Cast-Iron Focaccia with Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
5 from 3 votes
That Vegan Nephew
In this recipe, discover the delights of baking your very own herbed focaccia - stuffed with jalapeño pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives - in a cast-iron skillet. Not only is it a beautiful and impressive centerpiece for any table, but it's also packed with vibrant flavors and amazingly easy to make.
Firstly, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons or 4 oz.) of dry active yeast with 1 ⅓ cup warm water and 2 teaspoon agave syrup. Let the yeast bloom for about 10 minutes, until bubbly and frothy.
Next, add to the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl that contains the whole-wheat and bread flours, olive oil, dried thyme and salt. Mix well until the dough is cohesive and sticking together.
Knead the dough vigorously on a lightly floured surface (to prevent it from sticking) for about 5 minutes, or until the dough looks more self-contained, is no longer super sticky, and feels a little bit like clammy flesh (sorry for that imagery).
After that, add about a tablespoon or so olive oil to another large mixing bowl (or the one you just used once cleaned), and plop the ball of dough into it, covering the whole of the dough in oil. Once coated in olive oil, cover the bowl with a clean cloth, and place it some place sunny, or just above room temperature (if possible). Let the dough rise for 60 - 70 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the pesto by toasting some walnuts in a cast-iron pan for 3 - 5 minutes, and then pulse them in a food processor with the minced garlic cloves. Once that's pulsed together, add all the other pesto ingredients and process until you have a smooth pesto. Store the pesto in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down, then cut it in two even halves. Fit one of the halves to the circular bottom of a clean cast-iron pan that has been greased with a small amount of olive oil, until it lays flat across the entire thing. Now, take only 3 - 4 tablespoons of pesto (the rest you can use for a dipping sauce) and spread it across the circular base of dough, leaving about ¼-inch boarder of dough free of pesto. Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives.
Then, shape and fit the other half of dough overtop the other, and pinch the two together so that you encase the filling between the doughs. Rub the top with a small amount of olive oil, cover the cast-iron pan with a clean cloth, and again store some place sunny or room temperature for 20 minutes, for a second prove.
Right before baking, use your fingers to poke some indents into the top of the dough, an inch or two deep, to give the focaccia that signature look.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C), and begin baking the cast-iron focaccia for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown, crispy, hollow when tapped, and firm on the bottom (you can lift it out of the pan a bit to check). Brush the top one last time with a small amount of olive oil, sprinkle on some sea salt flakes and dried time, and then serve!