No, this isn’t pizza bread. Once you flatten the dough,
pizza bread is not fluffy. Besides pizza bread cannot absorb olive oil. Ah the
focaccia! Drizzle it with extra virgin and dunk the last few bites into the
remaining oil on your plate. With cheese and olive flavours mingling, wash it
down with a glass of red wine. Livi asked me once if I could never have
anything Hungarian again, what cuisine would I pick instead? I didn’t have to
think long, I picked Italian. That is the beauty of living in Canada
The cheese must be Grana Padano, it tastes very much like
Parmigiano-Reggiano, in fact they are side by side at the deli section. Padano is cheaper, but the main reason I want it here is Padano is soft and easy to slice. For focaccia, the cheese is best if sliced. You can’t have too much cheese on focaccia.
As for the bread, well it is THE bread! As you can see Eva’s Egg Bread lives on in wondrous
ways.
FOCACCIA BREAD
1 batch of Egg Bread dough
1/3 of Grana Padano [cheese] wedge
1/2 cup pitted blue olives, cut half
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion sliced
1 beaten egg for egg wash
- Following instruction, assemble 1 batch of egg bread dough.
- Let it rise until doubled.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Meanwhile slice the cheese, cut the olives in half, chop the red pepper and slice the onion.
- When the dough doubles, punch down.
- Divide the dough in half and roll up two baguettes.
- Place both baguettes on the prepared pan.
- Flatten down, and brush the tops with egg wash.
- Arrange the cheese and vegetables on top.
- Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- Next, turn the oven to 500F and set the timer for 9 minutes.
- Place the focaccia in the preheated oven.
- Set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 375F and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom gets a healthy brown color.
- Remove from heat and slide the focaccias on a wire rack to cool somewhat.
- To serve, cut and drizzle with olive oil.
