Roasted Strawberry and Feta Focaccia with Balsamic Glaze, So Unique I had To Try It

There is nothing like a big dinner salad full of fresh goodness to celebrate the seasonal flavors. The fact that this bread has strawberries roasted right on top makes me so happy. In fact, I just went out and bought several baskets of fresh strawberries so I could try this recipe out for myself.

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 2-4 tablespoons for dusting
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups very warm water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 2-4 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt.
2. Add the water, make sure it’s very warm, but not hot to the touch.
3. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon or dough whisk until all completely mixed.
4. Cover this tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Prepare an 11×15 inch pan by brushing 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the bottom and sides. If you don’t have that size pan, just use a larger cookie sheet and brush the oil over the bottom of it.
6. Once the dough has doubled, sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough, just so it isn’t as sticky and you can handle it a bit. Turn it over a couple times in the bowl with floured hands so that you have a lightly floured ball of dough. Try to use as little flour as possible, just to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
7. Move the dough to the prepared baking pan and press it out with your hands to fill the pan (if using a large cookie sheet, just stretch the dough to about 11×15 inches). It may not quite reach the edges everywhere or be a perfect rectangle, that’s okay.
8. Brush the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the dough, and spread it around with your hands, dimpling the dough and stretching it to cover it in the oil and fill the pan, leaving an uneven surface with lots of dimples all over it
9. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let it rest for 45 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. When the dough has rested, uncover it, spread the chopped strawberries and feta over top, and place the pan into the hot oven. Bake for 25-27 minutes until it is golden brown.
11. Let cool in the pan for couple of minutes and then lift it out to cool on a wire rack.
12. Drizzle balsamic glaze over top of the focaccia, slice into squares.

Quick Tip: Here is the recipe for Balsamic Glaze.

Mix  1 cup balsamic vinegar with  1 tablespoon brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Let cool and pour into an airtight container. Store in refrigerator.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Stacey at Bake. Eat. Repeat.