Recipe(tried): Sourdough Focaccia

If you haven't tried sourdough, you owe it to your self to give it a shot. It makes the very best focaccia I have ever eaten.

SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA (FLATBREAD)
Source: Fleischmann's
Yield: one (9-by-13-inch) flatbread, or 6 servings

1 cup sourdough starter (recipe below)
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided use
1 envelope dry yeast (developed for Fleischmann's RapidRise)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
Coarse salt
Sliced olives, drained
Finely diced fresh mushrooms, optional

Stir sourdough starter before measuring out 1 cup. Bring that 1-cup portion to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine 2/3 cup flour, undissolved yeast, salt, basil and oregano.

Heat water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until very warm (120-130 degrees).

Gradually add water mixture and starter to the flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough to a 13- by 9-inch rectangle. Press evenly into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

With handle of a spoon, make an indentation in dough at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Sprinkle with olives and mushrooms.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

SOURDOUGH STARTER
This is Fleischmann's version.
10 minutes to make and 2 days to stand

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 envelope undissolved Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
2 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees)

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and yeast. Gradually add water to flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Cover loosely and let stand in a warm place until bubbly and sour-smelling, about 2 days. Starter may darken, but if it changes to another color, discard and start over.

To store, cover and refrigerate, which slows down the fermentation of a starter.

TO REPLENISH AND KEEP STARTER ALIVE:
Once a week, stir in equal amounts of all-purpose flour and warm water (100 to 110 degrees). Beat until smooth. Cover and let stand in a warm place until mixture is bubbly and sour-smelling and a clear liquid has formed on top, about 12 to 24 hours. Use or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Bob Tyndall