Another King Arthur Flour website recipe. I like that they have "small batch" recipes because I hate having a lot of leftovers when cooking for two. Small-Batch Cheesy Focaccia Ingredients 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85g) water, lukewarm (100°F) 3 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided 1/2 cup (57g) mozzarella cheese, whole or part-skim, preferably grated from a block 1/4 cup (25g) Parmesan cheese, shredded Instructions To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast until well combined. Add the water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Mix until thoroughly combined and homogenous. Cover the dough and place it in a warm spot (about 70°F to 75°F) for 15 minutes, then give it a bowl fold: Use a wet hand to grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Give the bowl a quarter-turn (90°) and repeat 3 to 6 times, until you’ve circled the dough and it’s become resistant to stretching. Cover the dough, set aside for another 15 minutes, then perform the bowl fold again. After the second fold, cover the dough and allow it to rest for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it’s slightly puffy but not necessarily doubled in size. To shape the dough: Coat the inside of a 9" x 5" or 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, being sure to oil up the sides of the pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and turn it once to coat in oil. Gently press and stretch the dough, using your fingertips to dimple the surface and encourage it to cover the entire pan. (If your dough resists, cover it, let it rest for 30 minutes, and try again.) Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the dough is visibly puffy and has filled the pan. It should rise to about 1 1/2" to 2" below the top of the pan. In the last 45 minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 500°F with a baking stone or steel on the bottom rack. To bake the focaccia: Turn the oven temperature down to 450°F, then bake the focaccia for 8 to 10 minutes on the stone, until it turns very lightly golden on top, then carefully remove it from the oven. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan on top of the dough around the edges first, pressing it up the sides of the pan. Cover the center with a light layer of the remaining cheese. (Concentrating the cheese on the pan’s edges gives you the maximum amount of crispy frico, the cheesy crust.) Return the focaccia to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is crispy and golden brown at the edges and melted and bubbling in the center. Remove the cheesy focaccia from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Immediately run a thin knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan in order to prevent the cheese from cooling and sticking to the sides. Let the cheesy focaccia cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Storage instructions: The cheesy focaccia is best enjoyed the day it’s baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; to reheat, wrap in foil and place in a low-temperature (300°F) oven until warm.
I notice that the cheese can be subbed... For a cheese-free (though still flavorful) variation of this small-batch focaccia, top the dough with an assortment of olives, small rosemary sprigs, and/or flaky salt before step 8 (the final rise).
I watched an ATK video on pan pizza where they used that "cheese around the edge of the crust" thing to make frico. I have been meaning to try that in a cast iron skillet. Video is 13 minutes long, but skip to the 8 minute mark for the cheese.
Interesting. I just looked up "frico" and the first thing I encountered were some thin crisps of Pecorino romano (PR). I have started putting cheese on my garlic bread and then toasting it under the broiler, and at first just used PR. The problem I encountered is that the PR actually makes frico on top of the bread...the crisp comes off in a single piece when you bite into it. I imagine the garlic butter helps prevent it from sticking to the bread, but the cheese itself does not have enough fat to get melty. Then I started putting down a layer of Asiago before the PR, and that's provided a melted layer for the PR to embed in. This is frico made from Parmesan: Regarding the pizza: I can't imagine putting a crust in a cold skillet and expecting the skillet to get hot enough to crisp the crust...but I didn't watch to the end.
She actually put the skillet on a stovetop burner for the last 5 minutes. I don't know how you could get a deep-dish crust in a pan if the pan was pre-heated. I have never attempted a "pan pizza."
I watched it at the end. I don't know that I'm inspired to do that in my cast iron skillet, but it reminded me that I have a deep dish pan set I bought back in the 80s. It made some pretty good pies. Maybe I'll break it out.
I have been disappointed with the last several pizza crusts that I have made. It seems like all of a sudden I can't get it right. I'm going to try some new recipes and use the Breville bread machine to make some dough.
I do an America's Test Kitchen one that's made in a food processor with ice water (so the yeast does not take off too fast) and sits in the fridge for up to 3 days. They may have stolen it from the King Arthur pizza flour pak because I read so many One Star reviews whining that the bag's dough recipe had to sit for at least overnight. I posted the ATK crust & sauce recipe here. I posted another crust recipe here that you can use immediately or you can let it rise, then use it or save in the fridge for a few days. I've done both, but the ATK recipe is my go-to.
Seems like most pizza dough recipes are basically similar, though I'm planning to try Wolfgang Puck's that has honey in it. (Chef John has a video on it, lol.) I'm pretty sure I've used that ATK recipe but I get annoyed by the wait time, too.
I like the wait time because the flavors develop and I don't get all jammed up making the dough, then making the sauce, then chopping the veggies and shredding the cheese (since I don't buy the pre-shredded stuff ) I can do the dough, make the sauce that day or the next and let it sit, and do the veggies/cheese the day I make the pie. Rain Man is my hero
So I went on Chef John's page and grabbed the ingredient list. He does not post entire recipes, so I created instructions from the video. It's rising now, and I'll put it in the fridge for dinner tomorrow. We'll see how that honey is in it.
I'm curious to know how it turns out. My KA order has shipped; I got some of that pizza dough flavoring stuff (probably a jar of onion/garlic powder but you know how I am ).