Fall Panzanella

I'll be honest with you, I was in the grocery store with a big loaf of crusty bread in my hand thinking "What's the big deal...  I'll just buy it instead of making it", but I JUST. COULDN'T. DO. IT.  
So, I put that gorgeous loaf of bread back amongst it's friends and headed home to start the focaccia. 

I pulled out the stand mixer, made my dough, let it rise...  Placed it ever so lovingly on my sheet pan to puff up again before sliding it in the oven...  And yet, something was amiss.  It just didn't look quite right, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  Once it was time for the bread to come out of the sauna, I realized I had a bit of a problem.

Not really sure how I screwed it up, but it was more of a focaccia pancake.  It didn't rise properly and looked rather pathetic.  So I salvaged what I could, not wanting to waste everything and started over.  
Truth be told, the Ohio State game was on and I was a tad distracted...  There, I've said it.  I wasn't paying attention to my work,  I was watching football. 
That's what happened.

You know as I was remaking the focaccia, I was thinking "Why didn't I just buy the bread?!"...
In the end, I'm glad I didn't.  Sometimes taking the long road has it troubles but at the end of the day the effort is usually worth it.

So when all is said and done and you are staring at a fridge full of Thanksgiving leftovers, give new life to the roasted veggies hanging around.  It's a great way to use up the ones that always get passed over for everyone's favorite, the mashed potatoes.


Fall Panzanella
1 red onion, diced
1 gala apple, cored and diced
1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
3 cups diced butternut squash, roasted
2 cups red or rainbow swiss chard, finely sliced
5 - 6 cups focaccia or day old crusty bread, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, roasted
a few tablespoons olive oil for tossing with veggies/bread

Vinaigrette
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, leaves only

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  If using store bought crusty bread, toss in a little olive oil before toasting bread.  Bake until golden brown and crunchy, about 12 - 15 minutes.

Toss apples and onion in a few tbsp oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for approximately 20 minutes until soft and caramelized.

While bread, onions and apples are in the oven, make vinaigrette in a large bowl and set aside. 
When focaccia is toasted, let it cool slightly then toss in vinaigrette.  Add roasted vegetables, cranberries, apples and swiss chard.  Toss to combine and coat in vinaigrette.
Serve immediately.

Flour, Salt, Water, Yeast

These basic four ingredients that most of us already have in the pantry plus a few other add ins and that's all that is needed to turn a few basic ingredients into focaccia.

I had been thinking about making it for months, but for one reason or another talked myself out of it every time... until now.  I was thinking that it was such a hassle (it's not) and that it would be a process (it hardly qualifies as work) to make it...  blah, blah, blah.   It had been awhile since I had made focaccia and I had just forgotten how ridiculously easy it is. 

It is as simple as weighing some flour, mixing yeast & water and turning on a mixer.   I should be ashamed of myself for putting it off for so long, especially when it really is that easy.

If you don't have a kitchen scale, a cup of flour weighs approximately 5 ounces. 
There are 16 ounces in a pound, so therefore 1 lb and 4 ounces of flour is 20 ounces.  Divided by 5 gives you 4 cups of flour.  I used a little more than that.  I weighed my flour first and then measured it so I could give you the cup measurement and for me it came out closer to 4 and a half cups.

I know with all this math, I've probably just talked you out of weighing flour but it really isn't all that bad.   Please forgive the math lesson and let's get on with the dough...


Focaccia with Olives, Rosemary & Sea Salt

• 1 lb 4 oz all purpose flour  (approximately 4 - 4.5 cups)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm water (about 100°)
• 1- 1/4 oz pkg dry yeast
• 2 fluid ounces olive oil
• 2 big sprigs fresh rosemary
• handful of oil cured, pitted black olives
• coarse sea salt (to sprinkle on top)

If you aren't a fan of olives (personally, I can't even conceive of it), then use something else in place of them.  Caramelized onions or shallots are great on top of focaccia, you could also skip it all together and just use sea salt & herbs.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. 
In a separate bowl, whisk water and yeast together, then add oil.

On low speed, add water mixture to flour mixture.   Mix for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and thoroughly combined.

Cover dough and allow to rise until doubled.

Turn dough out onto an oiled baking sheet and (with oiled hands) stretch dough into the pan.  Using your fingertips,  make indentations about an inch apart over the surface of the dough and add olives, rosemary and a sprinkling of coarse salt.

Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let the dough proof until double.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

* for the oil in this recipe, I infused arbequina olive oil with garlic and rosemary, it imparts more flavor to the bread than plain olive oil. 

Use the leftover oil for sauteing veggies, chicken, meat, etc...