Cherry Tomato Focaccia Bread

Hello, loyal readers.  I know I promised to post the salad recipe that goes along with the Spaghetti with Walnuts and Fried Breadcrumbs from last night, but I've decided against it.  It turns out that some things (job applications, for instance) take precedence over blogging about a fairly unexciting salad.

Don't fret, though: I am going to post a delicious focaccia recipe instead. 

What could be better than this?

Recipe:     
Cherry Tomato Focaccia Bread

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or another 1.5 cups all purpose flour)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• olive oil, for greasing the baking sheet + 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

First, prepare the dough.  Stir together the flours, sugar, yeast, salt and 1.25 cups water in a large bowl.  Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and knead with your hands for five minutes.  Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Meanwhile, generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.  Once the dough has risen, stretch the dough into a 12" x 11" rectangle in the pan.  Let rise for another hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare the focaccia topping.  Place the pistachios in a plastic bag and use the back of a spoon to crush them against your counter top (or use a food processor), leaving some larger pieces.  Transfer the pistachios to a small bowl and stir in the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Once the dough has risen, dimple the dough with your finger tips.  Whisk 2 tablespoons water into the topping mixture and brush the mixture onto the dough.  Then press the tomato halves cut-side up into the dough.  

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.  Serves 8. 

Comments:

Taste:      

The tomatoes, pistachios, and whole wheat dough come together into a hearty, nutty, toasty, yet fresh bite.  The light crust on the top of the focaccia adds a welcome crunch to the thick bread, and each tomato's sweet juiciness is icing on the cake. 

Accessibility:    

Pistachios should be easy to find--in my experience, they can be found in the bulk section of the grocery store, rather than in the snack nuts section--but they can be expensive.  Whole wheat pastry flour can also be replaced by regular flour for a lighter focaccia bread. 

 Ease of Preparation:        

There's nothing terribly complicated about this recipe, but it does take a long time and require some muscle. 

Non-vegan friendliness:       

"Mmmm!"  That is the sound that non-vegans make when they eat this focaccia bread.