Pizza Today_February 23 - 22

but kissed with salt, so it pops and
it melds together beautifully as you
chew. Not always is focaccia topped
just with olive oil but, with a blend
of oil, salt and water called salamoia.
Th is mixture is usually added to the
top of the dough when it is time to
dimple it as the dimples themselves
will trap small quantities of the mixture
and yet get pockets of goodness.
Since focaccia is known for its
dimples, it's a great way to showcase
fl avors without always needing cheese
and sauce. It can handle sweet and
savory toppings and is always a great
way to sop up any sauce from pasta
or a roast or just eaten as a snack by
itself. If adding fl avors, you will want
to add these when you dimple before
baking. Added ingredients are best
when they fall into the crevices and
are scattered. Keep in mind that as
hydrations go up you will want to
make sure that you slow down the
cooking times to allow all the steam
to cook out. Focaccia should have a
certain softness to it, but the thing
I encounter most that ruins it is
too much oil in the pan combined
with wet ingredients, high hydrated
doughs and too fast of a cook. It's just
too much moisture compounding
with too fast of a bake.
Focaccia holds impeccably well
because they are sealed when cooked
and can sit just like any other bread
product. If sitting at room temperature,
be advised your health department
might not like certain toppings
sitting out for lengths of time. But
all focaccias can be popped into the
fridge or freezer and reheated when
needed. Because of the moisture, they
re-steam themselves when heated
and bounce back wonderfully. If you
forget to save them and they've been
sitting out for too long and now
they're hard and stale, have no fear.
Focaccia croutons are amazing no
matter if you cube them, slice them,
tear them into random pieces... Just
season and toast and they're ready to
go. It's just as easy to turn toasted and
seasoned focaccia into breadcrumbs
for chicken or eggplant Parm or even
used as a thickener for soups.
Focaccia is also a great item to
package and either give away to your
loyal regulars as holiday gifts or sold
individually packaged and branded. If
you are already doing frozen pizzas,
freezing and packaging focaccia is just
as easy and is a great way to diversify
what you have available.
If you'd like to try salamoia on your
next batch of focaccia, mix 40 grams
of water with fi ve to six grams of salt
and 30 grams of olive oil.
LAURA MEYER is owner of Pizzeria da
Laura in Berkeley, CA.
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Pizza Today_February 23

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