Recipes
Recipe: Sweet Potato Focaccia With Garlic & Thyme
Photography by Janis Nicolay
Recipes
Recipe: Sweet Potato Focaccia With Garlic & Thyme
For years, Anna Olson has been a trusted name in baking—beloved for her flavourful, foolproof recipes featured in her bestselling cookbooks and on her hit TV shows.
In her latest book, Anna Cooks, she shows off her savoury side with delicious seasonal dishes that are easy to make, and easy to tweak, reflecting how we really cook at home.
This fresh, salty and savoury loaf will help you soak up the last remnants of any soup.
Sweet Potato Focaccia With Garlic & Thyme
Serves 10
Prep Time 20 minutes + rising
Cook Time 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4 1/3 cups (650 g) all-purpose flour
3 cups (225 g) coarsely grated sweet potatoes
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil + extra for brushing
1 tbsp (4 g) chopped fresh thyme + extra for sprinkling
4 tsp (20 g) coarse or flaked sea salt + extra for sprinkling
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (21⁄4 tsp/7 g) pkg instant yeast 11⁄2 cups (375 mL) lukewarm water
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour and grated sweet potatoes to coat the sweet potato pieces. Add the olive oil, thyme, salt, garlic, yeast and lukewarm water. Stir with a wooden spoon until it becomes too difficult (the mixture will be rough and shaggy), then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl (no need to wash), cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise on the counter for an hour, until doubled in size.
After the first hour, punch the dough down to deflate it, cover the bowl and let rise for 45 minutes, again until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto an 11-x-17-inch parchment-lined baking tray and spread the dough to fill it. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Uncover the dough and use your fingertips to dimple the focaccia. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the focaccia is a deep golden brown.
Immediately from the oven, brush the hot bread with olive oil and sprinkle with a little chopped thyme and sea salt. Cool the focaccia in the tray on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
Note: Like most breads, focaccia is best served the day it is baked. Because of the olive oil in it, it can also keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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