Basil and Peach Focaccia
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A little sweet, a little salty, and full of aroma, this easy focaccia celebrates all things summer. Crispy and golden outside with a light, fluffy interior, it’s the perfect companion for any al fresco meal!
- Prep Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves: 8
Ingredients
Basil Oil
- 2/3 cup (50 g) fresh basil leaves and small stems
- 1/2 cup (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Focaccia
- 1 3/4 tsp (7 g) dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) sugar
- 1 3/4 cups (440 g) lukewarm water
- 3 1/4 cups (400 g) all-purpose plain white flour
- 3 cups (200 g) strong white bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp (10 g) fine sea salt
- About 3 Tbsp (40 ml) extra virgin olive oil, for greasing
- 4–5 ripe fresh peaches
- Flaky sea salt
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- For the Basil Oil, combine the basil and oil in a blender or food processor. Blend or grind until the basil is shredded to tiny flecks and the oil is bright green.
- For the Focaccia, place the yeast, sugar and water in a measuring jug. Whisk together then set aside to allow the yeast to activate.
- Meanwhile place the flours and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, add to the stand mixer bowl and mix/knead on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add half of the basil oil to the dough and mix/knead for 5 minutes more on medium speed.
- Once the dough looks smooth, cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, grease a sheet pan (18 x 13 inches/44 x 30 cm) generously with olive oil. Once the dough has risen to around twice its size, transfer it to the greased sheet pan. Wet your fingers and push the dough into the corners of the pan. Cover again and leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Half-way through the second rising, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) with the convection fan on if you have one. Remove the pits from the peaches and slice the peaches into eighths. When the dough is risen and puffy, drizzle it with the remaining half of the basil oil. Push your fingers into the dough to create irregular dimples. Push the peach pieces into the dough and top with a small handful of fresh basil. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top.
- Place in the oven to bake until golden brown on top, about 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
This recipe uses a blend of all-purpose plain white flour and strong white bread flour. This is important for hitting a nice high gluten content, which is what keeps the focaccia fluffy and chewy at the same time. A stand mixer also strengthens the gluten in the dough. If you don’t have a mixer, knead by hand for 5 minutes or so.
Basil oil gives this recipe a real kick of basil flavor. Don’t be tempted to make this part of the recipe too far in advance or you’ll lose some of that wonderful bright, herby aroma.
The dough has a very high water content, which can make it a bit difficult to handle. Make sure you have wet hands before spreading the dough out into the greased tray.
Be sure to add the fresh basil leaves only after the baked focaccia has cooled down. Otherwise, the leaves will wilt and turn dark.
Find it online: https://wickedkitchen.com/basil-and-peach-focaccia/