Jalapeño Cheddar Focaccia Bread

Jan. 24

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp traditional active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour
- I used all-purpose flour, however if you’d like it a bit less dense, use half bread flour and half all purpose flour
5 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and sliced
Half a tomato, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste

Put warm water into a measuring cup, add yeast and brown sugar, stir to combine
Wait until there is a foam on top (about 10 minutes) and move into large mixing bowl
Add flour one cup at a time, combine and knead until the dough has some stretch to it (this took me about 20 minutes). Add about 2-3 tbsps of oil in while kneading
- You should end up with a smooth, glossy ball of dough
Put in dutch oven, flatten and stretch to cover the surface area
Cover with lid or damp cloth, and let sit in warm area for 15-20 minutes so it’ll double in size (I put mine in front of our fireplace)
Once its risen significantly, texture the dough with your fingers so that there are indents and holes in the dough
Top with sliced jalapeño, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, 1-2 tbsps of olive oil, salt and pepper
On the middle rack, bake for 350 for 6 minutes, then turn the heat up to 450 and cook for another 6 minutes, then turn it on a high broil for about 5 minutes, or until the top is golden brown
Remove from oven, let sit in dutch oven for 5 minutes, then transfer to cutting board and cut into slices (or cut horizontally for sandwiches!)
Dip it in oil and balsamic vinegar, or it also goes really well with our Creamy Spinach Dip ;)