Semolina, Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

Yesterday I came across a contest sponsored by California Olive Ranch and Bob's Red Mill for recipes featuring their products - or so I thought when I first glanced it over. Call me bad, I have a problem with skimming. I checked out a variety of recipes through Google for inspiration, but didn't find exactly what I wanted, so I thought, "Well hell, I'll improvise."

So I hustled my ass right into the kitchen, worked some of that culinary alchemy that bakers live for, and a few hours later, I had this: Semolina, Olive and Rosemary Focaccia.

When I sat back down at my computer to enter the contest, munching on the delicious focaccia I might add, I saw that they only wanted ideas for combining their products, not actual recipes.

*dope slap*

What the hell, I entered anyway, and as a bonus, I have a very lovely recipe for a savory focaccia made from semolina.

Semolina, Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups water
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1-1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Semolina Flour
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• Pinch of sugar
• ¼ cup chopped kalamata, oil-cured, green and Greek black olives, mixed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

For thte rosemary-infused olive oil:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 5 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Sift together the vital wheat gluten and bread flour in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the semolina and salt.
3. Heat the water to 110 F and add the sugar and yeast. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then make a well in the center of the semolina and pour in the proofed yeast mixture and the olive oil.
4. Stir well to combine and add the bread flour and gluten mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
5. Once the flour has been mixed in and the dough has come together to form a rough mass, dump it out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes, then fold in the chopped mixed olives and 2 tablespoons of rosemary.
6. Continue to knead until the olives and rosemary are well incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
7. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
8. Make the rosemary-infused olive oil: combine ½ cup olive oil and 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary in a pan and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, then take it off the heat, let cool and put into a container and refrigerate until needed.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet by coating it with a thin layer of olive oil. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it, then press it to fit into the baking sheet, making indentations with the tips of your fingers to create dimples in the dough.
10. Cover with a towel and let rise a second time for 45 minutes.
11. Remove the towel, drizzle 1 tablespoon of rosemary-infused olive oil over the dough, then top with another tablespoon of chopped rosemary and sprinkle with sea salt, then bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Let cool on a wire rack, warm the rosemary-infused olive oil in the microwave and then serve the focaccia warm with the dipping oil.

Bread machine directions:

1. Place the ingredients in your bread machine according to the manufacturer's specifications, set it to the dough cycle and walk away until step 8.
2. Make the rosemary-infused olive oil: combine ½ cup olive oil and 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary in a pan and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, then take it off the heat, let cool and put into a container and refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet by coating it with a thin layer of olive oil. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to deflate it, then press it to fit into the baking sheet, making indentations with the tips of your fingers to create dimples in the dough.
4. Cover with a towel and let rise a second time for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the towel, drizzle 1 tablespoon of rosemary-infused olive oil over the dough, then top with another tablespoon of chopped rosemary and sprinkle with sea salt, then bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Let cool on a wire rack, warm the rosemary-infused olive oil in the microwave and then serve the focaccia warm with the dipping oil.

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