Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity between baking and gardening. I started off the morning making blueberry pancakes then moved on to a double batch of sandwich bread followed closely by a batch of focaccia (apparently it's been a long time since I posted this recipe)..
Rosemary Garlic Focaccia
1 3/4 cups warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup garlic and rosemary infused olive oil
1 tablespoon salt, extra for garnish
Preheat the oven to 475 F. Mix the water and sugar in a large
non-reactive bowl and allow to stand ten minutes or until foamy. Add
oil and three cups of the flour and blend with a wooden spoon. Add salt
and as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a smooth soft
dough, knead until smooth directly in the bowl. Cover bowl tightly with
saran wrap and allow to stand for about 45 minutes or until doubled in
size. Sprinkle two rimless cookie sheets generously with cornmeal.
Punch the dough down and cut in half. On a floured surface press out
each half, one at a time into an oval about 3/8 to 1/2-inch thick.
Allow to rise 15 to 20 minutes. Dent the surface deeply all over with
the tips of your fingers. Brush the surface generously with infused
olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt. Bake at 475 F for
12- 15 minutes or until dark golden brown.
To infuse the olive oil, bring 1 cup oil to a simmer. Add 4 crushed
garlic cloves and several stems of rosemary. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes then
turn off heat and let stand for an hour. Strain and store in the
refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. The strained rosemary can be used to
top the bread.
I also made a giant dent in my garden todo list with some help from Jason. I potted up some things for Daniel's dorm room, as per his request and then Jason dug iris, coreopsis and rudbeckia for me to pot up for the ride south as a care package for my sister's garden at her new house. I cleared out the peas since they are about done making space for the butternut squash to climb on the trellis and while I was putting the pea vines in the compost I spotted what looked sort of like an avocado tree sprouting there. I grabbed a pot and a trowel and soon unearthed a determined (if a bit squiggly) mango tree. He does have pretty shiny leaves so if he survives the next few months he can become a houseplant.