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Potato and Herb Focaccia
Common to the Puglia region of Italy, potato focaccia is a particularly moist version of the classic Italian bread. We embedded ours with deep herbal flavors by seasoning the cooking water for the potatoes with rosemary or thyme, as well as garlic. Then we made the starchy, herb-infused cooking liquid do double duty, using it in the dough, too. Yukon Gold potatoes give the focaccia color and texture, and don’t require peeling (the soft skins disappeared into the dough). For our herbs, we like a combination of rosemary and thyme, but oregano and bay leaves work, too. After the dough comes together, you may need to add more cooking liquid (up to ¼ cup) to achieve the proper texture; the dough should be soft and sticky, and just barely clear the sides of the bowl. The focaccia is delicious with a sprinkling of herbs and black pepper, but Kalamata olives and Parmesan cheese are welcome additions. Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, was a nice touch, as well.
one
13-by-9-inch loaf
Tip
Don’t use a glass baking dish. The bread won’t brown and crisp properly. If you don’t have a metal baking pan, stretch the focaccia into a rough 13-by-9-inch rectangle and bake on a rimmed baking sheet.
3½ hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
8
ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 small or 1 large), cut into ¾-inch pieces
-
6
sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme, plus ¼ cup chopped woody herbs
Directions
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01In a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes, herb sprigs, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high. Uncover, reduce to medium and simmer until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid; let the liquid cool until just barely warm, 20 to 30 minutes (it should be no hotter than 115°F). Meanwhile, discard the herb sprigs, then return the potatoes, garlic and any loose herb leaves to the saucepan. Using a potato masher or fork, mash until smooth and creamy. Transfer the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Reviews
December 21, 2022
Yummy! Crispy outside, moist inside
I'm looking for a bread that I can serve at Christmas that will go with just about anything. This is it. I did cut back on the garlic. I like a hint of garlic. One clove was fine for me. I didn't use olives. This was delicious. It is pretty easy. What is nice is you can substitute different herbs, add some grated cheese, nor just make it plain. I will be making this again, and again.
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This was tasty and easy to prepare. The texture is really moist and airy with a nice crunch on the outside. I did find the baking time a little on the long side -- my focaccia started burning on top before 35 minutes were up. I may try a slightly lower temperature next time or a shorter bake time.