Sunday, September 24, 2006

Potato focaccia

The most high-tech kitchenware in my kitchen is a humble hand-held mixer, so you bet, I used to make meringue by a balloon whisk, my highest record is beating 9 egg whites *panting*. So far bread and pizza still rely on my bare hands (and my mood, plus the weather). You should feel difficult in kneading this dough in the first times as it's rather wet, but it worths all the effort after you see how moist it comes out. I got the recipe from In Nonna's Kitchen (nonna means grandmother in Italian). This book has no single food photos except some nonna's storys and their recipes, I've made some of them many times, this focaccia is one of them :)

Ingredients

2 medium starchy potatoes * (abt 1 pound); 1 cup milk, lukewarm; 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water; 3 cups high gluten flour; 2 tsps sea salt; spoonfuls of oregano + thyme + sage; 6 Tbps olive oil, plus 2 Tbps for geasing the pan and 1 or 2 Tbps for drizzling over the top; 1 1/2 to 2 tsps coarse sea salt

    * if your potatoes are rather moist, after mashed, let them sit in the fridge overnight, uncover.
  1. Boil the potatoes until they're cooked, immediately drain, peel, and mash them with fork, being careful to eliminate any lumps. Cool to room temp.
  2. Mix the flour, potatoes, 2 tsps fine sea salt, and the chopped herb together, add in dissolved yeast liquid, olive oil, and milk (add 80% first, decide on the rest after the dough forms). Knead until the dough smooth, soft and elastic. Set it in an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
  3. Brush olive oil on a 10.5 x 15.5-inch baking pan (dark coated yields for browner crust) with 2-inch sides. Place the dough (don't knead... so as to save air bubbles inside) in the pan and gently press it out to the edges. With your hands moistened in oil, dimple the top. Cover and let rise until half-doubled. Sprinkle coarse salt and a little more olive oil over the top.
  4. At least 30 mins before you plan to bake, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Bake until the top and the underside are golden, abt 25 mins.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Ar... now I can see the tender interior of your foccacia clearer(coz the pic is bigger) ;p. Delish delish!

Anonymous said...

Nonna's recipes are the best ones of all!

Anonymous said...

I almost thought that i would be able to grab one by the pick. Nice one Gattina.

Anonymous said...

these look delicious gattina! can imagine them dunk in olive oil. love the photo too :) wish i can be as good as u!

Saffron said...

Darling, I've been away for aweek(in bed and seek actually!)...these recipes make me feel really better! wonderful!

Lis said...

The foccacia looks perfect! I can't get a good foccacia unless I travel a bit, the ones made here are always so dry - yours definitely does not look dry! Yum!

Krithika said...

These look gorgeous ! I have bookmarked this recipe

Anonymous said...

Wow. Wow. Wow. I never realised that foccacia is made out of potatoes! They definitely look moist. Oh, and i love the star shape hole on those olives. So cute.

Nabeela said...

lovely foccacia! I'm bookmarking the recipe :)

Anonymous said...

Looks so good.

I have never made foccasia with potato.

Anonymous said...

That foccacia looks absolutely amazing! I often use potatoes whenever I make bread; it gives such a lovely, chewy texture to a loaf.

cookies_cream said...

hey, I don't know how I came to your blog but it's wonderful~! This is a very unique recipe...and I love potatoes. But can guide me a little on what's gluten flour? @_@

Anonymous said...

I want to pick up one of foccacia and bite into it. Beautiful pictures Gattina.

Brilynn said...

Great pictures! My last foccacia turned out sad and flat, (this is what happens when you forget to add yeast... ugh).

Jen said...

wow, this is my first encounter with potato focaccia. Thanks gattina, this is wonderful and I will be trying this sometime.

Ruth Daniels said...

I love your blog - gorgeous photos that make my mouth water and such delicious dishes too.

Thanks for sharing.

Gattina Cheung said...

Thanks everyone for your kind words!

cookies_cream, high gluten flour refers to bread flour/ unbleached flour. I'll edit this explanation in the recipe later. Thanks for bringing out your question :)

brilynn, oh I had all types of mistakes in my early days too, hehee.

Anonymous said...

Very much like this idea with the potato!
Fabulous pictures.