Thursday, December 8, 2011

Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia

Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia

There is something about a rich doughy bread topped with jammy berries that screams - WINTER TREAT to me. So when Driscoll's Berries invited me to bring a recipe to an event they were hosting last week, I knew immediately what I wanted to attempt. This recipe is jammy, sweet, savory, and salty. What more could you ask for at a holiday party?

Last summer, Carolyn Jung (aka FoodGal) posted a killer recipe for a Cherry Focaccia with Rosemary which I proceeded to make for a wine party. It disappeared faster than the wine! Seriously, go make this recipe! 

I thought that with the blackberries, the dough needed a more earthy flavor. Plus I love to try to increase the health benefits of whatever I make. So I played with the recipe a bit, changed up the flours and oil amounts, and came up with a focaccia that has more fiber in it from the wheat flour. Using Carolyn's recipe as the base, this was the most I could increase the wheat flour and the lowest amount of oil I could use without losing the focaccia texture. I plan on continuing to play with it but this recipe was quite tasty :o)

Fair warning. This focaccia needs lots of time to sit and rise. Plan ahead if you want to make it. I tend to start it in the morning so I can do the later rises and baking in the evening.

One note about the awesomeness of Driscoll's Berries that I discovered in my own research about the company is that they have a program where you can find out where your berries were grown! There is a "Harvest Mark Code" located in the right corner of the bar code and you can enter that code on their MyDricolls Web site to find out where your berries were grown along with other interesting information about your berries.

Full disclosure: I was given the blackberries by Driscoll's Berries to make this dish for their event. I was not paid or asked to write about the berries or the company but I do love the company and was excited to share this with you!

Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia
Makes 20 total servings between the two 9-inch pie pans

1 pkg dry yeast (instant)
1.5 cups room temperature water
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cane sugar
8 tbsp unfiltered olive oil
2 cups Driscoll's blackberries
4 fresh rosemary stems full of needles
coarse sea salt

The first step is to make a biga. Biga is a type of pre-fermented dough that adds complexity to the bread as well as adding a unique nutty component to the flavor profile. It also helps lengthen the life of your bread, but the bread is so tasty you probably won't need to worry about it sitting out long!
 
To make the biga, mix the yeast and water together in a metal bowl. After the two have blended, add in one cup of the bread flour and cover with plastic wrap. You will want to place this in the fridge for 12 to 15 hours according to what I have read about making a good biga.
 
When you have let your biga ferment long enough, bring it back to room temperature. This will take 45 minutes to an hour. 
 
You are now ready to prepare the dough! Mix the biga with the remaining bread flour, the whole wheat flour, the 1.5 teaspoons of fine sea salt and the cane sugar. You can use a mixer with a dough hook or a good wooden spoon.
 
Spray a seperate mizing bowl with non-stick cooking spray and put dough in this bowl. You will want to stretch the dough up and over itself repeatedley, hand-kneading to get a satin consistency. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. For proper conditions, you want to place your dough in a warm place free from breezes. I like to put mine in my oven with the oven light on and the door to the oven left ajar.
 
The dough should take about two hours to double in size although it could take as little as 90 minutes. While the dough is rising, pour two tablespoons of olive oil into each of your two metal pie pans. Using your fingers, spread the oil around the inside of the pan. Divide the dough into the two pans and using your fingers, press the dough into the pan. Cover the dough for the final rising which will take about an hour.
 
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (please don't put the dough in the oven this time for the rising!). Dimple the dough with your fingers (be careful not to push too hard and cause the dough to collapse!) and then remove the needles off of the rosemary stems and sprinkle the needles over the dough. Drizzle two tablespoons of oil over each dough loaf. Finally, sprinkle a light coating of the coarse salt over the dough.
 
Bake the dough for four minutes or so and then remove from the oven. Gently place the berries over the dough, pushing them down slightly. Pun pans bake into the oven and bake for 22-26 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack before serving.
 
Nutritional Information:
Per slice (if divided into 20 servings): 115 calories, 5.8g fat, 14.7g carbs, 1.9g fiber, 2.6g protein
Total Recipe: 2295 calories, 116g fat, 294g carbs, 38.6g fiber, 52.4g protein

4 comments:

Mom on the Run said...

This looks amazing! I love blackberries and was excited they were on sale this week. I eat them as is for a snack at lunch. I am sure this did not last long at the event.

chow and chatter said...

what a cool bread love it

amy @ fearless homemaker said...

this looks just amazing + it would make a beautiful addition to a holiday dinner table. love it!

Unknown said...

This looks simply scrumptious! I can't wait to make it!

GingerB85 from MFP

Disclaimer:

I get asked by readers if I am being paid to push products. The simple answer is no. In fact, most of the products I write about are ones I have found and purchased during my trips to the grocery store or on the road. Occasionally, a company will send a sample my way and if I believe the product will serve a need for my readers and I would buy the product myself, then I will share it with you. Sometimes I will write to a company after reading about it, if I believe it will help us lead healthier lifestyles. But even then, if the product doesn't pass my scrutiny, it won't make the screen of Uncovering Food. You can trust that every product or recipe posted here has passed through my lips, and that I wouldn't blog about it if it wasn't worthy of you... my favorite readers.