Focaccia Bread
- 1 10-ounce boiling potato, peeled
- 1 tbs. dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water
- 3 tbs. bread flour
- 2 tbs. minced fresh rosemary
- 2 tbs. minced garlic
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 7 cups (about) flour
- 1 tbs. salt
- olive oil
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- coarse kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- Cover potato with cold water in medium saucepan. Simmer until potato is tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Mash potato. Measure 1 cup potato.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over ½ cup warm water in small bowl; stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix in 3 tbs. flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area for 30 minutes.
- Blanch rosemary and garlic in small saucepan of boiling water 1 minute. Strain. Add enough water to potato liquid to measure 2 cups. Mix in rosemary, garlic and 2 tbs. oil.
- Combine 6 ½ cups flour and 1 tbs. salt in large bowl. Stir down yeast mixture and add to flour with herb-water mixture and 1 cup potato. Mix until sticky dough forms. Knead on well-floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 10 minutes.
- Oil large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. Cover bowl with plastic. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, 1 ½ hours.
- Punch dough down. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
- Grease rimmed 9" x 13" jelly roll pan. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 9" x 13" rectangle. Transfer to prepared pan. Brush top with 2 tbs. oil. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and generously with pepper. Let rise in warm draft-fee area until almost doubled, 1 ¼ hours.
- Preheat oven to 400º. Bake until bread is brown and sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and let cool completely.