Crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft, pillowy, and chewy on the inside. This week's new recipe is a delicious kale and ricotta focaccia with chili and honey. The toppings are loaded with flavour and texture; garlicky kale, creamy ricotta, and drizzled with honey once baked. The perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy. You are definitely going to want to make this one.
The key to achieving a moist and chewy dough is letting it rise overnight in the fridge, then allowing the dough a second rise for 2 hours at room temperature just before baking. There isn't a lot of hands-on time, just the foresight to make it in advance.
Ideally, you want to use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment to knead the dough. You could also knead by hand using a large bowl and wooden spoon. It will take a bit of effort but will work just the same. You'll need to knead it with a spoon in a bowl (using similar motions to a stand mixer) rather than on a floured work surface as the focaccia dough is super wet and we don't want to add any extra flour as this will affect the end result.
Hope you enjoy the recipe and please let me know if you have any questions.
Ingredients
VEG 
30 min hands on + 24 hr rising time 
6-12 - 460g (2 cups) warm water
- 4g (1 tsp) granulated (raw or raw castor) sugar
- 8g (2 tsp) dry active yeast
- 500g (4 cups) plain/all-purpose flour
- 10g (2 tsp) kosher salt/flaky salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt flakes for sprinkling
- 1 small bunch kale (curly or tuscan), stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
- 450g fresh ricotta
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes or pinch of chili flakes, to your taste
- 3 tbs honey to drizzle
Method
Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add 460g (2 cups) warm water, the 4g (1tsp) sugar, and 8g (2 tsp) dry active yeast.
- Stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the 500g (2 cups) flour and 10g (2tsp) salt, then mix to combine.
- Scrape the mixture down the sides of the bowl ensuring all the flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough using the stand mixer with the dough hook on medium speed for 5 minutes.
NOTE: You could also knead by hand using a large bowl and wooden spoon. It will take a bit of effort but will work just the same. You'll need to knead it with a spoon in a bowl (using similar motions to a stand mixer) rather than on a floured work surface as the focaccia dough is super wet and we don't want to add any extra flour as this will affect the end result.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large bowl and, using your hands, spread it around to coat the inside of the bowl.
- Add the dough to the oiled bowl, then cover and place the bowl into the fridge to rise overnight or for up to 36 hours.
- Grease a 9x13 inch (23x33cm) brownie tin with olive oil.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and add to the greased brownie tin, stretching it out evenly.
- Set aside and allow it to rise for 2 hours.
- While the dough is on its second rise let’s prepare the toppings.
Toppings & Baking
- In a large saucepan add a drizzle of olive oil, the 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, the roughly chopped kale, and a generous pinch of salt.
- Sauté until vibrant green and just wilted.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Once the dough has completed its second rise preheat your oven to 220°C/430°F (fan forced).
- Drizzle 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil over the dough.
- Now using your fingers press into the dough and create deep dimples over its entire surface.
- Top the dimpled dough with ⅔ of the kale mixture.
- Now crumble over the 450g fresh ricotta.
- Add the remaining kale, sprinkle with Aleppo pepper flakes or chili flakes, and sea salt.
- Bake at 220°C/430°F for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and while still hot drizzle with the 3 tbs honey.
- Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
