Recipe: Focaccia Romana (and Pizza variation)

FOCACCIA ROMANA

2 envelopes fast-rising dry yeast
2 cups tepid water (90 degrees F)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups unbleached white flour, divided use
3 cloves garlic, crushed

FOR TOPPING THE FOCACCIA:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon whole rosemary
1 tablespoon Kosher salt

Dissolve the yeast in the tepid water. Add the sugar, olive oil, salad oil, and table salt. Mix in 3 cups of flour and whip (Smith uses a KitchenAid mixer for the whole dough-making process) until the dough begins to leave the sides of the mixing bowl, about 10 minutes.

Mix in remaining flour by hand or with a dough hook and knead the dough until it is smooth. Allow the dough to rise twice, right in the bowl, and punch down after each rising.

Oil 2 baking sheets, each 13x18 inches, and divide the dough between the 2 pans. Using your fingers, press the dough out to the edges of each pan. Allow to rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush with the crushed garlic mixed with the oil for topping. Sprinkle the rosemary and kosher salt on top.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

VARIATION FOR PIZZA AND RECIPE NOTES:
"The above recipe is for Focaccia Romana or Roman Focaccia, from Jeff Smith's The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines." He recommends it as the best dough for a pizza crust he's run across, and I must say it is both very easy and VERY good to eat. I halved the above recipe (but used the full amount of garlic, plus 2 cups of meaty red sauce, about 4 oz. of pepperoni, 8-9 fresh mushrooms and 8 ounces of whole-milk mozzarella) and the results were great. Lacking quick-rise yeast, I used regular yeast and just ate a little later -- no problem there. And of course, I made the dough into a pizza instead of a plain focaccia (which is like a thick pizza (also round, but thicker) but without toppings." - Ted Taylor

Makes 2 (13x18-inch) focaccias or pizzas
Source: The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines by Jeff Smith