutes while I'm preheating the oven)Directions:
1. Warm the milk and water to 110 to 115˚F. (I do this in the microwave. I put it in for 2 minutes and then check the temperature. If it's not warm enough, continue to heat for 15 seconds at a time, checking the temperature after each cycle.) Once the liquid is the right temperature, add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm mixture, stir again and let stand until bubbly*, about 5 minutes. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Using the dough hook on a stand mixer**, mix the flour, salt, and chopped rosemary. Add the yeast mixture and mix until a soft dough forms, about 2 minutes. Continue to mix with a dough hook for 10 minutes.
3. Oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn it once to coat the top or just move the dough to one side of the mixer bowl, drizzle a bit of olive oil into the empty side of the bowl and then turn the dough until lightly greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Oil 2 or 3*** 9-inch cake pans. (I use about 2 teaspoons of olive oil per pan.) On a generously floured work surface, punch down the dough, divide into 2 or 3 equal pieces, pat each piece into a circle approximately the size of your cake pans. Transfer to the prepared pans, and continue to flatten the dough with your hands to cover the bottoms of the pans completely. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 425°F.
6. Using your fingertips, press down firmly into the dough to make dimples about 1 inch apart and 1 inch deep. Lightly brush the entire surface with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with the sea salt, rosemary and toasted pecans.
7. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Check after 15 minutes, if the bread is getting too brown, cover loosely with foil and bake at least 5 more minutes. Slide the focaccias onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into wedges to serve. Serves 8-10.
Notes:
6-8 Servings per focaccia
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Veronica Miller says
Not crazy at all, the combo sounds truly wonderful. Great idea, Chris. Keep on getting crazy in the kitchen--we love it! 🙂
Pola M says
love focaccia! And with nuts and rosemary and dried fruit it can only be to die for!
Pacheco Patty says
Love your focaccia bread creation, very pretty;-)
Vicki Bensinger says
Love focaccia bread and with the cherries and pecans it would be gone quickly in my home. As for the rosemary for some reason my husband thinks he has an allergy to it but I think it's that he just isn't fond of it. So I'd have to leave that out and add some other herb.
Sounds like a fun time biking with your hubby, son and his wife. What a glorious day!
linda says
This is my first time visiting your blog. Bread looks fabulous and not so crazy. I had a turkey sandwich at a restaurant years ago on artisan bread with dried cranberries and rosemary in it. Fabulous- and I will be trying your recipe-thank you!
GLENDA CHILDERS says
Delicious.
Dining Alone says
I love combining sweet with savory, even in bread. That looks so delicious and your photos are gorgeous.
Eri says
Oh Chris, I'm in love with this focaccia you are so smart to "invent" such a wonderful combination, you are gifted!
Definetely in my to do list.
Hugs!
Kim says
Foccacia are perfect for sandwiches! This one, I'm bookmarking it because it looks so good for a sweet and savory treat! Really, it was a good idea Chris... I always like what you're coming up with!
s says
Crazy/brilliant, sometimes the same thing. This is a beautiful treat and I think you're having the time of your life. What wonderful times you have with your family.
Jen @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
This looks wonderful! I could see using it on a chicken sandwich. Is it so wrong to want a chicken sandwich at 5:20am?
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
Chris I love all your 'crazy' concoctions and this one looks wonderful. I've never seen cherries with rosemary before. I might have to try it with some other bases too!
beti says
wow what a lovely combination of salt and sweet, focaccia is one of my favorite bread and I can't wait to try this one
The Café Sucré Farine says
Oh thanks, Beth, that's what happens when you make up recipes, sorry! It's fixed! Please let me know if you ever see anything like this as I can be a bit of a space-cadet! 🙂
Beth says
I may be looking right at them but don't see the pecans in the ingredients list. What quantity?
Paula {Salad in a Jar} says
This doesn't sound strange at all. I think it sounds fabulous. I make a bread with cherries, pecans and rosemary myself but never thought about using it for chicken sandwiches. Thanks for the idea! Hope you have had a great Easter.
Hovkonditorn says
This must be good and it looks so delicious!
The Mom Chef says
Hey there Chris. I'm not doing much reading tonight, having just gotten home from my in-laws, but I wanted to wish you a Happy Easter! I hope your celebration of the day was fantastic. The bread sure would have been a beautiful addition to the table.
Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
Looks beautiful! With the mild winter we've had my Rosemary plant is about 3' wide by 2' tall already! Yum:@)
Ginny says
Looks wonderful!!! Almost too fancy for a picnic!
Stephanie says
Just from the title I was charmed...It must be so good. The sweetness of the cherries combined with rosemary and pecans...yummy is all I have to say. I'll try for sure. 😉
Lyndsay Wells says
It looks so BEAUTIFUL!! And I adore the idea of a picnic with this lovely bread and roasted chicken. Sounds like the perfect evening.
The Harried Cook says
This is such a lovely sounding foccacia, Chris! I would never have thought of adding cherries and pecans on bread, but it totally makes sense, now that I think about it!!! Thanks for sharing this...
Jenn A says
This sounds like amazing sandwich bread! I know I would like it. I made your lemon rosemary roasted chicken breast recipe for Easter dinner at our house. It was a huge success. I'll definitely be making that one again.
Marina@Picnic at Marina says
What a lovely bread! Great presentation! Do we have the same taste in color? Blue is my favorite to... 🙂