SAFFRON FOCCACIA with PURPLE GRAPES

by:

May 13, 2020

My all time favorite holiday, is the Swedish Santa Lucia celebration. If you are not familiar with the holiday, please refer to your copy of “The Swedish Table”. I was first thinking we would make Santa Lucia buns (for recipe please again refer to your copy of the Swedish table) which is this wonderfully fragrant Saffron bun with raisins. Seriously yummy and takes me right down memory lane, but then last-minute I decided, I wasn’t sure if the ‘bu mom’s would share my appreciation for this Swedish country delight. I was still obsessing about the saffron, raisin bread, when I overheard someone at the farmers market say they were making grape foccacia. At which point I thought. Yeah. Saffron, grape foccacia. 
Ingredients
  • 1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon) 
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 cup very warm water 110 degrees 
  • 2/3 cup olive oil + additional oil
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • pinch of saffron
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 to 5 cups flour
  • 2 cups grapes, purple preferably
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, pine nuts, or pecans (optional)

Instructions
  1. First, per my very excellent demonstration, you should always do the following when working with yeast.
  2. Put one tablespoon sugar in a metal bowl.
  3. Pour 1/4 cup very hot water straight from the tap (not from a tea kettle because then it will be too hot) over the sugar, you may use a thermometer if you wish, at 110 degrees 
  4. ) Immediately pour the yeast over the hot water.
  5. Wait. Wait for it.
  6. It shall “proof”, as in get all bubbly.
  7. If it does not proof, your water was either too hot or too cold, so toss it all out, and start again.
  8. Now dissolve your saffron in the remaining water, which should also be hot, so that the flavor and color of the saffron is maximized. If you are not using saffron, this remaining water can be room temp. Once the water cools, combine it with the salt and the oil and then pour the “wet” ingredients into the proofed yeast mix.
  9. Now with an electric mixer using the dough hook, mix in the flour, nice and slow, 1/4 cup at a time, waiting for it to be absorbed. Keep adding flour until it is slightly tacky but can be handled. Maybe you will need 4 cups. Maybe 5. Toss in the grapes, and mix a few more seconds. Then empty out the dough onto a work surface dusted with flour and knead for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary. Pour some oil into a large bowl, and turn the dough in the oil so it is oiled on all sides.
  10. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place, for 2 hr or until the dough is doubled in size.
  11. Place the dough onto a greased sheet pan (or use silpat liner). Stretch it out to reach the corners. It should cover a full size sheet pan pretty exactly. Toss some nuts (if using) on the top. Brush with olive oil. Maybe sprinkle with some sugar. Maybe not.
  12. Let rise another 30 minutes, then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.
  13. Alright, don’t feel like saffron or grapes in your foccacia?
  14. Fine, omit both. You can sprinkle with parmesan, garlic, rosemary instead. Or onions and kalamata. Or Cherry tomatoes and thyme.
  15. Whole wheat flour works fine too.

Photo and Food Styling by Mimi Newman