Apple Rosemary Focaccia

Apple and Rosemary Focaccia 

Recipe and photo by Elizabeth Tulis / From our Fall Issue

Serves 6–8. 

Ingredients 

For the sponge: 

A pinch (1/16 teaspoon) active dry yeast 

114 g (1/2 cup) water, at room temperature  

116 g (1 cup minus 2 teaspoons) all-purpose flour 

For the dough: 

6 g (scant 2 teaspoons) active dry yeast  

120 g (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) lukewarm water 

All of the sponge  

120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour  

120 g (1 cup) bread flour  

1 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt 

1 teaspoon honey 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil  

For the pan: 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

For the topping: 

1–2 apples (a crisp, flavorful variety) 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons honey 

 1 tablespoon or more fresh rosemary leaves 

 Flaky sea salt 

To make the sponge: The night before you want to bake the focaccia, combine the pinch of active dry yeast in a medium bowl with 114 g room temperature water and 116 g all-purpose flour. Mix thoroughly, cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 12–16 hours. (The sponge mixture should approximately double in volume during this time.)  

To make the focaccia: The next morning, combine the active dry yeast and the lukewarm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit for 5–10 minutes, until the yeast is activated and bubbly. 

To the yeast mixture, add all of the previously prepared sponge, the all-purpose flour and bread flour, table salt, 1 teaspoon honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Mix to combine. 

Using a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, knead the mixture at low speed for about 5–7 minutes, until a smooth dough is formed. 

Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 45–60 minutes.  

Lightly coat your fingers with olive oil. Using oiled fingers, gently deflate the dough, fold the sides of the dough in on itself and gently flip the dough over so that the seam side is underneath. Cover again with plastic wrap, and allow to rise again until almost doubled, about 40–50 minutes.  

Coat a 9- by 13-inch pan (or similarly sized baking dish; a 12-inch cast-iron skillet works, too) with 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

Transfer the dough to the oil-coated pan, gently patting and nudging the dough to spread it out a bit, but taking care not to tear it. At this point, the dough will not fill the whole pan. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.  

After the dough has rested, uncover the pan and gently stretch the dough out again, so that it now covers the entire bottom.  If you like, lightly oil your fingers and use them to make irregularly spaced dimples in the dough.  

Preheat oven to 425°F. (Optional: Place a large pizza stone or baking sheet to preheat on a rack in the middle or lower third of the oven.)  

While the oven is preheating, thinly slice the apples, avoiding the core. Coarsely chop the rosemary. 

Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Scatter the thin slices of apple on top, turning some of them over so that both sides are coated with a bit of oil and honey.  Scatter over the coarsely chopped rosemary and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.  

Place the pan in the oven (on the preheated stone or baking sheet, if using) and bake the focaccia for 25–30minutes, until golden brown.  

Remove the pan from the oven to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5–10 minutes. Using a large spatula, loosen the focaccia from the pan and transfer the bread to cutting board or serving platter. Cut into squares, and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.