Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup tepid water
- 1 tsp. instant yeast
- 3 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 cup red seedless grapes
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
- Additional olive oil
Preparation:
1. Pour water into the bowl of a stand mixer bowl and add yeast, olive oil, 3 cups of flour and salt.
2. Mix the ingredients in a stand mixer on low (2 on a Kitchen Aid) using the paddle attachment until shaggy, then swap to the dough hook.
3. Add additional flour as needed until a dough forms. Increase speed to medium (4 on a KA) and knead for 9 to 10 minutes.
4. Scrape dough out onto a lightly-floured board and shape into a ball. Note: I always knead the dough a bit by hand at the end to make sure it feels right. In this case the dough is moist, but not sticky (the oil accounts for this).
5. Wash and dry the mixing bowl, then lightly spray it with oil, shape the dough into a ball, lightly spray the top with oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until doubled in bulk.
6. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush lightly with olive oil.
7. Scrape dough out onto baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes. Oil your hands and then stretch the dough out on the baking sheet, if it resists, allow to rest for another five minutes and continue. The dough should end up about 1/2 inch thick and form a rough rectangle about 12 inches by 16 inches.
8. Using the balls of your fingers, press indentations into the dough, then drizzle a bit of olive oil on the top and, using your fingers, coat the top with oil. Press the grapes into the surface about 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped rosemary. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double the height (45 minutes to an hour).
9. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
10. Bake focaccia for 20 to 30 minutes, but do take your own oven into account. My oven tends to cook slowly for some reason (and yes, I have verified the temperature with a thermometer) and I baked the bread for 40 minutes until it was a golden brown and the grapes had shriveled slightly.
11. Cool for about 5 minutes on a rack, then dive in.