Sour Cherry, Chocolate, and Almond Focaccia
Sour cherries and chocolate and almonds, oh my!
Recipe by Rachel DiNunzio | @bakeswithrach_
7g (1 envelope) active dry yeast
780g (6 cups) bread flour 66g (⅓ c) + 2 tbsp sugar, divided
17g (2 Tbsp) kosher salt
1 tsp almond extract (optional)
120g (½ c) Sizzle
1 pint sour cherries, washed and pitted
1 semi-sweet bakers chocolate bar, roughly chopped
½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Active Time: 1 Hour
Full Time: 12 Hours
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and 110g warm (but not hot) water. Stir to combine and then set aside until puffy, around 5 minutes.
Add 567g water (2 ½ cups) to the bowl with the yeast, then add the flour, salt, 66g sugar, and almond extract to the bowl. Mix on low with a dough hook until combined, then mix on medium until the dough starts to wrap around the hook, roughly 5 minutes. Turn off the mixer, cover with a towel, and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Uncover and mix until the dough is completely wrapped around the hook, another 7-10 minutes.
While the dough is mixing, coat a large bowl with a generous amount of Sizzle (around 20 grams). Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until doubled in size, 12-24 hours.
The next day, before taking your dough out of the fridge, prep your cherries. Combine the pitted, washed cherries in a small bowl with 2 tbsp sugar. Mix to combine and let sit until ready.
When the dough is doubled, generously coat a 9x13 metal baking dish with Sizzle. Oil your hands and fold the dough by lifting from underneath and gently stretching it up and then folding it over itself. Add half of the cherries, half of chocolate, and half od the almonds to the bowl. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the fold 3 more times, incorporating the mix-ins as you go.
Transfer the dough to the oiled baking pan and stretch it to fill the pan. If the dough starts to spring back, cover with plastic wrap gently and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before trying again. Be careful not to rip the dough in this process.
Cover your baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature until doubled, 45-60 minutes. It should be big, bubbly, and alive-looking.
Preheat the oven to 450F.
When the dough is ready to go into the oven, uncover it and top with a generous drizzle of Sizzle. With oiled hands, use your fingers to dimple the dough and create bubbles all over. Top with the remaining cherries, chocolate, and almonds.
Bake until the focaccia has browned all over and the bubbles are starting to char, 20-25 minutes. Let the focaccia cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack.
