VEGGIE FOCACCIA

Veggie Focaccia image

Thanks to the internet, I was recently introduced to my new favorite artistic medium: vegetables! With bread dough as the chewy, salty, olive-oily canvas. I don't know who invented these pretty works of focaccia art, but I thank them.

Provided by Molly Yeh

Time 2h45m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups room temperature water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3 to 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Black sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds
Asparagus spears, halved crosswise
Herb sprigs, such as parsley, chives, dill
Baby bell peppers
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Sage leaves
Basil leaves
Scallion greens
Butternut squash zoodles
Red onions
Capers
Small rainbow potatoes
Whatever else your creative heart desires...

Steps:

For the focaccia: Combine the water, salt, sugar and yeast in a spouted measuring cup. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Combine the yeast mixture and 3 cups of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a wooden spoon just until the dough comes together, then switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-high speed until smooth and stretchy, about 5 minutes. The dough should form a loose, somewhat sticky ball on the dough hook, but won't entirely clean the sides of the bowl. (If the dough doesn't form a ball at all, add tablespoons of flour, up to 1/4 cups.)
Brush a quarter-sheet pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the dough, then turn to coat and press to almost fill the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the temperature of your room.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Uncover the dough and gently press all of the way to the edges of the pan. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. If you'd like to make a vertical landscape, turn the pan with the short side facing you.
For decoration: Start with a layer of seeds on the bottom. Using asparagus, long chives and scallion greens, add your tall stems first, then cover those at the bottom with shorter sprigs of herbs to make some ground cover. Add some butterflies, made with horizontal slices of baby bell peppers and chive antennae. Once you're happy with the arrangement, press down on the decorations to make sure they stick to the dough.
Use your finger to gently dimple the dough in the space where you haven't decorated. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the focaccia is risen and the top and bottom are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.