Sartori Merlot Bellavitano & Apricot Focaccia
Sartori Merlot Bellavitano is my FAVORITE CHEESE. I paired the nutty and fruity flavors of the cheese with apricot and the results were BEAUTIFUL. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
380g of bread flour
20g white whole wheat flour
340g of water (warm around 80 degrees F)
70g ripe starter
8g of salt
________
Topping:
Olive oil (for drizzling)
1 medium slice of Sartori Merlot Bellavitano diced in cubes
4 TBS of apricot preserves
2 TBS of apricot preserves + 1 TBS. of water (for brushing)
———————
Glaze:
1 cup of confection sugar
1/4 cup of whole milk
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
1 tsp. of vanilla
__________
Instructions:
PREPARE THE DOUGH
Mix all the dough ingredients together except the salt. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before adding the salt.
Next, knead it with your hands for 5 minutes or with a mixer for 2 minutes.
Transfer to a pyrex and cover with a cloth. Make sure the dough is in a warm area (72-75 degrees F).
Preform 3-coil folds every 30 minutes.
Allow the dough to rise undisturbed for 2 hours.
Next, transfer to a large square baking dish. Stretch the dough and let it sit on the counter for another 2 hours. You should see lots of bubbles forming. Place in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, preheat your oven to 450 F. Allow the dough to sit on the counter and reach room temperature while your oven is preheating.
PREPARE THE TOPPINGS
Next, take olive oil and drizzle it over the top of the dough. With your fingers “dimple the dough.” Do this for several minutes.
Prepare your toppings and evenly distribute them into the pockets and dimples of the dough.
Bake the focaccia for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Take it out of the oven and brush it with more apricot perseveres + 1 TBS of water.
PREPARE THE GLAZE
While the focaccia is cooling, make the glaze. Mix all the glaze ingredients together and mix well. With a whisk, drizzle over the top of the focaccia. I like making long string like patterns. (Make sure the focaccia isn’t too hot at this point).
Slice and enjoy!
