Date and Pear Focaccia
A recipe for unskilled bakers.
Thinly sliced pears and caramelized dates on the fluffiest slab of bread. No stand-mixer. No kneading. I’ve been using this base focaccia recipe from Bon Appetit for years now and it’s never failed me. This is for first-time breadmakers and experienced bakers alike <3 very detailed recipe BELOW bc ilysm.
Equipment: 2 large mixing bowls, a 9” x 13” ceramic or metal baking dish. (Add 5 minutes to baking time if using glass.)
Makes 10-12 servings
Ingredients
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp honey
5 cups (625 g) AP flour
5 tsp Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp Morton kosher salt
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
A pinch of flaky sea salt or coarse salt (PLS)
1 Asian or bosc pear
10 medjool dates
Ensure you’re working with fresh yeast. The following step will indicate whether it is fresh: Add the yeast and honey to a large mixing bowl along with 2 ½ cups of warm water. The water should be warm but comfortable to dip your finger in. Stir the yeast, honey, and warm water together and set aside for 5 minutes. If the water looks foamy, then your yeast is still active.
Add the flour to the yeasted water and mix into a shaggy dough using a rubber or silicone spatula. Keep mixing until there are no visible clumps or streaks of flour.
Add 4 Tbsp of olive oil to the second large mixing bowl and swirl it around the base and sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl of olive oil and turn the dough in the olive oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and let it rest and prove (the act of dough rising) at room temperature (at least 72 F) or in a slightly warm oven (95 F). You can turn your oven on for 5 minutes and turn it off to warm it. Make sure it’s comfortably warm enough to put your hand in then let the dough rest for 3-4 hours or until it has doubled in size. Alternatively, you can also make this dough a day ahead and rest it in the fridge overnight, for at least 10 hours. Let the dough rest until the dough has doubled in size and is extremely jiggly.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Prepare the 9 x 13 baking dish by rubbing it with 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Transfer the proved dough to the baking dish and use your fingertips to spread the dough out towards the corners of the dish. Let the dough continue to rise in the dish while you prep the toppings: Pit and tear the dates in half. Place them in a bowl and fill it with hot tap water so the dates can hydrate and retain moisture while they bake. Thinly slice the pear. Drain the water from the dates after 5 minutes of soaking.
Use your fingertips to dimple the focaccia dough. Arrange the dates and pear slices on the focaccia and push them deep into the dough—they will eventually rise up anyway. Drizzle the focaccia with the remaining Tbsp (or more) of olive oil and sprinkle flaky salt on top.
Bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s deeply golden brown all over. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Use a spatula to remove the cooled focaccia from the dish onto a cutting board and then slice it. Enjoy the same day but feel free to store remaining slices in an airtight ziplock in the freezer.