Sweet Focaccia with Dried Fruits
Ingredients
1 ¼ cup Bread flour can be substituted with bread APF
¾ tsp Instant yeast
3 TBSP Sugar
¾ tsp Salt
¼ cup Raisins
¼ cup Dried cherries
¾ cup Boiling water
3 TBSP Olive oil
2 TBSP Coarse Sugar / Turbinado sugar
Directions
Place the dried cherries and the raisins in boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the dried fruits to soften a bit.
In a large bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, add the flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Mix to combine.
Pour in about 2 tablespoon of oil and mix. Add the soaked fruits along with about ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Make sure that the soaking liquid is warm. If not, heat it up until warm to touch and then use it in the recipe.
Mix until a soft dough forms. Add more water if needed and make a very soft dough. The dough will be slightly tacky but should not be stick to touch.
Grease a 8 inch round pan with olive oil and place the kneaded dough on the pan. Using your fingers spread the dough until it touches all the sides of the pan. The dough would sort of curl up and come towards the center. Rest the dough for few minutes and spread again. You might need to do this 2 or 3 times for the dough to be evenly spread all over the pan.
Cover the pan and let the dough rest for about an hour or until it is puffed up.
During the last 30 minutes of the resting time, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 F.
Once the dough has rested, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the surface and spread evenly. Make few shallow marks with your fingers and sprinkle the top with coarse / turbinado sugar.
Place the pan on the pizza stone and bake until golden brown. It took me about 25 minutes.
Remove the pan and let the focaccia cool on a rack. Slice and serve warm.
