Mortadella & Burrata Pesto Focaccia with Garlic Chips
This focaccia is truely one of the best yet, pair it with yummy homemade garlic chips for the ultimate lunch!
Ingredients
Pesto
1 bunch basil leaves
1 garlic clove
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup Rich Glen Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup pecorino romano grated
Pesto Focaccia
4 tablespoons pesto
2.5 cups lukewarm water 2 cups cold water + 1/2 cup boiling hot water (600ml)
1 sachet dry yeast 7g
2 tbsp Rich Glen Olive Blossom honey
5 cups all purpose white flour 740g
2.5 tsp flakey sea salt
6 tbsp Rich Glen Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Chips
6 heads garlic
3 cups olive oil
Sandwich
1 piece of pesto focaccia
1 tablespoon pesto
150g mortadella
1 burrata
1 tablespoon garlic chips crushed
Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions
Pesto
In a food processor, blend the basil, garlic cloves, pine nuts and olive oil until all ingredients are well combined but you still have quite a chunky texture. Add the pecorino Romano and stir through. Start with 1/4 cup and if you need more cheese slowly add in.
Pesto focaccia
In a medium bowl, mix together the lukewarm water, yeast and honey with a whisk and leave to sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast has foamed. This will indicate that your yeast is active.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and whisk together. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and bring the dough together with your hands or a spatula until a shaggy and sticky dough forms.
Coat a large mixing bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Coat the dough in the olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into the fridge. Leave the dough to rise for a minimum of 6 hours but ideally for 24 hours. The dough will double in size and look bubbly.
Take the dough out of the fridge and fold it over itself in quarters. Gather up each edge of the dough with your hands and fold it over itself while turning the bowl. The dough will deflate while you shape it into a neat ball.
Coat a deep rectangular baking dish (I use a pan that is 34cm x 23cm x 5cm) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and transfer the dough ball to the baking dish. Using your fingers, stretch the dough out slightly into a rough rectangular shape. There is no need to stretch the dough out to the edges of the pan as the dough will rise and spread. Cover the pan with a tea towel and leave the dough to rise in a warm area of your house for 3 - 4 hours. If your dough is uncovered there is risk of too much air getting into the dough and creating a dry and crusty layer on top.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Once the dough has risen, use your fingers to indent or dimple the dough. Spoon the pesto over the focaccia. Drizzle the dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This will help the crust of the dough get golden and crispy when baking. Finish off with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the dough has developed a golden crust on top.
Let the bread slightly cool before removing it from the baking tray. Place onto a wire rack.
Garlic Chips
Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away.
Using a sharp knife, finely slice the garlic into very thin strips.
In a deep dish pan on a high heat, heat the olive oil. Place a wooden skewer into the olive oil and if bubbles form around it the oil is hot enough. Turn the heat to medium and toss in half of the garlic chips. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until they turn golden in colour. Move the garlic around with a metal spatula to ensure they do not stick to one another.
Spoon the garlic chips out with a metal skimmer and place onto a plate that is lined with absorbent paper. Cook the remaining garlic chips.
Store the garlic chips in an airtight jar. You can use them immediately or store them in the pantry for several months. They will be crispiest when used straight away.
Sandwich
Cut your focaccia into thirds lengthways. Slice 1 piece of the focaccia in half.
