Cracked Pepper Focaccia With Truffle Oil Recipes

Steps:

• Stir 2 cups lukewarm water and yeast in large bowl to blend. Mix in 3 tablespoons olive oil, truffle oil, cracked pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt. Add 1 cup flour. Using wood spoon, stir vigorously until well incorporated. Add enough of remaining 3 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, to form dough that is soft, sticky and not completely smooth, stirring vigorously until well incorporated. Oil large bowl. Scrape dough into oiled bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. For do-ahead version: Chill dough overnight. Allow dough to come to room temperature in warm draft-free area before proceeding. For same-day version: Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes (do not punch down dough).
• Lightly oil 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Slide out dough onto prepared baking sheet (dough will be soft and will easily slide out onto sheet; do not punch down dough or knead dough). Gently pull and stretch dough so that dough almost covers baking sheet. Press fingertips all over top of dough to form indentations. Brush top of focaccia with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme, rosemary and coarse salt. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until puffed, about 30 minutes for refrigerated dough and about 15 minutes for room-temperature dough.
• Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Bake focaccia until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.
• *Available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Steps:

• Place the warm water in a food processor and sprinkle the yeast over the top.
• Wait for two minutes, then add the sugar, half of the olive oil, and half of the flour.
• Mix thoroughly until smooth, cover with plastic, and allow to sit for 45 minutes; it should be very foamy.
• Add the salt, the remaining oil, and half of the remaining flour.
• Mix thoroughly and, with the processor running, add the rest of the flour gradually, just two Tbsp at a time, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• The ball of dough should be moist to the touch, but not too sticky and you may find it necessary to add additional flour, a very small amount at a time.
• Place a small amount of olive oil in a mixing bowl and add the dough, turning the dough several times to coat.
• Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot until it has doubled in size, which should take about 45 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth.
• Form into another ball.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Trim the asparagus ends off and discard.
• Peel the asparagus skin off of the stalk, starting just below the tip.
• Boil the asparagus until it is bright green, about 2-3 minutes.
• Chill immediately under cold running water.
• Cut in half lengthwise and reserve.
• Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the dough into four pieces and roll into balls.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the pieces into small disks, about 8 inches wide.
• Cover them with plastic and allow them to "proof" for about 5-10 minutes.
• Roll out again until each piece is about 1/2 inch thick.
• Sprinkle a pizza pan with cornmeal and transfer the dough pieces to it.
• Press your fingertips into the dough, leaving dimples in the surface.
• Sprinkle the dough with the 1/4 Celsius olive oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, and sage, being careful to distribute the ingredients evenly over all of the dough pieces.
• Sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal and bake the dough disks for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
• Use a sharp knife to poke any large bubbles that form during baking.
• Remove the foccacia and top with the prosciutto, asparagus, and cheese slices.
• Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the toppings are warm, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the finished foccacia into wedge shaped pieces before drizzling with the truffle oil.
• Sprinkle with pepper and serve while hot.