Focaccia with pesto and stracchino
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Prep time: 30 min
- Cook time: 35 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
- Note 3 ore per la lievitazione
Listen to the recipe
PRESENTATION
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INGREDIENTS
- for the dough
- Manitoba flour 1.7 cups (200 g) - Approximately 1 2/3 cups (1 cup ≈ 120 g)
- Type 00 flour 2.4 cups (300 g)
- Water 1 ¼ cup (300 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (25 g)
- Fine salt 1.7 tsp (10 g)
- Fresh brewer's yeast 0.5 oz (15 g)
- for shaping and seasoning the focaccia
- Extra virgin olive oil 4 ½ tbsp (60 g) - (40 g for spreading + 20 g to grease the baking pan)
- Stracchino cheese 10.6 oz (300 g)
- for the basil pesto
- Basil 2 cups (50 g)
- Pine nuts 2 ½ tbsp (20 g)
- Grana Padano PDO cheese 0.7 oz (20 g)
- Pecorino Romano PDO cheese 0.8 oz (20 g)
- Extra virgin olive oil 6 tbsp (80 g)
- Fine salt to taste
How to prepare Focaccia with pesto and stracchino
To prepare the pesto and stracchino focaccia, start with the dough. In a large bowl pour the all-purpose flour and the Manitoba (strong) flour 1, add the crumbled fresh yeast 2 and pour in the water, beginning to mix the ingredients 3.
Mix with circular motions 4, add the extra virgin olive oil 5 and finally incorporate the fine salt 6.
Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead it for about ten minutes without adding flour 7. Once you have a smooth ball, transfer it to a clean bowl 8, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for about 2 and a half hours, or until doubled in size 9.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. In a tall, narrow container combine the fresh basil, the pine nuts and the Grana mixed with Pecorino 10. Season with salt 11 and pour in the extra virgin olive oil 12.
Blend for a few moments until you obtain a smooth pesto 13. After the first rise time has passed, transfer the doubled dough to a 15.75 x 11.81 in (40 x 30 cm) baking pan previously oiled 14. Gently stretch it without forcing the dough too much 15. Press the dough with your hands from the center outwards; don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the entire surface of the pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes, still at room temperature 16. After this time your focaccia will be ready to be stretched over the entire surface 17. Pour the remaining oil and make the classic dimples in the focaccia by pressing firmly with your fingertips 18.
Bake the focaccia at 428°F in a conventional oven for 20 minutes 19. Once out of the oven, add the stracchino, tearing it into pieces with your hands 20 and distributing it evenly 21. Return to the oven at the same temperature for another 10–15 minutes.
When the cheese is well melted, remove it from the oven 22. Finish with the basil pesto 23 and your pesto and stracchino focaccia is ready to be enjoyed hot 34!