FOCACCIA DI RECCO RECIPES

Steps:

• Make The Focaccia Dough: Combine the water, olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed, add the pouring shield if you have it (otherwise, turn the mixer on and off as needed, so you don't have flour fly everywhere), and add the flour to the mixer a spoonful at a time. Once all the flour is incorporated, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth, elastic, and does not stick to the sides of the bowl, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Remove the dough to a very lightly floured work surface and bring it together in a ball. Divide the dough into two pieces (each piece will make one focaccia) and place each in a resealable storage container or a bowl covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before continuing. 
• Shape The Focaccia Dough: Once the dough has rested, prepare the bottom piece of a 9-inch springform pan by brushing it with extra virgin olive oil. Heat the oven to 500°F, arrange a rack in the middle, and place a baking stone, pizza stone, or two nested baking sheets on the rack (these will help make the bottom crust nice and golden brown!).   Place one of the dough pieces onto a very lightly floured clean countertop and divide it in two. Take one of the pieces of dough, and, using flour sparingly, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Drape the piece of dough over the prepared pan. Pinch the cheese and tear it into bite-sized pieces, then scatter the cheese across the dough (you don't need the whole bottom covered with cheese, and sprinkling it a bit haphazardly makes for focaccia with different parts that have more cheese!).  Roll the second piece of dough into an 11-inch circle and drape it on top of the cheese-covered piece of dough so that you have two layers of dough. Don't pull the top piece of dough taut, but rather let it be loose enough that it can drape a bit between the bits of cheese (it shouldn't fold over on itself, though). Use scissors or a sharp knife to snip or cut slits (about 1-inch in length) above each piece of cheese to allow steam to escape, then gently press down on the dough to remove any air and have it deflate and seal the edge. 
• Bake The Focaccia Bread: Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and add a large pinch of flaky salt. Place the focaccia in the oven on the baking stone or baking sheets, reduce the oven temperature to 475°F, and bake 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking, until the cheese is bubbling, golden, and has a few browned bits. 
• Finish The Focaccia Bread: Remove the focaccia from the oven and immediately transfer it to a serving platter. Top it with a few spoonfuls of the pesto and spread it all over the top. Drizzle a bit more olive oil on top, add a pinch of flaky salt and a few fresh basil leaves (if using). Serve immediately!

Steps:

• To prepare focaccia with cheese , start by pouring the flour 1 into a food processor fitted with a hook, then the water at room temperature  2 . Add the salt 3
• and pour in the oil 4 . Work at low speed 5 , until a smooth and homogeneous dough is obtained 6 . If necessary, stop the machine and push the mixture down the sides with a rubber spatula. This will take about four or five minutes. Once the ingredients are blended, continue at a higher speed (but not very high) for another 4-5 minutes.
• Then transfer the dough, which should be smooth and homogeneous, onto a work surface 7 . Lightly sprinkle the working surface and the dough with flour, then flatten it slightly and fold it, bringing the edges of dough inwards alternately. Wrap with plastic wrap 8 , or cover with a bowl or cloth. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 loaves: two slightly smaller 9 and two slightly larger. They will serve as a base and top for the 2 focacce.
• Swirl the portions of dough on the worktop, giving them a spherical shape 10 and pinch the base with your fingers to seal the shape. Put them on a tray with the seal on the bottom, place them well spaced and cover them with plastic wrap 11 , before storing them in the fridge for about 1 hour. After this time, leave the dough at room temperature for 10 minutes to make the rolling out easier. Pick up one of the larger loaves, leaving the others covered. Dust the worktop with a little flour and push the dough down lightly with your hands, then take a rolling pin and start rolling it out 12 .
• You will need to make a rectangular sheet 13 , larger than the 8x15-inch (20x40 cm) baking tray. The dough should be paper thin. You can raise the sheet and see where the dough is thicker and needs to be rolled out further. If the dough tends to shrink while you roll it out, wait a few minutes before continuing. In the meantime brush one of the two pans with 3/4 tablespoon (10 g) of extra virgin olive oil. Then lay the sheet of dough on the baking tray, letting the sides come over the edges of the tray 14 . Place about 1.5 cups (400 g) of crescenza cheese, in pieces, alternating one row with three pieces and one with two. Space pieces about one inch apart 15 . Brush with oil.
• Roll out one of the two smaller balls of dough. You will always need to obtain a sheet of dough larger than the baking tray 16 . The thickness of the top piece should be even thinner than the base, as if it were a veil 17 . Pass your hands underneath the pulled dough, then lift with the back of your hands. Be careful not to tear the dough and lay it on top so that it sticks out over the pan’s edges 18 .
• Seal well by applying light pressure on the edge 19 . Then, pinching with your fingers, make a few holes: 3 in a row will be fine, right over the cheese 20 . This way, the dough will bake evenly with no air bubbles 21 .
• Now you have two alternatives: the first is to sprinkle a few drops of oil on the surface using a well soaked brush. The second consists in making a brine with a little water, a pinch of salt and a little oil 22 that you can brush on the surface. For a home oven we recommend this second technique (23-24) .
• Pass the rolling pin over the edges 25 to remove the excess dough 26 . Always lightly press the edges to seal, bake in a static oven preheated to 480°F (250°C) for about 7-8 minutes. As oven temperatures vary slightly, adjust the baking time accordingly. In the meantime, prepare the second focaccia. Once ready, take out the first 27 , bake the second and serve it cut into squares.