Parmesan Black Pepper Focaccia

Yield: 20 servings

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1 (¼ oz.) packet yeast
¼ cup warm water (approximately 110ºF)
4 1/3 cups All Purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup + 1/3 cup good quality Extra Virgin olive oil
1 cup + ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1½ teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Combine the yeast and the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl.

Add ¼ cup of olive oil and then the flour mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer. Whisk together until the wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Switch to the dough hook. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and the black pepper to the mixer and knead for 2 minutes of medium-high speed. The dough will be very wet and should not form a ball.

Grease a 9x13" pan with 1/3 cup of olive oil, spreading it to cover the entire surface of the pan. Helpful hint: After three different pan attempts, I found that a pebble-bottomed cake pan works best.

Grease your hands with olive oil then transfer the dough to the prepared pan, using your hands to press it into the four corners of the pan. Then use your fingertips to make small indentations on the top of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it proof until it doubles in size (I put mine in my dryer, shortly after it's been used).

Bake the focaccia for 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven, drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ cup shredded Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the focaccia rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.