A Hungry Bear

I’m on a quest to make some focaccia reubens I saw in a magazine recently. Of course it would be easier if I bought some from the Whole Foods bakery, but that would be to easy - and it takes a way a chance to try one more recipe from Rose Levy Berenbaum’s The Bread Bible. She has several more traditional focaccia recipes, where you’d layer in herbs and the bread would come out fluffy and thick. I actually wanted a thinner, more flatbread style, to use for sandwiches, so I opted to follow her recipe for Grilled Focaccia - which can be made in an oven too, for those of us whose grills can’t be trusted.

Ingredients (for two flatbreads, enough for 4 sandwiches): 8 ounces flour (1.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons), 1 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 5.5 ounces water (2/3 cup), 1.2 ounces olive oil (2-3 tablespoons), fresh rosemary needles (optional), salt, pepper.

Start by whisking the flour, yeast and sugar together. Then, sprinkle on the salt (if you add the salt first, before distributing the yeast, it can kill the yeast all at once). Stir in the water until it just barely comes together in dough form, about 20-30 seconds. Pour the oil into a 4 cup measuring cup, then transfer the dough to the cup. Flip it over to coat with oil. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours until it doubles in volume.

Lift the dough out of the cup, and pour the excess oil out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the oil, then set the dough down in the center. Knead it gently to form a round shape (the dough will come together more at this point).

Cover the dough with a piece of plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes - the dough will “relax” so you can shape it. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 475 degrees now - set a baking (pizza) stone on the bottom rack. If you’re using a gas grill, preheat it to 500 degrees.

Divide the dough into two pieces, and stretch each to form a rectangle. It will stretch and then spring back to a smaller shape a little, but if it really is stubborn, let it rest a few more minutes. One you have the two pieces shapped, cover with wrap and let it rise for 20-30 more minutes.

I wanted to try the rosemary version, even though I only need a plain focaccia for the reuben sandwich I’m making. If you’re using rosemary, mince it first.

Sprinkle the flatbread with rosemary, salt and cracked pepper. Press dimples into the top of the dough with your fingers, about every inch along the surface of the dough.

Place the baking sheet directly on the hot stone and bake for 5 minutes. If using the grill, turn one side of the grill to low heat, and place the baking sheet on the hot side. Grill (covered) for 2 minutes, then use tongs to slide the dough from the pan to the cooler side of the grill. Cook for 7-8 minutes more.

To finish in the oven, after 5 minutes of baking on the pan, slide the flatbreads from the baking sheet directly onto the baking stone. Let them bake for another 5 minutes, or until the underside is brown (peek underneath with a metal spatula to be sure).