Pear, Walnut and Rosemary Focaccia
Level up Lacey Ostermann's Same-day Focaccia by adding some lovely fruit and nut toppings. This herby, fluffy focaccia is easily customisable and is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.
From the book
3 Doughs, 60 Recipes
Learn to make three basic dough recipes – focaccia, sandwich bread and pizza dough
Discover 20 creative recipes for each dough type
Each dough also has practical step-by-step instructions, detailed photography and QR codes linking to video tutorials
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Introduction
If you think fruit doesn’t belong on top of a focaccia, think again. I love to serve fruit-and-nut focaccia alongside a cheeseboard, with honey for drizzling. It is unbelievably delicious. This recipe was inspired by my dear friend and cookbook author Anna Ansari. She sent me a photo of her son helping her make this using my dough recipe, and I knew I had to try it for myself!
Ingredients
| 1 batch | Same-day Focaccia |
| 100g (3½ oz/1 cup) | walnuts, roughly chopped |
| 1 large (or 2 small) | ripe pear |
| 2 sprigs | rosemary |
| 15–30ml (1–2 tbsp) | extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling |
| flaky sea salt, for sprinkling |
Essential kit
You will need: For baking focaccia, I typically use an aluminium or metal tray measuring at least 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in), also known as a quarter sheet pan. If using ceramic or glass, keep in mind that you may need to leave the bread in the oven for a bit longer, and the focaccia may not achieve the same level of crispness. The size of the baking tray you use will determine the thickness of the focaccia. The 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) baking tray will give you a thicker focaccia. If you’d prefer a thinner, crispier focaccia with more crust, use a larger tray, as the dough will spread out more.
Method
Prepare the Same-day Focaccia dough up to the end of step 6.
Once the dough is in the oiled baking tray, gently spread it out so there is plenty of surface area to sprinkle the walnuts onto. Scatter the nuts over the top of the dough, then oil your hands and fold one side of the dough towards the middle. Repeat with the other side, folding it over the top of the folded dough. Rotate the dough so its long side aligns with the long side of the tray, then flip it over so the seams are at the bottom. Cover and proof at room temperature for 1–1½ hours.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and move the oven rack to the lowest position.
While the oven is preheating, core and thinly slice the pears. Remove the rosemary leaves from their stems and coat them in a little extra virgin olive oil.
When the focaccia has finished proofing in the tray, drizzle it with the extra virgin olive oil, then use your fingers to dimple the dough. Gently push the pear slices into the dough and nestle the rosemary needles into some of the dimples you’ve created.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil once more, then sprinkle over some flaky sea salt. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown.
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes in the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
TOPPING TIP:
If you like, you can add a few additional walnuts to the top of the focaccia, but be mindful that they may get a little extra toasted during the baking process. Stuffing most of them into the dough helps to ensure they won’t burn.
MORE FRUIT-AND-NUT TOPPINGS TO TRY:
• cherry and almond
• peach and pistachio
• fig and walnut
• plum and hazelnut
• strawberry and pistachio
• apple and pecan
• grape and walnut
• blueberry, lemon and almond
Reviews
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